School of Marketing and Innovation
Marketing and Innovation Practice Center
Welcome to the School of Marketing and Innovation Practice Center
The Marketing and Innovation Practice Center is a dynamic platform designed to connect talented students with businesses seeking innovative marketing solutions. By offering real-world opportunities, the practice center bridges the gap between academic learning and hands-on application, creating meaningful partnerships between students and organizations in the Greater Tampa Bay and Sarasota-Manatee county regions.
Goals
- Provide Experiential Learning: Offer students within the School of Marketing and Innovation opportunities to gain valuable hands-on experience beyond the classroom.
- Foster Community Engagement: Build meaningful relationships with businesses and organizations across the Greater Tampa Bay and Sarasota-Manatee regions.
- Deliver Real Solutions: Equip local businesses and organizations with actionable solutions to marketing challenges through the innovative efforts of our students.
Executive Summary
The School of Marketing and Innovation Practice Center is a student-business engagement hub where companies benefit from fresh, creative marketing solutions while students gain invaluable practical experience. Businesses partner with us through a donation, which supports the center’s operations, and contract directly with students for their contributions, typically at $14+/hour or more. Projects are flexible, typically lasting one semester but extendable based on the needs and goals of the business.
The practice center acts as a facilitator, providing businesses and students with the resources, tools, and support to launch a successful working relationship. Our two-sided approach ensures both parties are set up for sustainable success beyond USF.
Benefits for Students
- Hands-On Experience: Apply classroom knowledge to solve real-world marketing challenges.
- Professional Development: Build skills, networks, and portfolios that enhance career readiness.
- Direct Compensation: Earn fair pay while contributing to impactful projects.
Benefits for Businesses
- Fresh Perspectives: Gain innovative ideas and solutions from students with the latest marketing knowledge.
- Talent Pipeline: Build relationships with emerging marketing professionals who could be future hires.
- Cost-Effective Solutions: Access skilled talent while supporting a valuable educational initiative.
Partner with the practice center to create a meaningful experience for both students and your organization. Together, we can deliver results that matter while shaping the next generation of marketing professionals.
Operations
The center is supported by the industry partners who benefit from the services performed.
Projects are accepted on a rolling basis. It is generally the most beneficial for companies to plan for a September-December or January-April timeline. Please allow a period of 6-8 weeks prior to starting for setup.
Participants must be USF students and are selected based on GPA, skill sets, and the availability of projects. Honors students are encouraged to apply as project work could be part of a honors thesis, subject to the terms of the non-disclosure agreements.