The Business and Entrepreneurship Department Is pleased to welcome our newest full-time faculty member, Jennifer Sadler! Jennifer is an assistant professor who will be overseeing the department’s Marketing program.

What is your position at Columbia, and what courses are you teaching?

I am the Coordinator of the Marketing Program in the Business and Entrepreneurship Department and I also teach marketing-related courses. This Fall, I taught Brands and Branding as well as Intro to Marketing. Next semester I will teach Intro to Marketing and Digital Media Strategies.

You’re new to Chicago. How do you like it so far? Where did you move here from, and how has the transition been?

I’m originally from Memphis, TN and more recently from Oxford, MS where I taught at Ole Miss. Chicago is as cold as people warned me it would be, but also brings the promise of a beautiful Summer and the welcome of a diverse mix of people. While I still haven’t quite figured out if my Winter clothing is sufficient, I have found that the public transit system and the holiday attractions are the best parts of Chicago I’ve experienced thus far. I’m constantly surrounded by people who have come from every inch of the world to call Chicago home and plant their heritage in one of many distinct neighborhoods here.

As an institution, how is Columbia different from the previous university where you taught?

Well, Ole Miss is in the deep south, where many people have very strong beliefs about tradition and the university is focused primarily on research. Columbia students, as I’ve told many, have a component of humanity that can’t be taught. Creative people see the world for what it can become and we are constantly redefining expectations of the ‘norm’. I’ve found that Columbia is much more focused on practice and it can be very beneficial for students to gain skills for the jobs they will create after graduation. This is a school situated in a major city with many more opportunities for graduates than other institutions in small towns may have – so we can bring in alumni who have achieved amazing feats to speak to current students. Columbia is unafraid of acceptance and standing up for any and every person who chooses to come here, and for that I am uniquely appreciative.

At this point, what is your vision for the future of Columbia’s Marketing program?

Being that I am new here, I’m still learning about the needs of the students and the department. We are not a traditional marketing program – in fact, we are very much a niche program that fuses marketing and arts to craft a degree for creative students. I envision a program that celebrates the robust experience of our marketing faculty and the accomplishments of our students. A program that people invest in today is one where strong alumni showcase the skills they’ve learned and faculty are supported in creative/research endeavors. My vision is still in progress, however I do always aim to be the best – which means that my vision will likely be that this becomes the best creative marketing program a student could choose.

Now that you’re a Chicagoan, we have to ask: Have you tried the pizza?

Yep! I’m inching my way to deep dish love (I’m a thin crust gal). In the South the freezer isles are full of BBQ. In Chicago they are full of pizza. There’s a ton to choose from here!

What is one big goal that you hope to accomplish in 2019?

I’m starting a podcast series focusing on black marketing professionals and topics of inclusivity in the field, so having that up and running would be amazing for 2019.