PRSSA Seeks To Prepare Students For Post-College Life
By Xuan Huynh
Lemke Ledger Staff
Gearing up for the real world can be a daunting task for graduating seniors.
The UA chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America is getting more involved this year in students’ lives and community efforts in hopes of helping students better prepare for the work force.
“We hope to help PR majors figure out what to do after they graduate,” PRSSA vice president Casey Woodard said.
The student chapter has started a job-shadowing program with cooperation from the Public Relations Society of America. The national organization invited the UA chapter to visit for a day. It presented networking opportunities among professionals and prospective students. There are 22,000 PRSA members and 10,000 PRSSA members nationwide, according to the PRSA Web site.
Besides providing a job-shadowing program, the UA chapter is helping students find internships and revise résumés. During unsettled economic times with a bleak job outlook, the organization wanted to help students be as prepared as possible.
In April, PRSSA took its annual trip to Dallas, which usually consists of visits to nonprofit organizations, PR firms, and sports teams. While there, the students visited the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Cowboys. They talked to members of the organizations' PR departments to get a better look at the different facets of public relations.
“It’s nice to sit down with these people. You learn about them; they learn about you. You get to make contacts. See what they do. Have them answer questions,” said Woodard, a senior from Mesquite, Texas. “It’s really nice to see what they’re doing because a lot of times we don’t know exactly what we want to do.”
The Northwest Arkansas community offers students real-life applications as well. The UA chapter plans to be involved with the American Cancer Society’s annual gala in July for the second consecutive year.
Members of the UA chapter helped with the promotional aspects of the event last year, providing hands-on experience for students. They put up posters designed by ACS, wrote press releases on the gala and designed the programs distributed to the guests. On the day of the gala, PRSSA members decorated the entranceway and sat attendees in their chairs, exercising creativity and networking ability.
PRSSA’s mission is to serve its members by enhancing their knowledge of public relations and providing access to professional development opportunities and to serve the public relations profession by helping to develop highly qualified, well-prepared professionals.