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MCOM 471
Stuart
Video Report
Goal:
The goal of the video was to inform students about ONCA. The communications group also
wanted to show students what ONCA can do for students at Winthrop. We wanted students to
know that ONCA was for them to use and what they can use ONCA for.
Objectives:
To bring more students to the ONCA website and social media pages.
Editing Outcome:
We edited the video to show different students around campus who have goals. We show them
saying that they need ONCA to help them. ONCA can help you is one of the communications
groups key messages. We really wanted to get that across through the video. We were asked to
Participation:
Prezi Report:
Parker Kelly was the project manager for the Prezi. The goal of the Prezi is to provide a
visual aid to ONCA spokespersons as they give presentations to students. The Communication
Group developed key messages and one of those was that “ONCA is a tool.” From this idea,
Parker created a Prezi with the theme, “ONCA is your Key to Success.”
One of the objectives of the Prezi was to get at least two different previous ONCA award
winners and interview them. One of the areas ONCA needed to improve upon was the attainable,
approachable feeling that was lacking in students’ opinion of ONCA. Interviews and responses
from real Winthrop students will give future ONCA award winners the inspiration to reach for
their goals.
Ian Deas, Luis Valle, and Adaeze Aninweze, and Jordan Rilley all received different
ONCA awards for various reasons. The three of them all described their experiences working
with ONCA and Leslie Bickford. They speak about how winning an award impacted their lives
The cohesiveness of the Prezi both visually and conceptually is sure to captivate
prospective ONCA award winners. The visual of “ONCA is your Key to Success” paired with
the real-life examples from previous students will inspire students to apply for awards with
Our Objective is to increase followers and likes on all social media platforms including
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by 30 like and or followers using the hashtag
Our strategies are to promote the event by word of mouth and on social media we will also offer
We plan to keep track of all our efforts by staying in contact with the graduate assistant for
ONCA to get the umber of followers/likes. We will also track our success by doing a pre and
post assessment, which is a snap shot of the number of followers/ likes ONCA had before our
campaign and then how many they have after our campaign. In addition, our group will be
We will be conducting a social media trivia event. The trivia event will be on Instagram and
Facebooks and the questions will promote social media engagement by asking students trivia
questions specific to ONCA especially information that can be found on the ONCA website.
This will encourage students to get “friendly” with using the ONCA website and require them to
read about what ONCA can do and what ONCA has done. There is also a prize factor in this
event. We will be buying various gifts from the dollar store like cups and candy.
Flyers:
The trivia event will attract more attention to the main website of ONCA and allow students to
get familiar with the website and learn more information about ONCA in a fun and engaging
way. In order to get more traffic to the social media account though, we will be passing out flyers
and factsheets during common time and other free times prior to the event as well as posting
them on ONCA’s own social media platforms and it will also appear on the televisions in
DiGorgio campus center. These flyers will highlight the trivia event and encourage students to
go to the ONCA social media profiles to find more information about the event and to find the
answers to the trivia questions. In addition to promoting the social media account with the flyer,
we will also be requiring that those who participle in the web event must be following all the
Nationally competitive awards are for anyone, even you! Many students miss out on great
opportunities because they do not because they do not know that these awards exist. Don’t let
There are 15 undergraduate and graduate national awards, scholarships, and fellowships for
students looking to study abroad. These awards are separated into categories based on where you
want to go or what you want to study. You can get your future study abroad trip fully funded and
some awards will cover living expenses. Awards for study include The Benjamin Gilman Award,
Bridging Scholarships for studying in Japan and the Fulbright Award. More opportunities can be
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards is here to help you. Simply schedule an
appointment with, ONCA director Dr. Leslie Bickford. Or visit our ONCA website at
Time Line:
Starting on March 5TH we will create an Instagram account for the ONCA program. As to get as
much expose as possible, we will post questions everyday at 11AM. At 11AM on March 6TH, we
will post our first set of questions. On the 6TH we will pass out flyers and factsheets during our
free time the 8TH will be the last day to pass out flyers. Because the second week on our event is
during spring break we will promote the event with out online flyer and WOM. The last day of
our event will be on March 17TH. By March 31, we will present the winner of the trivia event
National award opportunities for undergraduates and graduates allow students to reach
their dreams and meet their fullest potential. And you may be eligible for some amazing
opportunities to win awards. Through award programs, you have the chance to go abroad, study
at prestigious schools and network with industry professional with little, to no, out of pocket
cost. Over 60 different awards will bring you to the opportunity of a lifetime. National awards
networking with industry leaders and future employers. Jann Fent, one of the students who won
an award through Winthrop’s ONCA program was able to travel to France to study for a year.
