The Drs. E. Lawrence and Adele V. Deckinger Center for Integrated Advertising Communications at St. John’s University opened Sept. 20, making it the newest addition to the Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies (CCPS). The center is equipped with Mac stations, Cintiq drawing monitors, format printers and video display screens.
Dorah Ganchoso, senior advertising communications major and president of Category 5 — the student-run ad agency at St. John’s — shared her experience with The Torch. “The opening ceremony of the new Deckinger Center consisted of immense gratitude and inspiration. It was great to hear multiple CCPS faculty speak so highly of the advertising and PR programs that St. John’s offers,” Ganchoso said. “The Deckinger Center is exactly what Category 5 needs in order to be in the right direction. I’m excited to lead this agency knowing that we have the tools and resources to succeed.”
The late Adele V. Deckinger and Elliot Lawrence Deckinger, Ph.D. — who studied and taught at St. John’s — passed away in 2002 and 2008. A year before his death, the Deckinger family founded the E. Lawrence and Adele V. Deckinger Advertising Fund.
“We are so thankful to the Deckinger family for their generous donation, as well as their faith in St. John’s, its advertising program and most importantly its students,” Ganchoso said. “This specialized learning environment gives students the opportunity to receive hands-on experience like you would in any advertising agency.”
Deckinger worked for the Biow Company and Grey Advertising from 1937 until 1982, when he became a Marketing professor at the University, retiring in 2007, about one year before his passing. While teaching at the University, Deckinger managed to aid in bringing the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) to the University. Deckinger was awarded for his efforts with the President’s Medal.
Ganchoso was part of the NSAC at the University last year. “That was a great experience and such a wonderful opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the advertising industry,” Ganchoso explained. Her team placed third in the region.
Following the center’s opening, associate professor John A. Swan Jr. announced the new Advancing Advertising Scholarship Fund. The center is intended to further opportunities in the field while honoring the late professor and his wife for their contributions to the University.
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