A Decade of Development

For many agricultural communications seniors at Texas Tech University, the first day of the spring semester carries a mix of both excitement and uncertainty. In mid-January, students file into AGED Room 116 in the Agricultural Education and Communications building. The classroom hums with nervous anticipation. By April, the same classroom will be alive with chatter as students navigate a fast-paced rhythm of collaboration and project deadlines. The assignments feel more like professional obligations than class work. Yet, that intensity is by design.

Developed a decade ago by agricultural communications faculty at Texas Tech, a four-course structure of senior-level capstone experiences was designed to create a coordinated learning environment that mirrors the realities of modern communication careers. Rather than completing upper-level coursework independently, students take these four courses simultaneously. Students and faculty refer to this experience as the “ACOM Block.”

“We wanted to create a professional environment,” said Erica Irlbeck, Ph.D., associate dean for outreach and engagement in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and a founding member of the Block’s four-person faculty team. “And we wanted to mimic that creative agency structure.”

Through the production of The Agriculturist magazine, the development of strategic campaign plans, and the management of digital media projects, Irlbeck said students are challenged to balance group dynamics and physical assignments.

“Students face real deadlines, challenges, feedback and work that matters beyond the classroom,” said Laura Fischer, Ph.D., associate professor and instructor of the campaigns course in the Block.

The structure demands students to be proactive, adaptable and willing to work through uncertainty. These are qualities, Irlbeck said, that are essential to long-term success in the communications industry.

This developmental experience for students serves as a springboard from their college days into their professional careers.

That Block experience, which is now a known hurdle for all students in Texas Tech’s agricultural communications program, began as an ambitious idea designed to better align coursework with real-world expectations.

Building the Block

The ACOM Block officially kicked off with the spring 2017 semester. There were 21 students in the first class, but that number would rise through the years.

“The Block is only offered once a year in the spring,” Irlbeck said. “We advise students throughout their degree program in a way that helps them align their schedules leading up to the spring of their senior year.”

Lindsay Kennedy, Ph.D., associate professor of practice and instructor of the magazine course in the Block said the structure represented a shift from the traditional format. Faculty members envisioned a coordinated semester that would move beyond isolated coursework and instead replicate the collaborative demands students would encounter in professional communication environments.

“It required an entire degree path change,” Kennedy said. “It took a lot of planning and a lot of logistics. It took everybody to figure it out.”

At the time, the agricultural education teaching block was the only precedent in the discipline for such a structure. In agricultural communications, however, the concept was largely untested.

Blair White was a student in the first ACOM Block and served as editor of the 2017 issue of The Agriculturist. She remembers the experience as both exciting and uncertain.

“We didn’t really know what to expect,” White said, who is now director of corporate communications at Plains Cotton Cooperative. “In a way, we were guinea pigs, and they were really trying to figure out the best way to mimic a work environment in a classroom setting.”

Early participants like White quickly realized the semester required a different level of personal accountability.

Adrian Hawkins, a member of the first ACOM Block and now communications manager at the National Ranching Heritage Center, said the experience involved quick deadlines and a fast-paced workload, where students had to manage multiple projects that carried stakes beyond individual grades. She added that they also had to navigate group dynamics, leadership responsibilities and the pressures of producing work intended for public audiences.

White said those expectations ultimately helped shape her professional confidence.

“It definitely made me get out of my shell,” she said. “It really made me show up in a different way and learn to be confident in myself, in my knowledge, [and] my skills.”

The Block gradually evolved into a defining academic milestone within the agricultural communications program.

Through the years, faculty have refined course coordination strategies, strengthened industry partnerships, and expanded opportunities for students to engage in client-based communication work.

Today, the Block stands not only as a structured semester, but as a shared experience that connects years of Texas Tech agricultural communications graduates.

“There’s this bonding experience that happens in the Block that students remember,” said Courtney Meyers, Ph.D., professor and instructor of the Block’s media convergence course said.

While the Block’s structure was designed to mirror the professional world, its most noticeable impact is often seen in the students themselves.

At the beginning of the semester, many students enter the classroom with hesitation. As deadlines loom and expectations become clearer, that initial uncertainty shifts into a different mindset.

“There is a very natural progression,” Kennedy. “At the beginning, it’s a little bit of anxiousness, but excitement. Then the new wears off and it’s like, ‘Oh, wow, we’ve got a lot of work to do.’ And then when they get on the other side of some of these big deadlines, it’s like, ‘Oh, actually, we did it.’”

That transformation is not accidental, Kennedy said. The Block is intentionally structured to push students beyond the comfort of traditional coursework, requiring them to manage multiple responsibilities while working within a team environment.

“It’s supposed to be hard,” Kennedy said. “College is supposed to be hard. It’s meant to be a challenging experience, but it’s also meant to be something that prepares students for the next step.”

For many students, that challenge reveals strengths they may not have recognized before. Meyers said the experience provides an environment where students can develop both technical abilities and essential professional skills simultaneously.

“The Block has allowed us to integrate the feedback from our alumni about some of the essential skills that students aren’t always taught, but they learn – problem solving, conflict management, time management and managing multiple priorities,” Meyers said.

The team-based model plays a significant role in that development. Students are required to collaborate across roles in writing, design, photography and digital strategy, contributing to a shared final product.

“I consider the Block to be an immersive, agency-like experience, where students work on a real-world project.” Fischer said.

For alumni, that experience often becomes one of the most valuable takeaways from their time in the program. Keni Lairy, a participant of the 2018 ACOM Block and now director of marketing and communications for the Montanna Stockgrowers Association, said the Block helped build both technical and professional skills that continue to shape her career.