However, the experience far surpassed a simply studying; during his time in France, Fent became
bilingual and was able to experience a new culture. These awards can help you beyond you
academic career. You can use these experiences and opportunities as resume builder and
networking opportunities. ONCA helps hard working and motivated applicants succeed in the
application process.
If you are a hard working student, with dreams of becoming and industry leader, please
visit the Winthrop ONCA website at www.winthrop.edu/onca to fill out an application and
Evaluation:
With the promotion of our Trivia event on Instagram, we were able to bring 147
followers the @winthroponca Instagram page; however, we were unable to rally enough
participation in the trivia event. Out of the 147 people that followed the page, only 1 person
As for Facebook, we were unable to promote the event because we didn't hear back from
the ONCA office in time with the password. However we gained eight like on the page. As for
Twitter we didn't do much as for the promotion for the trivia event, we mainly focused on
Instagram since that is a more popular site for college students according to MEDIA, Disturbed,
https://prezi.com/iexcfqcu3fqg/onca-is-your-
key-to-success/
Office of Nationally Competitive Awards:
Communications Group
MCOM 471
February 6, 2017
Table of Contents:
Executive Summary…………………………………………………….. 2
Recommendations……………………………………………………….. 11
Works Cited……………………………………………………………… 12
Executive Summary:
This report provides an analysis of academic and popular sources, critics of similar sized
The Communications group used the Dacus Library to find sources, along with Google
Scholar and verified online sources to conduct research. The recommendations all come from
insight we have gathered from different schools, personal interactions with Winthrop’s ONCA,
The Communications group found three different academic sources and summarized
them in a literature review. The group was able to see what scholars were saying about nationally
competitive awards and their effect on participants. The popular sources were also summarized
in a literature review. Many of these sources showed different winners of nationally competitive
awards and what students were able to do with the awards. The group compared different and
similarly sized institutions with Winthrop. This comparison made it easier to give
recommendations to Winthrop’s ONCA program on what they need to correct and improve.
The report was created to show ONCA what scholars and students are saying about
nationally competitive awards. It also shows what other schools are doing and how they go about
Winthrop’s ONCA.
Literature Review:
Academic Sources
Student Aid Can Be Awarded for ‘Competencies,’ Not Just Credit Hours
The article from Dacus Library databases speaks about competency-based programs that are
award programs that help good students to reduce the cost of their studies.
These programs are partners with colleges like New Hampshire University. The colleges
that are developing this kind of aid for students receive aid from public institutions. These
programs have to be promoted on the financial aspect. Good high school students must be
informed that they can afford a higher education through the competency-based programs.
Source: http://www.elon.edu/E-Net/Article/110101
This article is speaking about different students winning a specific award at Elon
University. It expresses the importance of the fellowship and how it empowers students. The
author, Eric Staff, talks about how recipients learn and grow through being a part of the
fellowship. What was taken away was that being a fellow gives students a platform to learn and
develop as students.
Educational Research Bulletin, vol. 7, no. 10, 1928, pp. 211–214. www.jstor.org/stable/1471726
extraordinary facilities, faculty, and scholarship programs and universities that do not. The
findings of the study supported the hypothesis that freshman who go to a college with resources
like scholarship programs do better than students that do not. Motivation and allegiance to the
school were increased amongst freshman who received the “full college package” than students
Also under review in this article is the tendency for students to achieve higher test scores
and academic success once they have received some sort of scholarship. The findings support
that students feel more inclined to work harder when they are granted scholarship money or the
potential to earn it. Another theory that was explored was the notion that the merits for
scholarships be increasing in difficulty as the freshman make their way through the four years. In
other words, it would be easier for a freshman to earn a scholarship than a senior to earn one.
