Small Team, Real Marketing

By Sloan MacRae, December 4, 2025
Inside the student-run team driving IC’s American Marketing Association chapter.
A group of students and their professor with a sign that says "Top Small Chapter of the Year"

The 2023 ICAMA cohort claimed the "Top Small Chapter of the Year" title.

At Ithaca College, marketing isn’t something students encounter only through lectures or case studies. It’s something they do. Open to students from any major, the college’s American Marketing Association (AMA) chapter—housed in the School of Business—draws a near-even mix of students from the School of Business and the Roy H. Park School of Communications, with additional members from across the college’s other schools. Together, they gain a direct view of the industry through workshops, competitions, and real-world projects.

“We develop students to be marketers—outside class activities,” said Scott Erickson, professor of marketing and long-time faculty advisor to the ICAMA chapter.

As part of the national AMA network, students participate in a full slate of professional-level competitions, service projects, workshops, and events that reinforce what they learn in the classroom. The chapter submits a chapter plan, produces a formal year-end annual report, and competes at the International Collegiate Conference, one of the biggest undergraduate marketing gatherings in the country. “There’s the major Collegiate Case Competition… website design competitions, promotional design competitions, marketing strategy competitions, digital marketing competitions, [and] lots of sales competitions,” Erickson explained.

The chapter’s work underscores a central truth about IC’s approach to education: hands-on experience begins early, not years down the line.

Building a Nationally Recognized Chapter

A group of students on campus with a poster conveying info about IC's AMA chapter.

ICAMA at IC's 2024 Informational Fair.

Across more than 300 collegiate AMA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada, IC consistently stands out.

“We usually do very well,” Erickson said. Even as a smaller institution, the chapter regularly earns recognition among schools many times its size. Last year, IC received an honorable mention in the national case competition, a meaningful accomplishment for a chapter that, like many student organizations, has spent the past few years rebuilding after COVID.

For chapter co-president and marketing major Sarah Shenman ’26, that growth has unfolded alongside her own. She joined during her first semester at IC, when the chapter was rebuilding and shaping a new generation of members.

“I want to make this better,” Shenman recalled of her early involvement. “What we’re doing right now is good, but I want to make this better.”

Today, Shenman is one of the longest-serving members in the chapter’s recent history. She has helped recruit every student currently serving as an officer, an entire generation of new marketers. And the chapter, now thriving, is poised for one of its strongest years yet at the international competition.

“I expect to get top-five small chapters this year,” she said. “That’s happening—I’m making that happen.”

“We are a little firm ourselves ... We offer consulting, social media experience… and we work with a number of clients in the Ithaca area.”

ICAMA co-president and marketing major Sarah Shenman

Alongside Shenman’s business perspective, her co-president Matt Doherty ’26 brings a complementary set of strengths. A communication management and design major in the Park School with minors in business administration and sociology, Doherty entered AMA wanting to understand marketing from multiple angles. He credits the chapter with helping him “demystify” the field for students who may not see themselves as marketers at all. “Marketing isn’t some highly gated skill set,” he said. “Everyone uses it. Selling yourself, your skills, or your ideas—it’s essential no matter your major.”

Doherty says their co-presidency works because it mirrors AMA’s interdisciplinary identity. Shenman brings a business-focused approach and structural expertise; he brings a Park School sensibility rooted in communication, creativity, and making complex ideas accessible. “We realized early on that a top-down structure doesn’t fit who we are,” he said. “Dividing the presidency lets us build personal relationships with every E-board member and be in two places at once.” The result, he added, is a chapter that increasingly feels like an actual agency.

The Case Competition: MLB, Deloitte, and a Yearlong Strategic Challenge

Central to the chapter’s work is AMA’s signature national case competition, a months-long deep dive into branding, consumer behavior, and strategic planning. This year, the case sponsor is Major League Baseball, in partnership with the accounting firm Deloitte.

Students conduct both primary research—such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups—and secondary research that analyzes existing market reports and industry data. Their focus groups even use advanced eye-tracking and facial scanning software available in the Neeson Digital Marketing and Analytics Lab, which shows where participants’ eyes move on a screen and what captures (or loses) their attention. “We expose all of our members to this,” Shenman said. “It’s a very comprehensive project.”

