"The way I see it, a problem is just an opportunity to pull the team together," says Nelle Stahura, a communications and advertising major at RMU. "One time in crew practice, for instance, we were just rowing along when the weight shifted. Suddenly we capsized, and ended up in the water. But at least we went in as a team."

Or take the group project Nelle tackled for an Advertising Communications Strategy class. The assignment: to develop a marketing strategy for a major radio station that would expand the station's demographic reach. The approach: "Just like in crew, our group learned to pool our strengths—and we rallied to make a great presentation in front of the station's executives."

Nelle continued to home her communication and team-building skills in several professional internships, and after graduation she landed a job with the ad firm McCann-Erikson Worldwide in New York City. "I love their accounts—especially Verizon and MasterCard," she says. "I want to work in advertising, and I want to learn from the best."

Asked to describe her RMU education, Nelle sums it up in a word: "Priceless."