AdGrad -- Tap the Network

Thanks to AdGrad, now Advertising and PR students have the luxury of surfing a professional / social networking site that won't make them feel guilty. Or like a stalker.

This new social networking website, launched in March 2007, effectively links current students to alumni, faculty and staff. While the website has a striking resemblance to Facebook, it offers much more- the primary function of the site is to provide University students with an open channel to Texas alumni, and a rich list of job openings in Advertising and PR. Students have the ability to post resumes, and even portfolios for legitimate, interested employers to peruse.

In a time of Facebook, MySpace, Craigslist and Monster.com, AdGrad has successfully culminated the best features of each to create a site functional for both social and professional networking. The most notable aspect of the site is that it is restricted to only those affiliated with the University, so users are assured authentic correspondence, and the hiring of Texas grads is perpetuated. Graduates can search for jobs in an array of cities, from Los Angeles to New York. Furthermore, since profiles are constructed just as they are on Facebook, users have the ability to manage their own impressions. Planners can boast award-winning media plans while Creatives display their charming quirkiness.

AdGrad is the brainchild of Gene Kincaid, a professor in the department. Realizing he and fellow professors were serving as a conduit between current students and alumni, he developed the idea of AdGrad to eliminate the "bottle necking" that happens when students can't directly connect with alumni. The ability to search and message these alum, allows for quicker, tighter communication amongst people who share a common background. Students familiar with the high number of emails regarding job opportunities can appreciate the organizing function AdGrad performs. Generous funding from the University Co-op enabled the successful launch of the site and its ongoing maintenance.

To date the website has over a thousand users, including roughly 350 alumni, and 650 students, creating a common thread linking the past, present and future of the Texas Advertising Department. From the sites inception through November 2007, over 180 jobs have been posted on AdGrad, by over 50 different alumni. Additional functions will be added in the future, like more intense searches, mapping functions, messages boards and enhanced aesthetics. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the website if they haven't already, at www.adgrad.org.

1/23/2008