In a marketing practicum course, Beloit College students set out to tackle one of the most common but difficult challenges on any small college campus: to increase student connection and campus spirit. And to do so by designing and marketing a campus event that would appeal to a diverse student population (outdoors in the middle of winter, no less!). The result was Last Call, an extraordinary event that brought the campus together to celebrate the end of the semester—and each other. Led by two Executives-in-Residence, the students applied marketing principles to design an experience that became the talk of the campus and one that won’t soon be forgotten.
A Beloit College marketing course not only turned students into a professional marketing team but also produced results that brought more than half the campus together for one of the most memorable, fun, and impactful events in recent memory.
The marketing practicum, led by two Executives-in-Residence — David Rhoades ’94 and Matt Laszlo ’92 — gave students an immersive opportunity to apply marketing principles to a real-world project.
The class took on a mission to increase student connection and campus spirit, ultimately creating Last Call, an innovative end-of-semester event that became the talk of the campus. After reviewing principles of marketing in class — consumer profiles, research, insight mining, customer experience, marketing planning and execution, among others — students brought the concepts to life in a semester-long project. The class approached the project like a professional marketing firm, with the Student Life division as the client, and Beloit College students as the customers.
The students’ marketing strategy was anything but traditional. They leveraged social media with a strategic, mystery-filled approach. They created Instagram content that was raw and edgy, with multiple posts generating, on average, around 3,000 views, designed to provoke curiosity and intrigue among students. They used influencer-style marketing techniques that created offline buzz. After the first teaser, students started to take notice, and curiosity grew. Students in the marketing practicum shared only small pieces of additional information — just enough to keep people interested and guessing. Different groups of students were given different details to keep the conversation going and the mystery alive. A Last Call branded tumbler found its way onto the desk of a beloved faculty member, prompting additional chatter and intrigue.
The event itself was a carefully crafted, choreographed experience. It started with the Late Night Pancake Breakfast, a tradition hosted by Residential Life, which this year underwent a retro twist with a return to Commons in Chapin Hall (closed since December 2024). The location itself was a draw, and they added festive holiday music and custom sticker giveaways. Before the event started, a line of nearly 200 students formed, winding outside far beyond the building.
After the pancakes, the party moved to The Wall and kicked off with a tree-lighting ceremony, followed by a student D.J. competition. Four student acts played 25-minute sets. The winner, Donaldo Robelo ’27, was awarded the Last Call chain to commemorate the victory, which was determined by audience cheering.
Throughout the event, students were engaged in the Buc Band Swap. Each student received four identical wristbands and was challenged to trade with other attendees until they had four different bands, which then qualified them for giveaways from Duluth Trading Company. Most importantly, the Buc Band Swap gave students a fun, interactive, risk-free way to meet people they did not know. The idea was developed by Anika Waldron ’26 and Zona Evans ’26, who theorized that the Buc Band Swap would be recognized positively by students as an activity common in concert/rave culture.
The fun and creativity didn’t stop there. A special app let party-goers upload photos to a giant outdoor projection screen. Students also enjoyed custom-branded drinks, Last Call tumblers, and late-night tacos from a local vendor.
The results were extraordinary. Nearly 600 students attended Last Call, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive:
“Best event I’ve ever attended at Beloit College by far.”
“Please tell me we will do this again every semester.”
“Please make this a tradition.”
“Everyone needs to experience this.”
“This is, quite literally, the most fun I’ve had on campus.”
The marketing practicum was more than a class — it was a transformative experience. Students described it as a real-world job simulation, one of their most memorable college experiences, and an opportunity to develop professional marketing skills. Comments from students in the class were glowing:
“I’m so grateful to have been a part of this and will remember this experience for the rest of my life!”
“When I look back at my college experience in the future, Last Call will be one of the first memories to come to mind.”
“Thank you for the best class and the best experience I have ever had in my life!”
Christian Moore ’27, a political science major and marketing minor, enrolled in the course after taking Introduction to Marketing with Matt Laszlo. “I fell in love with Matt and his teaching style,” Christian shared. “He was candid with us, while also teaching how to navigate workplace environments. I wanted to dive deeper into that world.”
Executives-in-Residence David Rhoades and Matt Laszlo brought decades of marketing experience to create a truly innovative learning environment throughout the marketing practicum. Their approach emphasized practical, real-world application, empowering students, and developing leadership skills and demonstrated how academic study put into practice can create meaningful student experiences that extend far beyond traditional classroom boundaries.
The success of Last Call in December has Laszlo, Rhoades, and Dean of Students Ron Watson collaborating further to make the experience an end-of-semester tradition. “For those of us who worked closely on Last Call, it is clear this event is exactly what students have been longing for,” explains Laszlo.
“The vision moving forward is to continue taking it up a notch and, ideally, use the event to bring alumni back to connect with current students, driving an even deeper sense of community and belonging for all of us. We will do the market research, but our current belief is there are plenty of alumni who would love to ‘run it back’ and relive a Wall party.”
About the instructors
David Rhoades ’94 brings 20 years of global marketing experience from industry leaders such as The Kellogg Company and Dawn Foods. As a proven marketing and business-transformation executive, he has successfully launched innovations and rejuvenated brands across both start-ups and established companies. His career is defined by strategic vision and team leadership that translates insights into opportunities. Rhoades returned to Beloit College as an Executive-in-Residence to share his expertise and help students develop the entrepreneurial skills that defined his professional journey.
Matt Laszlo ’92 is a former C-Suite Executive who transitioned from leading Fortune 500 companies to becoming an executive coach and educator. With 25+ years of business experience spanning global consumer companies and small commercial organizations, he has led teams ranging from small groups to 1,000-person functions. After retiring from his senior executive role at Clorox in 2019, Laszlo founded an executive coaching business focused on helping leaders develop authentic and effective leadership styles. His passion for mentorship and leadership development drives his commitment to guiding the next generation of business professionals.
Read more about Beloit College Executives-in-Residence.
January 25, 2026
Share:
Matt Laszlo, David Rhoades, and students in the Marketing Practicum class gathered at the Wall to celebrate Last Call.
Related Stories
