New president, faculty advisor lead PRSSA rebrand
Radford University’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is undergoing a rebranding process.
Newly elected PRSSA President Hannah Shouse is working with faculty advisor Kathleen Degnon to bolster PRSSA’s presence at Radford University.
Students in PRSSA can participate in a variety of events and professional development opportunities, including parent organization Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) events. Radford's PRSSA chapter is attending the national PRSA conference Oct. 6-10.
“Networking is what this profession is all about,” Shouse said.
To help meet that goal, PRSSA will be hosting workshops, at which working professionals in the field will talk and work with students. Two of the topics for upcoming workshops are ethics and diversity in public relations.
“In addition to these topics, we’re going to provide students with skill workshops so they can become multi-faceted students,” she said. “That’s what PRSSA is offering – we want them to have different skills. Not just being able to effectively communicate, but also learn to work in teams. You will always have to work with other people during a career.”
Left to right: Savannah Frazier, public relations coordinator; Briana Bittner, special events coordinator; Hannah Shouse, president; Clare McMurry, vice president; Grace Milauskas, secretary; and Shania Williams, treasurer.
In addition to hosting workshops, the Radford PRSSA chapter will also be doing community service and will work with the Bobcat Backpacks Program each week. Through continued involvement on campus and in the community, Shouse said she hopes that the students and faculty will notice PRSSA changing.
“We’re going to be working with other organizations on campus, such as working with RadAD and the journalism club,” Shouse said. “We’re all in the same college together – let’s work together as well. It’s a great way to give public relations students an opportunity to work outside of the classroom.”
Shouse said that student participation in PRSSA will help public relations and communications students meet potential employers.
“When you make a commitment to something while in school, it grabs an employer’s attention. PRSSA and PRSA are national organizations that can help many people get a job,” Shouse said. “That’s what we all want – to get a job after graduation.”