Jennifer Osbon, a digital marketing professor in the Terry College of Business, has been awarded the 2018 Lee Anne Seawell Faculty Recognition Award, which recognizes faculty members who provide unparalleled career development support for students.
Osbon has been teaching for five years. Prior to becoming a professor, she founded MegaPlayer, a digital marketing consulting and education company. MegaPlayer was a trusted partner of global brands such as Coca-Cola, Sunglass Hut, K- Swiss, Verizon, Standard Register, Pearle Vision and others.
“In interviewing recent graduates for my agency,” said Osbon, “I realized students were really good users of technology, but they didn’t necessarily know how to think about these technologies as marketers.” Osbon connected with the university, and what started as a pitch to add a digital marketing strategy course to UGA’s course curriculum ended with her being hired to teach the course she designed. Osbon now teaches at UGA full time.
“I’ve discovered teaching is so much more than knowledge transfer,” Osbon said. “I do a little bit of life and career coaching along with the academics and in the end, my students graduate and become my colleagues.”
Osbon also brings dozens of former associates and industry professionals into the classroom with her. She invites them to speak to her classes, judge student presentations and assess written assignments—some of which have led to students receiving job offers or mentoring relationships.
Scott Williams, executive director of the UGA Career Center, presented Osbon with the award in her office on March 14.
“Because our faculty members are the ones interacting with our students on a daily basis, it is especially valuable to have their support in career development and preparation,” Williams said. “Jennifer Osbon is a great representation of a faculty member who goes above and beyond.”
The Lee Anne Seawell Faculty Recognition Award recipient is selected based on student feedback gathered in the university’s annual Career Outcomes Survey. The Career Outcomes Survey provides insight into the employment and continuing education status of UGA graduates within six months of their graduation date. Of the 2017 graduating class, 88 percent of students completed the Career Outcomes Survey, 26.5 percent higher than the national average.
“I was flattered when I heard the students nominated me for this award,” said Osbon. “It is confirmation that I’m doing the right thing.”
The Lee Anne Seawell Faculty Recognition Award was endowed by the late Lee Anne Seawell, who joined UGA in 1947 as one of the university’s first female administrators. She worked in career services and student financial aid until her retirement in 1987.