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Swanson recipient of AMA Lifetime Achievement Award

| Carrie Ottum

Dr. Scott Swanson, professor of marketing, was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the American Marketing Association (AMA) at the AMA International Collegiate Conference in Chicago, IL.

Started in 2010, the Faculty Advisor Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed to a Collegiate Chapter Faculty Advisor at the American Marketing Association. To date, the AMA has recognized 25 faculty advisors with this honor, including Dr. Swanson and the remaining 2022 recipients. Criteria that are considered for this recognition include longevity of their role as a faculty advisor, proven track record of guiding their collegiate chapter towards success, and a history of service to the AMA Collegiate community as a whole.

Dr. Swanson joined the AMA as an undergraduate in 1982 and has been involved in the AMA as a student, professional, or academic member for 40 years. He has been a Collegiate Chapters Council member for nine years, and as past president was responsible for creating three certificate programs, and writing/coordinating six international case competitions by collaborating with companies such as Nintendo, Coca-Cola, and Amazon.

A man in a black tuxedo and a man in a grey suit together hold a black and red award

Image by Mark Campbell Productions

Dr. Swanson has been an AMA advisor for 22 years. Annually competing against more than three hundred universities and colleges, the chapters he has advised have never finished outside of the top ten and achieved International Chapter of the Year status seven times.

“UWEC students never fail to AMAze me. It is AMAzing working with chapter members as they change over the course of their academic careers. I get AMAzed by their enthusiasm” says Swanson.

Sophia Wojahn, president of UW-Eau Claire AMA, shares that it was an honor to see Dr. Swanson’s commitment, knowledge, and leadership recognized internationally.

“Dr. Swanson has guided our chapter to being titled the Top International Chapter of the Year consecutively. These awards wouldn't have been possible without Dr. Swanson's leadership.”

“Through our work to earn these achievements, his teachings have allowed me to be more creative, think strategically, and communicate effectively,” says Wojahn, integrated strategic communication and advertising major. “Most importantly, his leadership within AMA has taught me about passion and dedication- an element that allows for genuine leadership.”

Dr. Swanson notes that lifetime awards, by definition, mark the passage of time, which begs the question of why he has continued to advise this student organization.

“I get AMAzed by their creativity. I get AMAzed by their acts of compassion. Being a small part of the many successes of our UWEC AMA students has been the greatest honor of my academic career.” 

AMA is a student-led professional business organization that offers students opportunities to learn essential skills and leadership to prepare for a future in business. For more information about AMA, contact Sophia Wojahn or visit the UW-Eau Claire AMA website.