Senior marketing major Manal Sakr believes that the Pilliod Lecture Series has a hit-or-miss quality to it.

“Some of the topics are interesting, but for the most part, people don’t care,” Sakr said.

Incoming Goodyear Executive Professor Gregory Hackett is determined to put the lecture series back on the right track.

“(The Pilliod Lecture Series) doesn’t add a lot to the College of Business. But it could, and I want to change that,” Hackett said. “I want people to come from all over the university – eventually, most of Kent State’s students will end up in business in one form or another.”

He expects the students to create a full marketing plan to help rejuvenate the program.

“The students have the opportunity to actually think critically about the problem and put into effect what they’re learning,” said assistant professor Pamela Grimm.

The students are divided into two teams of four and one team of three. The class will unify to do the initial research and divide up to complete their marketing plans. Students currently enrolled in the class will be the first group to graduate under the new marketing curriculum.

Hackett said executives from Goodyear will be participating in the process as well. They will be reviewing each team’s progress around mid-term. The teams will present their final plans to the same executives later in the semester.

Each student on the winning team will receive a $1,000 scholarship, and Goodyear will consider the winning teams for potential employment.

Hackett will also write each winner a recommendation.

Senior marketing major Lindsay Jakab said that the opportunity to earn a scholarship is definitely encouraging.

“Goodyear might be looking at us,” Jakab said.

Grimm hopes her students see the educational value in the project.

“I want the students to learn to do a promotion plan, reinforce what they already know about a marketing plan, become more experienced with clients and think outside of the box when promoting a service,” she said.

Hackett said he hopes to at least implement pieces of the best plan by next fall.

“I most want to see my students take an ill-defined problem, structure it and come up with a solution,” Grimm said.

Contact College of Business Administration reporter Colleen Watson at [email protected].