by Jamie Brian The Greater Cleveland Chapter of PRSA will host its annual Student Day event at the Eaton Corporation headquarters in Beachwood on Nov. 7. Students are given the opportunity to listen to and network with industry professionals during the half-day program. The first session is a panel discussion with Cleveland-area professionals, including Vitamix Director of Communication Scott Tennant, Federal Reserve Bank VP of Public Affairs Iris Cumberbatch and Eaton Corporation Manager of External Affairs Ann Marie Halal. The forum will promote professional development. The second session will be interactive, focusing on personal branding, case studies and networking. Attending PRSA Student Day gives students the chance to network with local professionals and discover their public relations interest areas, PRSA Student Day Chair and PRKent alumna Katie Kennedy said. “We’re trying to focus on giving students a real-life perspective of the field,” Kennedy said. “Working in entertainment and sports PR are seen as the more glamorous jobs, but we also want to put emphasis on the other job opportunities available.” Approximately 80 students took advantage of the Student Day sessions in 2013, including five PRSSA Kent members. “I enjoyed meeting students from other local PRSSA Chapters,” PRSSA Kent President Meghan Caprez said. “It gives you a taste of National Conference at a local level because you get to meet people from schools like Cleveland State, Baldwin Wallace and Ohio University.” Students look forward to hearing the ever-changing topics of discussion and exchanging ideas with like-minded people, PRSA/PRSSA Kent Liaison and Immediate Past President Cindy Deng said. “Each year, the topics are always something new, yet still relevant to the main target audience: the students,” Deng said. PRSSA Kent officers encourage public relations students to attend from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to receive real-world advice from professionals. Those interested may purchase tickets for $25 on Eventbrite. The ticket price includes a continental breakfast and lunch.
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Local Chapter officers to discuss alumni relations success The Public Relations Student Society of America recently announced that the Kent State University Chapter of PRSSA will host a Chapter Development Session at its 2014 National Conference. PRSSA Kent President Meghan Caprez led the application effort for "The Alumni Matchmaker: Best Practices in Alumni Relations." “I'm really excited that our Chapter was selected to speak at National Conference this year,” Caprez said. “When Nationals announced that we would be presenting, I knew this was going to be a great way to kick off the 2014-2015 school year.” The session will detail PRSSA Kent’s successes with alumni involvement in current Chapter operations to ensure continuing success and a sustained organizational legacy. “I can't wait to play the matchmaker game with other PRSSA members,” Caprez said. “It's going to be a blast to see everyone guessing. We really want people to have fun while they learn in our Chapter Development Session.” Presenters from PRSSA Kent will teach session attendees how to discern which alumni can best help current Chapter members, the positive effect alumni relations can have on Chapter development and programming and the steps needed to keep in touch with recent and remote alumni. “I hope we can share our success in alumni relations and help others realize their own successes,” Caprez said. The Kent Chapter is currently expanding its alumni database. Alumni are encouraged to fill out the new web form to stay in touch with the Chapter. PRSSA Kent alumni take an active role posting both job applications and industry news in the Chapter’s Facebook group, becoming mentors inside and outside the classroom and meeting and connecting with current students. Alumni also play a vital role in the success of Communications Connection, the Chapter’s annual networking event. Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication honored PRSSA officers and members throughout its Student Success Week April 21-25. “I’m extremely impressed with the numerous achievements PRSSA Kent earned during Student Success Week,” PRSSA Kent President Cindy Deng said. “Being represented at the JMC Student Awards Ceremony, the Kappa Tau Alpha initiation and the JMC scholarship banquet was the cherry on top of a successful year thanks to our accomplished and dedicated members’ efforts.” Wednesday afternoon, JMC inducted three PRSSA members into the Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society. Kirsten Bowers, Meghan Caprez and Megan Corder each received a certificate of membership after exhibiting excellence in scholarship in journalism and mass communication. Each of the inductees is in the top 10 percent of her class. Immediately following the induction ceremony, JMC recognized PRSSA for receiving the October 2013 National Pacesetter Award. A certificate was awarded to Chapter President Cindy Deng for submitting PRSSA Kent’s application. Additionally, Bateman Gold Team members were recognized for receiving an honorable mention in the 2014 Bateman Case Study Competition. Team members include: Meghan Caprez, Marcus Donaldson, Hannah Hamner, Julie Myers and Abigail Prulhiere. That evening, PRSSA hosted its final meeting of