I am entering a new phase in my career.
I’ve always been a big believer of career evolutions and phases. There are times in our career where we have the opportunity to jump forward, or take on a new role and opportunity. Not only that, I have always made it clear my goal and purpose has been to make an impact, whether it is with my students, the industry, or the social media field and profession.
The first phase of creating an impact was my work in social media – building a foundation of how to research and teach social media principles across the board. Publications, talks, and sessions about the best practices of teaching social media classes were all part of this. The second phase of course was to change the textbook industry by taking a modern approach in public relations and social media. Realizing the books that had been published in social media and public relations needed to be revamped has been the focus of mine for the past few years.
These phases were just the beginning. It’s one thing to research, teach, and write about social media – and another to practice and consult in the field (which I have done). However, it is time to put money in my mouth and not only talk about what I can do in the classroom or in books – but do so in a way that can truly change the game for students at the University of Louisville on a whole other level.
Welcome to Phase 3:
Director of a Student Agency called The Bird’s Nest!
You might be thinking, Karen – what is this? This is not where we thought you would be going in your career? I agree, this is not the one direction many colleagues might have thought of. I announced earlier this year (right before the summer actually), I was taking on a new role in addition to my professor duties. Several friends wanted to take a guess of what I will be doing. Some thought I’d take on a senior leadership role or be part of the administration.
Taking on the role of building a student agency from the ground up may not have been on everyone’s radar, but it was on mine. Why is this exactly? For several reasons:
- The timing is right. Everyone wants to make sure experiential learning is at the top of every classroom experience for students. What better way to do this than to work with real clients to build upon the work they do in class and to have a dynamite portfolio when students apply for jobs and internships? Student agencies allow programs to do all of this.
- Student agencies are the future draw for potential students. When you think about it, most universities are looking to attract students to their particular school and program, and students are looking for real experiences to apply their work and knowledge. The industry is also looking for talent as well, so this is where a true partnership can come into play.
- Professors are not always the ones running the agencies. Many programs have Professionals in Residence who are the ones overseeing the student agencies. I know I’ve had some colleagues who have expressed interest in starting one, but have been told “You are a professor – do research and focus on that instead – let the agencies be run by the professionals in residence.” I am here to say this – professors can (and should) have the opportunity to run and ovesee student agencies. If this means allowing them to do fellowships and invest in professional development in these areas, then that is the way to go.
- Student agencies need a reboot. I know this is going to make some of my colleagues a little unsettled, but it is true. Student agencies are nothing new – they have been around for a long time. But… they need a reboot in their approach and structure, as well as marketing/branding. I’ve sat in sessions, webinars, and even been part of some groups with other student agency advisors, and it appears everyone does the same thing. When we see everyone doing the same thing, how can we evolve? Many programs have had student agencies for years, and even decades. Some programs are losing their student agencies because they are no longer getting support. Other universities with student agencies pay their way by submitting their students and advisors up for awards that are essentially “paid awards.”
- I like to build things. I tell my students all the time I am a builder in many ways, and I love creating new ideas, initiatives, and even programs such as this. University of Louisville has never had a student agency – and some may say – Karen! You would be starting from scratch and have to do SO much work to get things running. Not really – everything I am doing is building upon the work, insights, and components I’ve talked about and written in my books. The only difference is this: I am putting money where my mouth is and not just talking about the experience I have as a professor and consultant, but will be showing what we can do with this student agency.
- Programs like UofL are the future of student agencies. Yes, I said it and stand by this statement. Established agencies are established, meaning it is harder for them to move around and adapt to the growing changes we are seeing in the industry. UofL’s structure and approach is aligned with current practices in the industry – while also building in the notion of agility and adaptability as core functions within the agency to move fluidly with growing changes and evolutions.
Behind the Scenes of The Bird’s Nest
Now, let’s go behind the scenes on how this all came about. This did not happen over night, and in fact, this started many years ago. I have always wanted to have a student agency at UofL. This was something I mentioned when I first got to campus, and it was a dream of mine.
During my sabbatical in 2019, we not only got the green light to move forward with The Bird’s Nest, but we also were told we had a 2,000 sq foot space to renovate to create the ultimate space. Me? I was super excited and ready to get started!
Then COVID 19 happened, and everything was shut down.
Everything was pretty much stopped after 2020. Everyone was focusing on various things, but this did not mean everything stopped. This gave me the time to continue building my own brand, reputation, and work in the field. I was able to make some incredible connections, build up the client base for our clients with some high profile brands, and expand more internationally with some speaking opportunities.
As things settled down and after I got promoted to full professor last year, the conversation emerged again about The Bird’s Nest. I got the green light again not only to start working on it, but be officially named Director of The Bird’s Nest.
- Research everything on student agencies. There has been a lot done related to research on student agencies, and I wanted to make sure we were students of the field and gathered everything that was needed to build, sustain, and grow a student agency.
- Get support from all parties. I greatly appreciate the support I have been given with this project (Interim President Gonzalez, Interim Dean Owen, and Department Chair Futrell) in creating something unique and special for our students at the University of Louisville. Doing something new like this takes time, but also a lot of effort in terms of showcasing the overall impact, benefit, and goals for the university and the community at large is crucial.
- Conduct an audit of other student agencies. I worked with Hailee, who is the Director of Content for The Bird’s Nest, and we looked at various student agencies and determined what they were doing that was working, and what are areas we could address to embrace our own unique brand. Based on our research and review, we saw there were many opportunities to be able to stand out from other student agencies in modern and creative ways.
- Develop a brand logo and pillars for building a positive, dynamic, and inclusive culture. One of the first things we did was come up with a name, logo, pillars (values we want to consistently support within the student agency), and of course, a tag line. All of this was created and driven by students.
- Build a culture of leadership, creativity, and collaboration. We started this from the start – where The Bird’s Nest was not only for the students to get experience, but it was really run by students. Some agencies say they are run by students, but if you look at their website, you might wonder – are they *really* run by students because this looks like a very corporate approach? We did not want to go down this path – instead, it was giving the students the opportunity to showcase their creativity, leadership and team work. We had four students who came on board, and they were the ones who designed their teams, leadership duties, and responsibilities. One thing we did was for all of the students who
- Build your BoA (or Avenger Team). One thing that we did notice from other student agencies we reviewed is they either 1) listed their mentors and advisors on their website, 2) said they had mentors, but did not list them or 3) their director was a Professional in Residence. We of course we’re doing things a bit differently. We have a dynamic group of advisors spanning from all industries and agencies – representing some of the best in the business. Joey Wagner, who is owner of JWagner Group, not only has been my right hand person in this process, but also is the Chair of the Board of Advisors.
I am very excited for this new venture and see where The Bird’s Nest will go next. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
If you have any questions about the process, structure, or how to build a student agency of your own at your program, please reach out. I’ve learned a tremendous amount these past few years and happy to share with others what has worked for us in getting to this point.
Have a great day!
Best Wishes,
