As students gathered in classroom 1104 in the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center, the murmurs surrounding the approaching class amplified. 

Voices of the advertising group, Out of the Box, confirmed their final ideas for their presentation to the clientele.

“As a group we work well together. It’ll help us in the long run,” Jeilah Seely, junior in advertising, said.

The students of Advertising 434 were placed into teams to learn how to develop campaigns for businesses and social institutions.

The clientele for the teams is Rockwell Collins, an international company that provides avionics and information technology systems and services to governmental agencies and aircraft manufacturers. 

“I like to say our parts are the brains of the plane,” Alyssa Bittner, representative of Rockwell Collins, said.

Bittner explained to students that the corporation is in a dilemma.

“We hope to find software engineers and computer science majors,” Bittner said. “We aren’t like Google, but I want us to be.”

Companies like Google, Microsoft and Honeywell have successfully captured the individuals in the fields of computer science and software engineering; individuals Rockwell Collins is also seeking.  

“You guys are going to help me show students that we are all over,” Bittner said to the students.

Bittner anticipates the advertising students will help uncover reasons why Rockwell Collins struggles to attract students of engineering and liberal arts and sciences majors.

Bittner can already see that the students will bring creative ideas and research to lure in future interns and employees, while the students realize that they have a very big role to execute.

“This is a great experience,” Hailey Warren, senior in advertising, said.

Warren, Seely and other members of the Out of the Box advertising team can credit the group’s teamwork for their potential success.

“Everyone has their niche,” said Kate Wallner, senior in advertising.

The members of Out of the Box strive to communicate by writing summaries of their meetings, talking through group chat and working with Google documents. 

“[We] are constantly in contact,” said David Coconate, senior in advertising.

The advertising group hopes to gain experience and impress Rockwell Collins.

“[We] want to give them material they didn’t know they wanted,” Coconate said.

Bittner also believes that the rest of Rockwell Collins will be impressed by the advertising class as much as she is.

“I’m already excited to see how you all will spice up our brand,” Bittner said.