UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Marketing Association (PSMA), a student group in the Smeal College of Business and an official collegiate chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), took high honors at the AMA 35th annual International Collegiate Conference, held March 21 to 23 in New Orleans, La.
Out of 345 collegiate chapters, PSMA tied for second place, earning the title of AMA Gold Collegiate Chapter. This award is based on the group’s chapter plan and annual report, which highlights goals, strategies and results for the year’s activities.
Other awards the group received include an honorable mention for Marketing Week activities and a certificate of appreciation for hosting an AMA Regional Conference — attended by Johns Hopkins University, Lansing Community College, Cleveland State University and the State University of New York, Plattsburgh.
Elizabeth Rotiroti, junior Marketing major and PSMA’s associate director of the advertising division, was also recognized with an AMA-EBSCO Marketing Scholar Award for her impact on the chapter.
Finally, PSMA’s participation in the AMA Saves Lives competition — an organ donation awareness campaign — earned the group several top honors.
The conference, themed "Live the Marketing Life," included marketing sessions, business competitions and opportunities to network with other chapters and corporate recruiters. It also serves as a chance for AMA collegiate chapters across the country to share their program’s successes over the year.
PSMA’s successful academic year included more than doubling their active membership to 67 percent and developing relationships with nine AMA collegiate chapters and two professional chapters. They also increased the number of companies who recruited at the Marketing Career Fair to 31, up from 19 the previous year.
Fourteen PSMA members attended the conference, which was supported by Altria, Dow Chemical, Shell, Macy’s, the University Park Allocation Committee, the Smeal Marketing Department, and Smeal’s Career and Corporate Connections office.