Amanda Cooper Fine recognized for outstanding contributions to the Honors College

Amanda Cooper Fine, a principal lecturer in marketing, was recently recognized for her outstanding contributions to the Clemson University Honors College with the Douglas W. Bradbury Award.

The award is presented every spring during the Honors awards ceremony for graduating students. Candidates are nominated by Honors students, faculty, department chairs or other administrators and the recipient is selected by a committee with representatives from every college.

Professor Fine is lauded by students for her expertise, her deep commitment to their success both inside and outside the classroom and her inclusive and engaged pedagogy. I am thrilled to recognize her with this well-earned award.

SARAH WINSLOW, DEAN, Clemson University HONORS COLLEGE

Fine, a sports marketing expert with experience working for the Braves, Hawks and Thrashers in Atlanta, earned her MBA and Master of Science in marketing from Clemson in 2008. She’s been teaching marketing and has supervised dozens of Honors contracts for students ever since.

Professor Fine’s commitment to her students and to excellence in teaching is second to none, and the Department of Marketing is fortunate to have her as part of our faculty. I am pleased to see this honor bestowed on her, but I definitely am not surprised.

JENNIFER SIEMENS, DEPARTMENT CHAIR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING, WILBUR O. AND ANN POWERS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Fine is also an Honors application reviewer, hosts academic showcase meetings for potential scholars and chairs her department’s Honors committee. Fine’s mentorship and commitment to the development of the University’s National Scholars earned her an award of distinction from the program in 2018.

However, she is perhaps most well-known among Honors students for teaching the popular “Who Decides What’s Cool?” seminar each fall.   

The seminar combines theory and research from marketing, behavioral economics, psychology and related fields with real-world applications to examine how brands and products spread through markets.

Fine’s course is always the first Honors seminar to fill when registration opens, with former student Amanda Mikus (’22) comparing the rush to get a seat with competing in the Hunger Games.

Mikus, who graduated with a marketing degree, said she had never been in a class with such strong student-teacher interaction.

“Her seminar was structured for us to come to class having read or watched the material assigned so we could spend the entire class discussing and debating ideas,” said Mikus. “We were encouraged to not just bring up points of interest from the material, but also to connect that information to other things we have learned in other classes and our personal lives.”

Having students from different majors in the seminar also expanded the scope of the discussion, Mikus added, and helped them connect the material to what they were learning in other classes.

“The content in this course, which was not specifically marketing, was the class that I learned the most about effective marketing,” continued Mikus. “Many of my marketing classes teach you the ways to market to customers, but this class helped me learn why these tactics actually worked.”

Delaney O’Tuel (’23), who majored in sport communication and marketing, said that she, too, appreciated the seminar’s discussion-based format, which allowed students to help drive the conversation and better explore relatable examples.

Both students were particularly impressed by Fine’s interest in their well-being outside of the classroom. O’Tuel said that Fine would regularly send out internships or jobs they should look into and connections that could be helpful for them to make. She also often asked about their lives.  

“She remembers things you tell her, asks about our personal life, and wants what’s best for you. She also gives everyone a voice in class and makes sure everyone has a chance to talk,” said O’Tuel. “Professor Fine does a lot for the department and business school and is also always trying to make connections for students.”