Alfred State Associate Marketing Professor Susan Gorman served as the moderator and guest speaker for a panel of regional college and high school counselors and educators on the platform of “Classroom to Career: Exploring Digital Marketing Pathways.” The event hosted by the Rochester Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) at the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship.
Gorman was joined on the panel by Dr. Adriana Boveda-Lambie (Golisano Institute), Amanda Galley (Wahl Media, Inc.), Adriana Henry (Greater Rochester Enterprise), Hunter Hodge (Auxpire), Parker Hoyt (Linden Digital), and Colleen Murphy (Rush Henrietta Senior High School).
The event was designed for counselors and educators who help students explore career options, providing them the necessary insights and resources to support students’ next steps into the digital marketing field. Dr. Ian Moritmer, President of the Golisano Institute and co-host of the event, addressed the group and shared the relevancy of this topic to today's workforce.
AMA Vice President for Collegiate Relations Kathy Dunton-Fanning stated, “This group brought together a range of perspectives from higher education and career preparation to agency leadership, client-side marketing, entrepreneurship, and recent graduate experience."
Upon reflection on the discussion with the panel and audience, Gorman felt, "Discussing career pathways with regional high schools and guidance counselors was a priority because many students have limited exposure to business-related career opportunities. Whether due to outdated curriculum or a lack of emphasis on this career field, students often remain unaware of the diverse opportunities available in one of today's fastest-growing job markets. Digital is the future for GenZ down to Gen Beta. A marketing degree pathway with an emphasis in this area allows students the flexibility to go into any industry they choose."
Alfred State offers both an AAS and BBA in marketing and is the only SUNY school with an extensive applied learning four-year program to include digital marketing, data analytics, creative art design, business foundations, and content for emergent media writing built in.