National Education Executive Council

The National Education Executive Council (NEEC) is responsible for advancing the interests of advertising students, and promoting close ties between faculty, students and advertising professionals. The Council also reviews advertising and communications curricula and college programming to ensure the content is meaningful for students pursuing academic studies in advertising. Programming includes the AAF’s student conference on advertising, academic webinars for students and faculty, the National Student Advertising Competition, recruitment of new college chapters, and more. The committee is comprised of educators from the AAF's College Chapters across the organization’s 15 districts.


Council Principles

These are guiding principles about the desired outcomes of advertising education. They can provide guidance for the evaluation of advertising programs by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. A statement of desired outcomes is especially relevant because the Accrediting Council is initiating a careful examination of the outcomes of journalism mass communication education. It is almost certain that the accreditation process will have a much stronger emphasis on outcomes than it has in the past. In doing so, the Council is responding to pressure from the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.

We see this as the starting point of an effort to achieve consensus with the Advertising Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the American Academy of Advertising (AAA), the other advertising organization represented on the Accrediting Council. The principles have been shaped by our own beliefs and the results of focus group research with advertising practitioners at the American Advertising Federation national conference in June 1999.

We have tried to make the principles general enough to be flexible and to meet changing conditions.


  1. An advertising curriculum should enable students to learn the following:

    • The various disciplines within the advertising field and how they relate.
    • Advertising’s role in marketing and communications.
    • Management of the advertising function and personnel in agencies and organizations.
    • A wide range of alternatives for delivering advertising messages and how to use those delivery vehicles.
    • The conceptual basis for crafting advertising messages.
    • How advertising is regulated.
    • Ethical principles for advertising practices.
    • Research methodologies appropriate to guiding advertising strategy and evaluating its results.
    • An appreciation for the diversity of markets and audiences for whom advertisers create campaigns and messages.
    • Critical thinking, written, oral and presentation skills.
    • The ability to work with others to solve problems creatively.
    • The role of advertising in society and culture.
    • An awareness of advertising implications across geographical and cultural boundaries.

  2. Instruction in advertising courses should include both theory and practical application.
  3. Advertising students should be strongly encouraged to gain experience through industry-related activities and internships.
  4. Advertising students should be proficient in using equipment and technology they will use in their careers.
 

National Education Executive Council Chair

Jenny Buschhorn
Texas State University

National Education Executive Council Vice Chair

Jeff Sheets
Brigham Young University 

 

Council Members

Cliff Bieberly, Associate Professor, Communications, School of Business and Communication, Chaminade University of Honolulu
AJ Busé, Faculty, The Modern College of Design
Oscar Chilabato, Associate Professor, Johnson & Wales University
Nancy Gray, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona
Steve Hall, Senior Lecturer in Advertising, University of Illinois
Tim Hendrick, Associate Professor, Journalism & Mass Comm, Assistant Professor Advertising
Holly Higginbotham, University of Missouri–Columbia
Dave Koranda, Professor of Practice, University of Oregon
Peg Murphy, Columbia College Chicago
Joel Nichols, M.B.A, Assistant Professor, University of Memphis
Larry Powell, Professor, Advisor for Lindsey + Asp, University of Oklahoma
Barry Soloff, Lecturer, CUNY-Baruch College
Jay Waters, Academic Departments, Advertising & Public Relations, University of Alabama

 

At-Large Council Members

Jo Ann Bercot, Sales Program Manager, Amazon Media Group
Brandon Cooke, Global Chief Communications Officer, FCB
Chris Pitre, Vice President, Softway Solutions, Inc
Drew West, GM of Global Academic Partnerships, The Trade Desk

 

Advisory Council

Scott Hamula,Associate Professor/Chair, Department of Strategic Communication, Ithaca College
Dan Petek, Instructor, Washington State University
Amy Struthers , Ph.D., Professor, Advertising & Public Relations, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Sandra Utt, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of Memphis

 

AAF Staff

Dawn Reeves
Executive Vice President, Member Services & Programs

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