The ideas was that students should be increasingly challenged as they progress from year to year.
Source: Zhang, Liang, and Erik C. Ness. “Does State Merit-Based Aid Stem Brain Drain?.”
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, vol. 32, no. 2, 2010, pp. 143–165.
www.jstor.org/stable/40732415.
This article assess the efficiency of the stated funded merit-based aid system. The
research suggests that state funded scholarships such as LIFE can be financially draining on the
state college fund. Furthermore, many of the students receiving state aid are students who could
The author explains that 14 states have developed a statewide scholarship program that
awards merid instead of aiding financially dependent students. The reason policy makers have
decided to do this is because they want to stop brain drain which is the migration of intelligent
students moving to different states to attend out-of-state colleges. States want to keep the great
minds within their borders to benefit from their contributions to society. The article links the
The issue, as the article explores, is that the students who receive these awards were
already likely to stay in-state for college and already had the financial means to do so. Therefore,
the author takes the stance that the statewide scholarship program should not be based on merit.
The article also highlights the disproportionate rates that minorities receive merit-based
scholarships.
Winthrop’s ONCA has 60 awards available to students. Many of those awards are need-
based to give all students an opportunity to learn and grow without the added stress of student
Literature Review:
Popular Sources
Source: http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/do-student-awards-matter-78846/
In the article of adweek.com, it’s explained that an award “carries some weight” and it can help
to be hired directly after studies. An award is always linked with differentiation. When spring is
coming, recruiters receive many resumes and applications for jobs; an award makes the
difference on the students’ resumes. An award it’s always an advantage for students. However,
that not means the awarded students will have a job easier than others.
Source: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0020852309337687
This article focuses on the benefits that students receiving awards get. It also speaks about
how the promotion of these awards affect applicants. The author, Tony Loffler, expresses that
everything depends on how well the award is publicized. He touches on the benefits of the
reputation of the awards and that innovation is key when promoting. Loffler ends with these
awards having an affect on organizers as well. He explains that the awards aren't only good for
the students that receive them but they are also good for the image and credibility of the
institution.
Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Importance-of-Scholarship/230169
This article explains that scholarship programs are more than just money for school but
they are more of an advancement in life as whole. The author Anir Ban explains that Merit
based, Need based and even sports and athletic scholarships are an important means of education
and even goes so far as to say scholarships have a benefit to the overall economic climate of the
country. She says that with the high cost of living and the increased amount of average student
loan debt, scholarships and fellowship programs are a tool for people who want to go to school,
want to travel but just can't afford the cost.
Source: Cates, Lindsay. "Fellowships Offer a Path to Graduate Programs, Study Abroad." U.S.
News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/paying/articles/2016-03-
23/fellowships-offer-a-path-to-graduate-programs-study-abroad.
In this article, Cates discusses nationally competitive awards and their functions and
benefits. Cates starts off by telling the story of Jacob Calvert, who was able to attend grad school
The article goes on to explain that many fellowships act like scholarships because they
cover tuition for a certain amount of time and sometimes include extra expenses as well. Other
fellowships are given for research, teaching, or short-term jobs. Cates explains that some
fellowships are school specific while many others are focused on certain areas of study.
The article then refers to a number of specific university’s national award advising
groups as well as how many fellowships are offered at certain schools. It tells the reader that
selection committees want to be shown how a fellowship is critical to the applicant's’ career
path. To wrap up, the article quotes a few more statements from fellowship advisors.
Summary of Schools:
Depauw University
Depauw University website does not have many pictures/imagery. The University's,
Fellowship and Awards tab has sub tabs that allow students to find information on applying for
scholarships, awards, and fellowships. The site highlights the Fulbright Scholarship, by giving it
its own tab. When the tab is clicked it redirects to a new page about the Fulbright Scholarship.
This page has a lot more pictures compared to the other schools. This shows how the university
promotes different scholarships. The Fulbright was the most promoted one. The website also
highlights different award recipients. The website has an interactivity factor. On the awards
home page the button prompts students to create a profile to get more information. There is also
a faculty and staff page, that allows them to recommend students for a competitive award.
