{"id":45543,"date":"2026-03-18T13:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T17:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=45543"},"modified":"2026-03-18T13:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T17:50:33","slug":"a-creative-field-trip","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/a-creative-field-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"A Creative Field Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1440\" height=\"652\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/a-creative-fieldtrip.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Students pose for a quick selfie during the 2025 public relations trip to New York City\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/a-creative-fieldtrip.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/a-creative-fieldtrip-636x288.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/a-creative-fieldtrip-1024x464.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/a-creative-fieldtrip-768x348.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Students pose for a quick selfie during the 2025 public relations trip to New York City. Photo by Alexa Tusiani<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>A Creative Field Trip<\/strong>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Each spring, advertising and PR students travel to NYC to network<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/advertising\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdvertising\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/com-365\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOM\/365\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/public-relations\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPublic Relations\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 18, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/crystal-yormick\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCrystal Yormick\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">A Creative Field Trip<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/a-creative-field-trip\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Every spring break, while some students escape Boston for warmer weather, a small cohort of public relations and advertising students instead heads to New York City. For several days, these seniors and graduate students tour advertising and public relations agencies, learn about the inner workings of the industry and network with communication professionals and BU alumni.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a \u201cyellow brick road to meeting people,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/shawn-zupp\/\" data-type=\"profile\" data-id=\"34419\">Shawn Zupp<\/a>, a professor of the practice of advertising and one of the faculty coordinators for the trip. He hopes the experience accelerates students\u2019 networking and eases their entry into the job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHere\u2019s a room full of people who want to talk to you,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/amy-shanler\/\" data-type=\"profile\" data-id=\"1761\">Amy Shanler<\/a>, a professor of the practice of public relations and co-faculty leader for the trip. \u201cTo have access to that kind of network in one place\u2026. The hard part is already over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Shanler (\u201996,\u201904, CAS\u201996), an informal survey of previous years concluded that approximately half of the students who attend end up working at one of the agencies they visit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Terry Fassburg (\u201969), a retired vice president of communications at Philips Electronics, helps fund the excursion. \u201cMany students told me how much they valued the introductions that were made and how the meetings either validated or changed their career goals,\u201d Fassburg says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ashley Duong (\u201925), a first-generation college student and the first in her family to have an office or corporate job, is an associate on the corporate PR team, specializing in social impact PR, at Weber Shandwick. Duong had visited the global PR firm with her classmates in March 2025. \u201cGoing on this trip, more than anything, solidified the fact that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from professional networking, there is time for students and faculty to connect. Heera Shetty (\u201926), a public relations graduate student and a 2025 participant, says undergraduate and graduate students\u2014who usually don\u2019t run in the same circles\u2014bond with each other. \u201cWe were able to build relationships with our professors and also with the undergraduates,\u201d Shetty says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/tobe-berkovitz\/\" data-type=\"profile\" data-id=\"1731\">Tobe Berkovitz<\/a>, an emeritus professor of the practice of advertising, says when he and a colleague started the program in the late 1990s, it was a humble beginning. Since then, COM has developed connections with both larger and up-and-coming agencies and has established an alumni network that includes former trip participants.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cThis is just a real benefit to the students,\u201d Berkovitz says. \u201cIt\u2019s a benefit to the alumni because it keeps them in touch with the students. It\u2019s really one of the highlights of the advertising program.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every spring break, while some students escape Boston for warmer weather, a small cohort of public relations and advertising students&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25826,"featured_media":45544,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[34,1481,17],"tags":[986],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/45543"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25826"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/45543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45553,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/45543\/revisions\/45553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45543"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=45543"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=45543"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=45543"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=45543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}