Clemson University to dedicate Erwin Center for Advertising and Communication
October 9, 2014
CLEMSON, SC — Clemson University officials will dedicate the Erwin Center for Advertising and Communication at 11 a.m. Friday with the formal launch of its innovative communications studio in Daniel Hall.
In the tradition of a teaching hospital, the Erwin Center gives Clemson students opportunities to prepare for degrees in advertising and marketing by learning from industry leaders who hold senior-level positions in the advertising industry.
“The Erwin Center symbolizes Clemson’s commitment to keep our students in advertising, communications and marketing on the leading edge of all that is happening in those industries so that they leave here better prepared to do their jobs, to be more relevant to their employers and to make real contributions to the companies and industries that employ them,” said Richard Goodstein, dean of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. “When they leave this program, they will be ready to hit the ground running.”
The Erwin Center was founded in 2012 through a donation by Joe Erwin, a 1979 Clemson graduate, and his wife, Gretchen. Together, the Erwins started Erwin Penland Advertising of Greenville, South Carolina, and have grown it into one of the largest full-service advertising agencies based in the South. The new center is a strategic partnership between Erwin Penland and Clemson University’s department of communication studies.
A key feature of the new modular classroom is video-conferencing technology that allows students to confer each week with industry professionals at communications firms across the country, including Erwin Penland’s offices in Greenville and New York.
In addition to the video technology, the studio features movable walls that can easily transform the full-sized classroom into four flexible, semi-private small group work spaces that promote teamwork and collaboration – key skills necessary for any communication career.
“Though this classroom is just the beginning of what will be an even more robust and preeminent program, it is a great start,” said Joe Erwin. “The room is both enormously flexible and technologically savvy – the very things the program is designed to encourage.”
The Erwin Center
The Erwin Center for the Study of Advertising and Communication is a partnership between Clemson University and the founders of Erwin Penland, one of the largest full-service advertising agencies based in the South. With offices in Greenville, S.C., and New York, Erwin Penland offers integrated advertising, strategic planning, media, digital, experiential, direct marketing, design and public relations services to a wide range of world-class clients. For more information about the center, visit http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/erwin/. For more information about the advertising agency, visit www.erwinpenland.com.
Clemson University
Ranked No. 20 among national public universities, Clemson University is a major, land-grant, science- and engineering-oriented research university that maintains a strong commitment to teaching and student success. Clemson is an inclusive, student-centered community characterized by high academic standards, a culture of collaboration, school spirit, and a competitive drive to excel.