USC Aiken
USC Aiken offers many award opportunities to their students. One of the awards that
USC Aiken promotes is the FTE Undergraduate Fellows. It offers an opportunity to study abroad
for at least four weeks. On the website of USC Aiken the administration communicate with
students through email. They promote an international program on the website, however there is
not many pictures of it. They have a Youtube channel where they post videos to show different
students who have traveled using different awards. USC Aiken puts pictures of students that won
The website features interviews of winners. Texas Tech uses social media to speak about
their winners as well. The university has also a calendar of every international opportunity
offered to students. They utilize social media more heavily. This University focuses on showing
Comparing Schools
Both USC Aiken and Texas Tech websites use social networks to promote their award
programs. Neither university are that active on different platforms. It took time to find
information about the programs on their websites. Both had a high focus on previous award
winners. Texas Tech promotes and informs better than Winthrop and USC Aiken about award
Source: https://www.wofford.edu/internationalPrograms/scholarshipOpportunities.aspx
much like Winthrop. Wofford is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. While Wofford does
offer scholarships, they pale in comparison to Winthrop’s selection. ONCA offers 60 different
scholarship opportunities to Wofford’s 19. Also, Wofford does not have a program designed to
help students find and apply for scholarships. In fact, there is a different faculty member’s
Students are meant to get in touch to the designated faculty member to whichever
scholarship they decide to apply for. On the website in the introductory paragraph before the list
of scholarships, it is mentioned that the faculty listed next to each award is eager to help with the
application process. I do think that Winthrop has a better program due to the structure and
organized hierarchy.
Most of the scholarships offered for Wofford students are actually merit based versus
need-based. Winthrop’s ONCA scholarships reach across need-based and merit-based fronts.
However, the majority of ONCA scholarships are need-based which does limit students who may
Source: http://www.furman.edu/admission/EngageFurman/FinancialInformation/Pages/Merit-
based-scholarships.aspx
2,970 students. Upon reviewing their scholarship program page, I found that all of their available
scholarships are merit-based. In fact, the scholarship page says in bold, “Merit-based
Scholarships” and then goes on to list in bullet points what they are looking for: GPA, strength of
different awards. Furman does not offer a program like ONCA that allows access to faculty that
is ready and willing to help students apply and win. The scholarships that they have are all
University funded. They do not display any other scholarships that may be out there to help
Recommendations:
The recommendations our group has for ONCA is to utilize social media to communicate
weekly, with students. Create an Instagram and Youtube channel. ONCA should begin to ask
students who go abroad, using ONCA, to send pictures and videos from their trips. These can be
used to create promotional videos. ONCA should make a special hashtag that will be used for
pictures posted on ONCA’s social media platforms. The hashtag is to follow who’s posting about
ONCA. This will allow ONCA to communicate with students because they will be able to
comment on different post that use the hashtag. The content that is posted should be the same on
every platform. ONCA should do more interviews, with rewarded students. They should do this
before and after the student participates in the fellowship. ONCA should also share news about
national and international awards, on their Facebook page. The office should hire an intern to
Works Cited
Anderson, May. "Do Student Awards Matter?" – Adweek. Ad Week, 11 Apr. 2015. Web. 05 Feb.
2017.
Bovaird, Tony, and Elke Löffler. "Sign In: Registered Users." More Quality through
Competitive
Quality Awards? An Impact Assessment Framework - Oct 05, 2009. Sage Journals, 05
Cates, Lindsay. "Fellowships Offer a Path to Graduate Programs, Study Abroad." U.S. News &
World Report. U.S. News & World Report, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
Field, Kelly. "Student Aid Can Be Awarded for 'Competencies,' Not Just Credit Hours." The
Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 19 Mar. 2013. Web.
05 Feb. 2017.
Townsend, Eric. "Four Elon Students Named Epicenter University Innovation Fellows." E-Net!
Elon University News & Information. Elon University, 10 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.
Zhang, Liang, and Erik C. Ness. “Does State Merit-Based Aid Stem Brain Drain?.” Educational
Evaluation and Policy Analysis, vol. 32, no. 2, 2010, pp. 143–165.