On Wednesday August 19th the Temerlin Advertising Institute (TAI) spent the day at The Marketing Arm in Dallas. The Director of The Temerlin Advertising Institute, Dr. Steven
M. Edwards, implemented a “Dallas Advertising Agency” retreat several years ago to grow deeper relationships with agencies while also encouraging a sharing of knowledge between industry and academia. According to Edwards, “We share insights with the best minds in the industry.” Slingshot, Publicis, The Richards Group and now The Marketing Arm have all played host.
The Marketing Arm Founder & CEO Ray Clark kicked off the morning. We were immersed in the latest in social media and activation experiences with the 20 slide – 20 seconds each PechaKucha presentation style from the Insights & Planning team. The business team discussed some of their difficulties and hiring needs, while Alyson Breslyn, the Recruiting Manager spoke with us about their new training program for recent graduates.
A surprise visit from TAI alumni who heard we were in the building gave a lift to the afternoon. Dr. Steven Edwards said “It is always awesome and
rewarding to see our former students happy and thriving in industry.” Much appreciation goes out to The Marketing Arm for sharing their space and their precious time!


rt, public relations or other related fields. Sarah Campbell competed amongst students who currently attend colleges and universities within Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas (AAF-District 10). TAI is not the only one proud of Sarah’s achievements. Her former teacher, Professor Haayen said, ““I had the pleasure of having Sarah as a student in my Advertising Research class last semester. She was a joy to have in class. She is curious, engaged, motivated and hardworking. The kind of student who inspires her teacher and classmates to do their best work. This scholarship honor is well deserved, and I am sure it is the first of many successes to come. Bravo, Sarah!” The AEFH received submissions from 17 different schools within the AAF-District 10 region. We are unbelievably proud that a Southern Methodist student was able to win amongst such stiff competition. On achieving such a prestigious scholarship
Campbell said, “I am honored to be selected as a recipient of this scholarship! The TAI program at SMU has been an incredible academic experience that has pushed me to grow both creatively and professionally. With the gift of this scholarship, it will be easier for me to afford the valuable resources available here at TAI. I look forward to continued mentorship from outstanding professors, inspiration from my talented peers, and the opportunity to increase the depth and breadth of my creative portfolio. The Lord has blessed me with more opportunities than I can count, and I am beyond grateful for the financial help that allows me to pursue His plan for me.” TAI is extremely proud of Sarah’s accomplishments and we can’t wait to see what she does in the future!



g more than normal humility by this honor. Without the effective mentoring I have received from other faculty in TAI, I doubt this honor would have come my way. The leadership and support at TAI is unlike any University I have been an educator.” Ms. Gilcrease stated that she had nominated Professor Larkin because many of the skills and concepts she had learned in Creative Production were applicable to her everyday life. Professor Larkin’s teaching methods are both “exploration and utilization of various styles to spark critical thinking and generate enjoyment; ie. Let’s have fun while we’re eating our vegetables. For instance, by flipping the Creative Production classroom, students are not passively observing their learning but are more primed through experiential engagement. Since many of my students are visual learners, I believe in in-class visual referencing and relevant project work that takes them out into the world to developed abilities beyond their expectations.” It is clear that Professor Larkin is truly an inspiration in and outside the classroom and TAI is honored to have her as member of our faculty.
On February 2nd, TAI Professor, Willie Baronet made an appearance on the 