Agency holding companies provide scholarships & career opportunities for historically underrepresented groups at CCNY

An unprecedented initiative to foster a more diverse and inclusive talent pool in the media and communications industry launches this fall at The City College of New York, as six of the world’s largest agency holding companies have come together to  provide full scholarships to students enrolling in the Branding + Integrated Communications (BIC) program’s inaugural Media track.

The combined funding contribution of $300,000 from the agencies -- IPG Mediabrands, Publicis Media, Havas Media, Dentsu, Omnicom Group and WPP/GroupM -- will allow each student in this initial cohort to receive a scholarship of approximately $30,000, covering the cost of in-state tuition. Working with non-profit organization We All Rise Together, the agencies are supporting this new track to encourage business/advertising students from historically underrepresented groups to pursue media careers as the industry seeks to increase its ranks of diverse talent. 

Students in the media track will also benefit from each sponsoring agency’s expertise over the course of their two-year commitment to engagement in the program, including opportunities to benefit from extracurricular activities such as mentoring, recruiting, networking, tutoring and internships.

“Bringing together six amazing communications powerhouses in such an actionable and far-sighted effort is a testament to our shared commitment to building a more dynamic, diverse, innovative, and forward-thinking workforce,” said Nancy R. Tag, director of BIC, and professor of Media and Communication Arts. “This has been a long time coming, and I am thrilled that the agencies, We All Rise Together, and City College have forged this partnership to provide the scholarship, ethical underpinning, and new visionary talent in a growth area both here in New York City and globally.”

BIC’s Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree, which already offers tracks in creative, management/brand strategy, and public relations, is the only master’s degree program to teach branding and communications in an integrated way. The degree combines theory and practice in an interdisciplinary, multi-tracked curriculum that addresses the expanding opportunities and needs of marketing communications industries on behalf of both private and not-for-profit organizations.

“The Branding + Integrated Communications program’s growth since its founding is a great source of pride for City College and its Master of Professional Studies degree has provided tremendous career options for its graduates, many of whom would not have considered entering the communications and marketing industries,” said Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Communications Dee Dee Mozeleski, who is also the executive director of The Foundation for City College Inc. “This new fund will provide generations of students with opportunities to have rewarding and challenging careers – and to mentor succeeding generations of BIC students.”

Since its founding in 2013, BIC has produced a strong network of 200 alumni, the majority of whom come from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the communications industry. BIC graduates have gone on to rewarding careers, holding positions such as brand strategists, art directors, publicists, copywriters, account managers and media planners at communications agencies such as Droga5, Fenton, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Weber Shandwick, HunterPR, FutureBrand, and Mother, as well as at companies such as Apple, NYTimes Brand Studio, TikTok, AmEx, Facebook, Google, and the NAACP. BIC graduates have also garnered numerous industry awards, as well as prestigious fellowships and grants.

BIC is currently accepting applications to the Class of 2024 Media track. Click here or information on how to apply. Click here for details on the Media Impact Compact.  

Read more about the program in MediaPost.

About the City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.