Campus Talk: Millennials Entering College Cite Smartphone As Foremost Advertising Platform

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MILLENNIALS ENTERING COLLEGE CITE SMARTPHONE AS FOREMOST ADVERTISING PLATFORM: A new study released Monday (Sept. 28) shows that smartphone screens should be the primary advertising medium for reaching today’s college students – the first of Generation Z and last of the Millennial generation to enter young adulthood on campus.

The report, called “Generation Z & Young Millennials: Mobile First on Campus,” was conducted by The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and its Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. It says college students are more likely than the average smartphone user to cite their mobile phone as the place where they see relevant ads (28% vs. 22%). Tailoring plays a role, with respondents stating they are more apt to notice mobile ads adapted to them based on social media and web browsing.

Male college students were particularly prone to cite mobile as the medium with the most relevant ads they saw (32.5%), with only 19% feeling that way about TV. Females were more balanced, with equal numbers saying mobile and TV were the source of relevant ads. Furthermore, both college men and women unequivocally say that their smartphone is their favorite device, preferring it over any other, including television. To download the full report, click here.

ARKANSAS TECH SELECTS NEW SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR: Arkansas Tech University President Dr. Robin E. Bowen announced that Jayne Jones will take on a new role as coordinator of special projects for the university on Oct. 1, 2015. Jones has served on the Arkansas Tech staff since 1976, including the last 14 years as vice president for development. Arkansas Tech will select an individual to serve as interim vice president for development, university officials said. At a later date, Arkansas Tech will initiate a search to fill the vice president for development position on a permanent basis.

U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AWARDS $157 MILLION TO CHARTER SCHOOLS: The U.S. Department of Education on Monday (Sept. 28) announced more than $157 million in new grants for its Charter Schools Program (CSP), which funds the creation and expansion of public charter schools across the nation.

This year’s state grant program awarded $125 million in new grants to eight states, but Arkansas was not one of them. The funding will enable them to run state-level grant competitions to support approximately 400 new and expanded public charter schools. Since the program’s inception, the Education Department has invested over $3 billion in the charter school sector.

ASU INSTRUCTOR CHOSEN TO PARTICIPATE IN DRA LEADERSHIP CLASS: The Delta Regional Authority has selected Peggy R. Wright, an instructor at Arkansas State University, to participate in the 2015-16 Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy. Wright, who also serves as director of the Delta Studies Center at A-State, will participate in six three-day sessions to be held in various cities across the Delta Region and in Washington, D.C., over the next 11 months. A faculty member in the Department of Political Science, Wright joined the university staff in 1997.