The ISU chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association was awarded the Outstanding Student Chapter at the 2012 National Agri-Marketing Conference.

The conference was held from April 18 to 20 in Kansas City, Mo., and hosted 35 U.S. and Canadian universities in addition to the ISU chapter. 

NAMA is a non-profit organization of over 3,500 professional and student members that serve the food and fiber industry, as well as being the nation’s largest association for professionals in marketing and agribusiness.

The Outstanding Student NAMA Chapter award is based on chapter activities over the course of the school year.

Rick Whitacre, ISU NAMA co-advisor, explained how the ISU NAMA chapter readied itself to display their activities.

“At the end of every year, we compile in a yearbook, if you will, listing all the activities, membership growth, fundraising and professional development, and recruitment activities.

“We then submit the yearbook to a panel of judges who then look at what we’ve done over the course of the year and compare that against the other universities,” Whitacre said.

Throughout the past academic year, the ISU NAMA chapter conducted an agricultural career fair, which brought over 40 agricultural firms and organizations to meet with students interested in internships and employment opportunities.

“Our students are amazing. They worked so hard throughout the year and accomplished so much. We are very proud of them,” Aslihan Spaulding, ISU NAMA co-advisor, said.

In addition to the career fair, the chapter brought a panel of human resource experts to campus to help students write résumés and prepare for job interviews.

Other activities around campus included conducting a bowling tournament, which brought in 300 pounds of canned goods for a local food pantry, and raising funds to support a local horse rescue stable.

This is the ISU chapter’s first nationally recognized first place award, but it is not their first time winning an award. The ISU NAMA chapter also took home the second place John Deere Signature Award, best dressed team.

“This award is prestigious for us because the presentation is done in front of all the professionals and certainly if your chapter receives the outstanding chapter recognition it obviously elevates the chapter and a lot of people can see we’re doing some great things here at Illinois State University,” Whitacre said.

At a recent registered student organization dinner celebrating campus programs, the NAMA chapter won the ISU Outstanding Philanthropic Program award.

According to Spaulding, the ISU NAMA chapter is always looking for more members and majoring in agriculture is not required.

“We would love to have students from other departments, including, but not limited to, communications, marketing, and business to join us,” Spaulding said.