“The Block instills so many valuable skills in its students,” Lairy said. “From soft skills like communication and leadership to technical skills like copy writing and graphic design, the Block covers all the skills a student looking to build a career in agricultural communications needs.”

Matthew Winterholler-Throckmorton, who participated in the 2019 ACOM Block and now serves as senior manager of farmer and board communications for Dairy MAX, said the experience helped connect the various components of communication into a cohesive, real-world application.

“One of the most important skills the Block allows students to learn is how all pieces of communication come together for a go-to-market campaign and whole story – writing, photography, videography, design, social media, advertising,” Winterholler-Throckmorton said. “We learn about each of these individual pieces throughout our college career, and the Block brings all of that together.”

He added that the experience also prepares students for the pace and expectations of the professional world.

“The Block pressure tests students for the workplace. It helps show students what it will be like to meet deadlines, manage leadership responsibilities and navigate team dynamics,” he said. “That experience helped ensure I was ready to hit the ground running when I started my career.”

Payton Priest, who served as editor of The Agriculturist during the 2019 Block and now works as associate director of development at the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine, said the experience reflects a professional work environment.

“Students operate as a true team, much like a professional business,” Priest said. “You learn to identify your teammates’ strengths and leverage those abilities to produce the strongest possible final product.”

That sense of connection is something students consistently carry with them after they graduate. Even in challenging semesters, students often leave with a shared understanding of what they accomplished together.

“The Block built a foundation of trust and teamwork with my fellow students,” Lairy said. “The experience is like no other, and I will have that bond with my classmates for the rest of my life.”

Faculty members say the combination of challenge and connection is what makes the experience meaningful.

“A lot of times, success is developing a new network with your classmates that you maybe have seen in classes, but you haven’t had a chance to get to know,” Meyers said.

Tangible Outcomes

While the Block is often remembered for the personal growth it demands from students, its influence extends far beyond the walls of AGED Room 116.

Irlbeck said the Block is designed to task students with producing work that reaches real audiences and supports industry partners. Coursework is thoughtfully coordinated by the Block faculty members. Students develop campaign strategies, produce editorial content, and collaborate with real-world businesses and organizations.

Irlbeck said connecting with real-world audiences is essential to the Block experience.

“We want students to understand their work has consequences,” Irlbeck said. “When they’re developing campaigns or selling advertisements, they’re representing not only themselves but the program and the college.”

One of the most visible outcomes of the Block is the production of The Agriculturist, a student-led publication that highlights research, industry trends and stories from across the Davis College community. Students assume roles like those found in professional media organizations, managing writing, coordinating photography and design, and meeting strict production deadlines.

Priest said the publication serves as both a learning tool and a platform for storytelling that connects the college to alumni, industry professionals and prospective students.

“The Agriculturist is a symbolic way to tie a bow on a student’s undergraduate journey,” Priest said. “It serves as a tangible representation of the countless skills students develop while pursuing their degree.”

Producing the magazine also requires students to work directly with advertising clients and community partners. Advertising sales not only fund the printing and mailing of the magazine, but Kennedy said the sales process also exposes students to the realities of client-focused work.

“It’s like running a small business,” Kennedy said. “There’s real money involved, and our reputation’s at stake.”

Hawkins said that level of responsibility requires students to communicate professionally, work effectively within a team and manage their roles in a fast-paced environment.

Faculty members said the collaborative nature of these projects also strengthens connections between the department and the broader agricultural communications industry. As students engage with businesses, organizations and media outlets, they contribute to a cycle of professional engagement that continues long after graduation.

Over time, that reciprocal relationship has helped position the Block as both an educational model and a point of connection between the university and the agricultural communications profession.

Through campaigns, magazine and other community partnerships, the experience continues to shape how students see their role as communicators, not only within the classroom, but within the industries and communities they serve.

10 Years Later

A decade after its introduction, the ACOM Block has become more than a coordinated semester of coursework. For many students and faculty, it represents a defining academic milestone, one that challenges participants to grow professionally while forming connections that extend well beyond graduation.

As the structure has evolved, so has its reputation. Meyers said what once felt unfamiliar to early groups is now recognized as a signature experience within the agricultural communications program.

“I believe students come into the Block now with a better understanding of what it will be,” Meyers said. “Certainly, there’s always some moments of anxiety or hesitancy, but I hope they have seen the success that former students have had through their Block experience.”

Over the past 10 years, Meyers said they have refined the Block’s structure to better reflect shifts in the communications industry. Advances in digital media, evolving audience expectations, and new accessibility standards have all influenced how coursework is delivered and how student projects are produced.

“We have always focused heavily in the Block on the power of visual storytelling, but we are always working to keep up with trends in design and visual storytelling to best fit our audiences and their needs,” Courtney Gibson, Ph.D., associate professor and instructor of the design course of the Block said.

Meyers said faculty continually evaluate how the model can best serve students preparing to enter an increasingly complex media landscape.

For alumni, that evolution reflects the program’s continued focus on preparing students for professional careers.

Beyond technical skill development, Meyers said the Block’s lasting impact often lies in the relationships it fosters. Students work closely with peers and instructors, forming professional networks and friendships that can influence career paths and personal growth.

“There’s this bonding experience that happens in the Block,” Meyers said. “Even if every moment wasn’t pleasant, they can say, ‘Oh my gosh, do you remember when?’”

Looking ahead, the agricultural communications faculty team continues to assess how to evolve the Block while maintaining its core purpose of preparing students for the demands of professional communication environments.

“Both the industry and students themselves are changing and we want to make sure we evolve with that,” Kennedy said.