the 2013-2014 school year, presenting awards to its most active members, dedicated officers and graduating seniors. Erin England, Casey Braun and Hanna Moore, all of whom will return to PRSSA as officers for the 2014-2015 school year, were recognized for receiving the most membership points throughout the semester. England, the top point earner, received free membership, donated by PRSSA Kent alumnus Rodger Roeser. Finally, PRSSA Kent members received scholarships from JMC at the school’s Scholarship and Award Ceremony April 24. PRSSA members received the following awards: Cindy Deng - Ralph C. Darrow Scholarship Michael Lopick - JMC Alumni Council Legacy Scholarship Gabrielle Woodard - King Family Award Matt Gilkerson - Paul Ashby Lewis Award Meghan Caprez - E. Zoe McCathrin Public Relations Scholarship Julie Myers - David A. Meeker Scholarship Amanda Knauer - PRSSA Fellowship Award Erin England and Helen Steward - Ludel B. Sauvageot Scholarship Abby Prulhiere - William Taylor Scholarship Hanna Moore - Jeffrey D. Fruit Book Award Kent State University’s Bateman Gold Team received national recognition in PRSSA’s Bateman Case Study Competition. The Bateman Gold Team - composed of seniors Hannah Hamner, Julie Myers, Abby Prulhiere and Meghan Caprez and junior Marcus Donaldson - was one of 11 teams out of 51 that received an honorable mention in the competition. Bateman is an annual national PRSSA challenge to create, implement and evaluate a public relations plan. Each year, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication faculty selects 10 public relations students to create two teams that participate in the invite-only competition. This year, the Bateman Gold Team engaged students at campus-wide events through its P(L)AY UP campaign, increasing awareness and usage of its client Popmoney®, a money transferring service. “We had a lot of fun with the P(L)AY UP campaign,” Caprez said. “Our active approach was really well-received during our research period, and we put that research to work during implementation. I think our research is what really set us apart.” The competition gave the students a chance to utilize the skills they learn inside the classroom to create a successful campaign outside the classroom, preparing them for their careers after graduation. “My involvement in Bateman has already proven to be beneficial,” Hamner said. “We had to actually implement a campaign with real people and a real budget, while projects in our other classes are hypothetical. Bateman gave my team and I a chance to use the skills we’ve gained throughout college to create a unique campaign that attracted national attention. I am confident my involvement with Bateman will make me stand out when applying for positions after graduation.” This is the third time Kent State University has received national recognition in the competition. The Bateman Blue Team won second place in the 2013 competition. “I’m really proud that we can add to the legacy the Bateman Blue Team jumpstarted last year,” Caprez said. “It’s really a testament to Kent’s PR program that we keep placing, and I have no doubt next year’s team will continue that legacy.” Last week, the Akron Area Chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Cindy Deng, a senior public relations major at Kent State University, from funds raised at its award-winning YouToo Social Media Conference. YouToo Scholarship applicants must be full-time students majoring in public relations or communication and currently attending Kent State University, a member in good standing of the Kent State chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and serving in some capacity to help prepare for the YouToo Social Media Conference, which is held at Kent State each April. A committee of professional judges review applications and rank candidates based on the following criteria: · 30 percent on participation in PRSSA or other extracurricular activities · 30 percent on overall quality of writing and presentation samples · 20 percent on grades in the major · 10 percent on classes taken in the major · 10 percent on faculty recommendations Deng’s dedication and hard work in the field of public relations has brought her many great opportunities and honors. She served as PRSSA Intercampus Liaison for the 2012-2013 school year and is currently the PRSSA president for the 2013-2014 school year. Deng was also invited to participate in the 2013 PRSSA Bateman Case Study competition where she and four other PRSSA members developed an anti-bullying campaign at a local secondary school. This February Deng was awarded the David L. Stashower-Marcus Thomas, LLC, Rising Star Internship Award by the American Advertising Federation-Cleveland Education Foundation. In addition to her PRSSA involvement, Deng served as a mentor for the Provost’s Leadership Academy where she guided and assisted freshmen members in developing a research project they can present to the provost and then develop and implement on campus. She has also interned at Felber PR & Marketing, a PR and marketing firm in Twinsburg and worked as a communications assistant for University Libraries at Kent State University. Deng’s interest in PR stemmed from her admiration for journalism in high school where she was a reporter and editor of an award-winning school newspaper, The Orbiter. |
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