Service & Outreach
At the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, we don’t just strive for academic excellence; we are also committed to positively impacting and uplifting people and communities through service work and outreach.
Our work aligns with the College of Communication and Information’s Strategic Plan, which states in Goal 3 that we are to, “Progress and sustain a nurturing college culture where diversity, equity, inclusion, and community are enduring sources of strength and core tenets in developing the next generation of Vols.”
Tombras Touchpoints
The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations’ Touchpoints are community-based initiatives serving students and young professionals as they explore, study and begin careers in advertising and public relations. These touchpoints are carefully designed to provide opportunities for all students, especially those of marginalized and underrepresented groups, such as professional development workshops, mentorship, study abroad, and other signature programs, including:
ADPR Young Professionals Academy: Starting their junior year of college, Advertising and Public Relations students can enroll in this mentorship program which partners them with industry professionals for one-on-one partnerships and offers guided learning opportunities to best prepare them for interviews and jobs in the field.
Tombras Talks: During the academic year, the Tombras School, working closely with the College of Communication and Information’s Office of Career Development, hosts guest speakers and workshop opportunities geared towards helping current students develop the professional skills that can help them secure internships and careers in the field.
Future Educators Fellowship: The purpose of this program is to provide future college professors with the opportunity to gain insight into the workings of an advertising agency, to update and enrich their teaching, as well as inform their research. During the summer, a Tombras School PhD candidate is chosen as a fellow to be hosted by the Tombras Advertising Agency for 2-4 weeks. During this time, the fellow would be assigned to one or two agency departments as a shadow, invited to listen in on meetings and have one-on-one conversations with staff members to learn about their roles and the projects they are working on.
Summer Advertising Workshop: This one-week intensive program gives high school-age students the opportunity to explore the field of advertising by learning the foundations of creating ads for social media. Students work in small groups to work on social media content for a real-world client.
ADPR Exploration Initiatives: Through partnerships with flagship high schools in the state, the Tombras School offers a variety of pre-collegiate engagement opportunities designed to help students explore advertising and public relations and imagine themselves in careers in these fields. These initiatives include:
- ADPR High School Workshops: We offer student workshops (virtually or in-person) on contemporary topics including social media management, advertising creative, public relations campaigns, communication planning, public relations writing, etc. These topics are led by Tombras School professors and tailored to the needs of the high school classes.
- Tombras School Visits: We host middle and high school students for tours of our college at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Our tour provides an overview of the student experience within the Tombras School along with interactive activities geared towards creating a greater understanding of the Tombras School student experience and the advertising and public relations industry.
- Guest Speakers: The Tombras School faculty volunteer to visit schools in the state (virtually and in person) to discuss education and career paths in advertising and public Relations. Additionally, our faculty are engaged in research and industry and bring excitement to the classroom around trends in advertising and public relations.
- High School Teacher Externships: Our faculty welcomes high school teachers to the Tombras School to support their efforts to stay current with theoretical and industry applications to integrate into their lessons. We are happy to partner with the Tombras Agency and alumni to make this an enriching experience for teachers in Tennessee.
Purpose Project
The Tombras School Purpose Project is a forum where business leaders, academicians, government and nongovernment leaders, undergraduate and graduate students, and key stakeholders work together to advance Purpose goals through effective communication practices. It is a place for the development of original research, discussion of ideas, and sharing best practices related to Purpose communication. This initiative directly ties to the land-grant mission of the university and the College of Communication and Information, specifically, Goal 5 of CCI’ strategic vision, “Connect with Tennesseans and with industries and communities around the world, securing support for the college and inspiring future Volunteers to join our community”
Background: From Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to Purpose
Purpose is a leading buzzword in advertising and public relations. Traditional agencies are developing Purpose divisions and hiring chief Purpose officers. Purpose agencies are being formed to focus solely on helping clients transition to Purpose.
Purpose is embedded in the core functionality of an organization. That is, the organization itself is a social enterprise with social impact as a primary Purpose of the business. The ability to profit is needed to create the systemic social change desired. While promoting sales and services remain a primary goal, practitioners in Purpose-driven work with intentionality to use their platforms to make lives better, to address hate, economic justice, sustainability, opportunity, consumer empowerment, and other issues that typically affect marginalized communities.
What is Purpose and how does it differ from corporate social responsibility (CSR)? To those engaged with Purpose, it is vastly different. CSR entails efforts on behalf of an organization in addition to its main business. Purpose is embedded in the core functionality of an organization. That is, the organization itself is a social enterprise with social impact as a primary Purpose of the business. The ability to profit is needed to create the systemic social change desired. While promoting sales and services remain a primary goal, practitioners in Purpose-driven work with intentionality to use their platforms to make lives better, to address hate, economic justice, sustainability, opportunity, consumer empowerment, and other issues that typically affect marginalized communities.
Business may operate at different levels of Purpose—from none, a traditional business focusing only on profit—to a social enterprise, a business that is focused on and intentional in its societal impact. Some businesses are created as Purpose organizations. Others may wish to pivot from traditional business models to a Purpose model. Each type of Purpose-oriented business addresses unique communication challenges. Purpose requires advertising and public relations agencies to think beyond traditional outcomes of sales, message exposure, and public opinion. If clients need advertising and public relations communications expertise to assist with social transformation, then how do we staff, how do we act, and how do we measure our impact? In academic research, this forces scholars to broaden our perspectives on what is advertising and public relations scholarship, as well.