When Karie Kirschbaum walked into Assistant Professor Al Fattal Anas’s office at the University of Minnesota Crookston in 2022, she was looking for help. As the Crookston community development director, she asked for guidance in reimagining a city organization’s identity, which didn’t have a positive reputation with residents.

Anas saw this as an excellent opportunity to give his marketing students real-world experience that could bring about lasting change for a community—something he says he values due to his international experience living in Syria, England, Dubai, and Oman.

When his students expressed interest in the idea, he adapted his marketing research class to create a new brand identity for the Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority.

“Students felt it was more meaningful because they would present their recommendations to the Crookston City Council instead of doing a project only their classmates and I may read,” says Anas.

After collecting surveys from Crookston residents and extensive research, the students recommended splitting the agency into two: one for economic development and another for housing, which the city implemented.

Since then, Kirschbaum meets with Anas before each semester to determine that class’s next project. Other projects ultimately led to creating marketing plans for the City of Crookston, and recommending the creation of a marketing coordinator for the city—with the following class creating that position’s job description.

“Crookston’s council members loved that class’s presentation so much that they recommended the students apply, but all of them had jobs lined up after graduation,” he says. That’s just another reason students love the class—because they can include the project in their CVs.

This semester, Anas is partnering with Crookston Associate Professor Eric Castle to determine how city and other potential funds should be used to develop the Crookston trail system. Castle’s land use planning students will focus on the technical aspect of planning where the trails should be, while Anas’s students will focus on surveying residents to learn their trail preferences and create a promotional plan that can increase trail usage.

Though creating a new curriculum each semester can be challenging, Anas says the work is worth it. “Each semester, I ask myself why I do it,” he says. “Ultimately, it’s a way to get more engaging course content.”