Dr. Wenjing Li, associate professor of marketing in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business, reviewed the goals of her students’ fall 2024 semester project before they presented potential strategic marketing plans to East Texas Community Health Services Inc. representatives in the audience. The graduate students gained real-world marketing experience while working with the nonprofit to inform more East Texans about its services, including primary care, dental care, mental health counseling and chronic disease management.
“This was a real-world learning project that our students could get excited about,” said Dr. Wenjing Li, associate professor of marketing at SFA who advised the students throughout the project. “We want to thank the East Texas Community Health Services leadership team and board for this opportunity for our students to not only apply their business skills but also give back to the community.”
Since East Texas Community Health Services Inc. was established in 1987 to provide health services to medically uninsured and underserved residents in rural East Texas, it has grown into the largest multispecialty primary care practice in a 50-mile radius of Nacogdoches. Through its sliding-scale fee discount program, ETCHSI provides 9,500 patients a year with primary care, immunizations, dental care, mental health counseling and management of chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. ETCHSI would like to increase that number to 10,000.
“As a community health provider, reaching and engaging with our patients is crucial,” said Katlyn Humphreys, ETCHSI outreach program coordinator. “A strategic marketing plan allows us to connect more effectively with those who need our services the most, ensuring they have access to the care and resources available to them. With the evolving health care landscape, having a well-structured outreach and marketing approach is essential to serving our community better.”
To help craft this approach, Humphreys contacted SFA’s Business and Community Services office, which connected her with Li and her graduate students. Through BCS, local and regional businesses can work directly with faculty members and their students who have expertise in a particular area to conduct research and develop business plans.
The strategic marketing plans students presented to ETCHSI focused on enhancing digital outreach, strengthening community partnerships and increasing awareness of the nonprofit’s mobile clinic services. Recommendations also included creating internships for SFA’s marketing and social media students to help with ETCHSI’s outreach initiatives.
“Working with SFA graduate students was a fantastic experience,” Humphreys said. “Their fresh perspectives and innovative ideas gave us new ways to approach our marketing strategies, and their enthusiasm for our mission was truly inspiring. It’s collaborations like these that help bridge the gap between academia and real-world application, and we are grateful for their contributions.”
For more information on East Texas Community Health Services Inc., visit etchc.com. For more information on SFA’s Business and Community Services office, visit sfasu.edu/cob/services/bcs.
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 11 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering over 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
By University Marketing Communications