The competition has become such a defining experience that Erickson recently helped create a course around it. Students can now receive academic credit for the extensive work they put into building their case, leveling the playing field with larger institutions that have long offered similar classes.

“It’s a way to manage it,” Erickson said. “A marketing plan is information collection and processing and putting it together. Having dedicated time makes a huge difference.”

One of IC AMA’s strengths is its blend of students from both the School of Business and the Roy H. Park School of Communications.

Each group brings different academic perspectives and strengths, and together they produce work that reflects the full range of skills found in modern marketing teams.

“We are a little firm ourselves,” Shenman said. “We offer consulting, social media experience… and we work with a number of clients in the Ithaca area.”

Recent projects include:

  • A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis and marketing framework for Ithaca-based Attuned.Life Massage & Wellness
  • Social media management for local author Marli Welsh
  • Past work with the History Center in Tompkins County

The chapter’s consulting arm is expanding under Telly Staley ’27, VP of client relations and outreach—and an advertising, PR, and marketing communications major in the Park School—who aims to “beef up the consulting side” and formalize partnerships with community clients, Erickson said.

For Staley, the consulting work is where AMA’s mission comes to life. “AMA gives me the opportunity to apply what I've learned and help local community members,” they said. They’ve already worked with three Ithaca-area businesses, learning to adjust strategies in real time based on how content performs. “I’ve loved seeing how education is able to help and grow local businesses,” they said. The experience has given them portfolio-ready work and a clearer sense of their future career path. “I encourage other students to look for similar experiences and hopefully join me on the consulting team.”

The chapter’s work also shows how IC students are stepping into real marketing environments and contributing to the region’s creative and economic landscape.

To Doherty, what sets ICAMA apart is its service mindset. Instead of trying to emulate the culture of much larger chapters, he sees strength in leaning into IC’s scale and personality. “We had to stop trying to be a big chapter in a small place and start being the right chapter for Ithaca College,” he said.

Preparing Students for What Comes Next

For Shenman, AMA isn’t just an extracurricular—it’s been transformative.

“I think it’s completely changed the trajectory of my entire life,” she said. “Freshman year me would be so proud.”

AMA strengthened her communication skills. It gave her leadership experience. It taught her how to run workshops, pitch ideas, and manage clients. She has used AMA stories in interviews for internships—and landed them.

“I don’t think my college career would have been even a little bit the same,” she said. “I don’t think I would be as confident as a person and as a professional.”

Looking Ahead: Chicago, Collaboration, and the Next Generation of Leaders

Students stand in front of a screen that says "Poppi & Pitch."

ICAMA's Poppi & Pitch event. 

This spring, the chapter will take 10–12 students to Chicago for the International Collegiate Conference. The trip includes competitions, keynote speakers, networking events, and team-building experiences.

“It’s a new city, and I’m really excited about the group going this year,” Shenman said. “It’s my last one, so it’s bittersweet, but I think our chapter is probably in the best place it’s been since I’ve attended Ithaca.”

In the months ahead, AMA is also planning:

  • A Women in Marketing panel
  • A collaboration with SUNY Oneonta for a joint speaker event
  • Workshops with the Center for Career Exploration and Development
  • A sustainability-focused partnership with campus offices
  • A major recruitment push to build its pipeline

As always, the chapter is raising funds to support conference travel, through sticker sales, student government appeals, and potential donor partnerships.

Today’s chapter is thriving—growing membership, taking on ambitious projects, and preparing for one of its strongest showings yet on the national stage. Students aren’t just studying marketing; they’re applying it, testing it, and learning from it in real time.

As Erickson put it, “AMA lets students do the work marketers actually do,” building the skills and confidence that shape capable marketers—not someday, but now.

Build your brand.

At Ithaca College, students don’t just learn about marketing—they get access to the kinds of hands-on opportunities that shape confidence, creativity, and career direction. Whether you're drawn to the School of Business, the Roy H. Park School of Communications, or you're exploring interests from elsewhere across campus, ICAMA is one example of how students can collaborate, experiment, and discover what excites them.