Cairn University business students were finalists in the 2025 America250PA Direct Effect™ Innovation Challenge (DEIC). The DEIC is a multi-round competition that challenges students from Pennsylvania’s postsecondary institutions “to design and develop integrated marketing campaigns that explore solutions to real-life challenges and questions.”
The 2025 DEIC consisted of three rounds, the final round held in person at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA, in October 2025. Cairn University was one of five colleges invited to the final round. Faculty member Janelle Curtis-Beaman accompanied students Philip Oo, Matthew Mika, Colin O’Brien, and JiEun Oh to Harrisburg to present their campaign.
This year’s theme was “Miles of Impact: America’s First Superhighway.” Students were challenged to “design and pitch original integrated marketing campaigns that bring the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s story to life.” Cairn University students presented their campaign, “Where did you come from, where did you go?” to celebrate 85 years of the Turnpike connecting Pennsylvanians while looking forward to the future of travel. They pitched a user-generated marketing campaign that would employ a statewide scavenger hunt that would encourage users to share experiences that promote connection, heritage, and progress.
Cairn University is proud to offer opportunities for experiential learning like this, giving students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom in tactile ways that bolster their resume and give them confidence as they enter the job market.
