ADVANCING THE PROFESSION AND THE FUTURE PROFESSIONAL
SPRING 2016
VOL. 48, ISSUE 3
www.prssa.prsa.org/FORUM
What Type of
Person Do You
Want to Be?
FROM THE
PRESIDENT’S
DESK
BY LAURA
DARONATSY
PRSSA NATIONAL
PRESIDENT
“What type of professional do you want to be?” This
is a question you’ll face a lot
as you get ready to graduate.
Even more important is this
question, “What type of person do you want to be?”
As public relations pre-professionals — especially those
in PRSSA — it’s easy for us to
focus on our professional goals
while in college. It seems like
everyone I meet in PRSSA
has some amazing experience
or great dream for what they’ll
do when they’re out in the real
world. This makes sense because college is, by definition,
an intellectual and professional training ground. However,
it’s also a fitting time to reflect
and grow personally.
For most students, college is
the first time living and making life decisions on their own.
College is a chance to step
back and objectively think
about what you truly believe.
Ask yourself: what are you
doing now to refine yourself ?
Try not to focus only on your
professional skills, but also
your character, your values,
your soul.
As graduation approaches,
I’d like to challenge you to
move beyond thinking only
about what you want to do
and into thinking about who
you want to be. Below are
some practical tips for this
type of soul searching.
Think critically about what
you’ve been taught.
When it comes to considering the globalized world
we live in, it’s important we
develop a framework for understanding our personal
biases and where they come
from. What makes you think
SEE REFLECT, PAGE 3
OPEN
FORUM
4
Welcome to the Crossroads
National Conference Committee members (left to right) Reagan Van Cleave, Natalie Wichern, Katie Ronzio and Hannah Riffle, wave checkered
flags to signal the start of Conference planning in front of the Indiana Statehouse.
BY HANNAH RIFFLE
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
In October, around 1,000 PRSSA members will gather in Indianapolis, the “Crossroads of Public
Relations,” for the PRSSA 2016
National Conference. Will you be
one of them?
As soon as last year’s National Conference concluded, the
National Conference Committee
from Ball State University and
University of Indianapolis revved
up its planning engine. Here is
what has happened so far:
Staff from PRSSA Headquarters joined the Conference
Committee at the Indianapolis
Marriott Downtown, the Conference host hotel, to explore
the venue.
The PRSA Hoosier Chapter
and the Conference Committee
initiated an ongoing conversation
to plan networking opportunities between professionals at the
PRSA 2016 International Conference and PRSSA Conference
attendees.
Diverse session topics were chosen to educate and inspire students
with varied interests and goals
including: “Crises in the Crossroads,” “Blogging Rules to Follow
and Break,” “Passion Over Paycheck,” “Work-it: Fashion Public
Relations,” “Become One of the
‘40 under 40’,” “Stars of the Midwest” and more. Speakers were invited to share their knowledge and
experience with future industry
professionals.
The Conference Opening
Night Celebration theme was
chosen. Get ready to socialize at
“The PRSSA 500.” Stay tuned on
social media for Conference planning updates.
Aside from all of the Conference events, make sure to include
some time in your schedule to explore Indianapolis. Do not miss
these unique “Indy” attractions
within walking distance of the
Conference hotel:
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
at Monument Circle
View the Monument from the
surrounding stores and restaurants or walk 330 steps to the
observation level for free. For just
two dollars, you can take the elevator to step 290. From the observation level, you will see the
Conference hotel, Lucas Oil
Stadium, Eli Lilly and other
Indianapolis landmarks.
Indianapolis Cultural Trail
The 8-mile bike and pedestrian
trail will take you where you need
to go in the city. If you do not
have a destination in mind, hop
on the trail and you are sure to
find top-notch fun.
Mass Avenue
This cultural district has something to entertain many areas of
interest, and you can get there
via the Cultural Trail. While on
Mass Avenue, visit Silver in the
City, Homespun, BRU Burger
and Sub Zero Ice Cream.
SEE INDY, PAGE 11
Online Preparatory Course To Be Launched for Certificate Program
BY TINA MCCORKINDALE, PH.D., APR
PRSSA NATIONAL FACULTY ADVISER
This summer, the Universal
Accreditation Board (UAB) and
PRSA Educators Academy will
release an online video preparatory course for students who want
to obtain the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations. The
Certificate in Principles of Public
Relations is an entry-level certificate designed to demonstrate
a fundamental level of knowledge for graduates entering the
public relations profession and
related fields. Previously, one of
the requirements for students to
be eligible to take the Certificate
examination was a preparation
NATIONAL COMMITTEE
Meet the incoming PRSSA 2016–
2017 National Committee who
were elected in Austin at National
Assembly.
course that had to be taught by
a university or local UAB participating organization (such as
PRSA, Florida Public Relations
Association and Southern Public
Relations Federation).
Students will still be required
to take a preparatory course, but
now have the option of taking the
online video preparation instead
of an in-person course. The online video preparation course offers a series of video lectures by
experienced educators, followed
by quizzes to test the student’s
knowledge of the study material.
In addition to completing a
9
BUSINESS 101
“The Certificate gives students
and graduates an advantage in a