KU PRSSA

PRSSA minutes from April 17, 2007

2007-04-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

At the meeting last night, we held our 2007-2008 PRSSA officer elections. So, just to keep this brief, all I will post tonight are our results from the election.
President: Joni Hammer
Vice President: Courtney Donahue
Treasurer: Hannah Hartman-Frost
Secretary: Mitchell Voth
Member Relations: Rachel Kraushaar
Professional Development Director: Jack Connor
Director of Jayhawk Communications: Megan Penrod
Assistant Director of Jayhawk Communications: Rachel Seliger

Thank you very much to all of our outgoing officers. This has been a great year and I have really enjoyed working with all of you! I am very excited about the upcoming PRSSA year! I know we have a great group of incoming officers and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone! If anyone has any questions regarding PRSSA or our new officers, please feel free to e-mail me at Joniann@gmail.com.

PRSSA minutes from March 6th, 2007

2007-03-08T19:24:00.000-06:00

Hello again!
The PRSSA meeting on Tuesday, March 6th was all about Freelance PR. Megan Neher, a freelance PR professional working in Overland Park, was the guest speaker for the night and explained what it was like to work in Freelance PR. She also gave us her top 10 list of helpful tips for students getting into public relations.

Coming up on Friday, March 23rd- we planned a Public Relations Agency Crawl in the Kansas City/Overland Park area. We will be touring four major PR companies, including Fleishman-Hillard. There, we will be learning more about each company and what it is like to work for that company. If you are interested in joining us for the agency crawl, please e-mail either Jarrod Morgenstern (jarrodm@ku.edu) or myself (joniann@gmail.com). Hope to hear from you!

Otherwise, we will see all of you once we get back from Spring Break. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, April 3rd and the topic will be entertainment public relations.

Have a great Spring Break!

PRSSA minutes from February 6, 2007

2007-02-06T21:21:00.000-06:00

Welcome back everyone! The first PRSSA meeting of the year was all about PR 2.0! Tonight our president, Jarrod Morgenstern, gave the presentation: "Blogging, Social Networking & RSS Syndication-- Oh my!" In his presentation, Jarrod explained that PR 2.0 comes from the term Web 2.0 and offers a new way to manage relationships with your publics. It includes blogs, podcasts, viral videos and social networks, such as: Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Bloglines, Skype, Wikipidia and many others. He also discussed the endless possibilities that PR 2.0 has to offer and its growing popularity among the nation and world. PR 2.0 is an excellent example of two-way communication, involving both input and output. Another topic that was brought up was RSS, or Real Simple Syndication. RSS enables blogs, podcasts and video to be syndicated with one click. It feeds to Web sites, personal portals, feed readers and more. RSS allows users to "pull" and search only the news they want to store and only what they need. Social Networking and several types of new multimedia were also discussed tonight. Once his presentation was over, Jarrod gave everyone an in-depth and very informative demonstration of everything he explained in the meeting. Overall, this presentation provided an excellent introduction to the world of multimedia and Web 2.0. For those of you that are interested in learning more information in regards to PR 2.0, feel free to contact Jarrod at jarrod.morgenstern@gmail.com.

Thanks again to everyone that was in attendance for our first PRSSA meeting of the spring semester! Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 20th at 7:00 in Stauffer-Flint 206. As always, there will be FREE PIZZA!!! Hope to see you all there!

First meeting of the year

2007-01-28T12:44:00.000-06:00

Topic: Blogging

Our very own president, Jarrod Morgenstern, will lead a discussion surrounding the current issues of on-line blogging and web 2.0

Tuesday Feb. 6, 2007
206 Stauffer Flint
7p.m (J-comms meets at 6:30p.m.)

Free pizza will be provided
Any questions: contact us at prssa@ku.edu

2006-12-04T11:37:00.000-06:00

PRSSA Meeting
Crisis Communications
Tomorrow
Tuesday December 5, 2006

7p.m. (J-comms at 6:30p.m.)

2092 Dole
It's the last meeting of the semester and it should be a good one, so be sure to come!
Speakers from Fleishman- Hillard

Dan Wilisnky Senior Vice President and partner Ed Mattix APR, Senior Vice President

-Wilinsky was previously the Director of Marketing for Sprint

Fleishman-Hillard Inc. offers strategic communications counsel to local, national, and international clients.

Founded 60 years ago,

the firm currently operates throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, and South Africa.

Fleishman-Hillard is part of Omnicom Group Inc., a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.

And as always... FREE PIZZA!
prssa@ku.edu

PRSSA Minutes from Nov. 14, 2006

2006-11-14T22:20:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!
Tonight the PRSSA meeting featured Josh Dysart as the guest speaker. Dysart is the Director of Communications at VML, an interactive marketing company in Kansas City, MO. Founded in 1992, VML is now considered one of the world's leading marketing technology companies with more than 500 employees working all over the world. In 2005, VML placed in the top 50 interactive agencies in the world by Adweek. It was also recognized in 2005 as a Strong Performer in the Forrester Wave. VML has received numerous other prestious awards and nominations. Dysart is a 2003 KU graduate from The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication. While at KU, Dysart was Promotions Director of Rock Chalk Revue, he interned at Sprint the summer before his senior year, after graduation he worked as an intern at Callahan Creek and then worked in the PR department at GlynnDevins Senior Living facility for a year and a half. Now at VML, Dysart does marketing for the company as well as representing VML in the best way that he can. He does a lot of online marketing for clients such as Burger King, Colgate, Sprint, Sears, AMC Theatres and many more. Dysart gave PRSSA members information about what it was like working for VML, as well as offering beneficial advice to all.

For those of you who did not know, the officers of PRSSA just returned tonight before the meeting, from a National PRSSA Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the conference, we attended numerous sessions that featured public relations professionals from prestigious PR firms all over the country, many, with branches in countries from all over the world. We've gained a lot of insight from these speakers and the conference, as a whole. We have a lot of great ideas for PRSSA and can't wait to share them with all of you! We can assure you that next semester, PRSSA will offer many more opportunities for member interaction and we will continue to grow as an outstanding, and highly recognized organization on this campus. If any of you have any questions about PRSSA or any suggestions as to what you would like to see PRSSA do differently, please feel free to email me at Joniann@ku.edu. I would appreciate any feedback!
Thanks everybody and have a great week!
Joni Hammer

PRSSA MEETING

2006-11-13T14:22:00.000-06:00

Tuesday November 14, 2006
Integrated Advertising / PR
7 p.m. (j-comms at 6:30)
2092 DOLE
Josh Dysart from VML
FREE PIZZA

PRSSA minutes from Oct. 30, 2006

2006-11-01T13:12:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!
At our last meeting on Monday, Oct. 30th, we had a very informational and well-rounded speaker share his journalism experience with us. Art Menke, from Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP, one of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the Great Plains area, spoke to PRSSA members about his journalism experience, working as the public relations manager for a top law firm, and offered us a little advice of his own. Mr. Menke has written for several magazines, he organized a successful high school sports web site for ESPN, he has received numerous awards for the magazine that he launched for a non-profit company and he worked for another very prestigious law firm in Chicago as their public relations manager before moving to New York to work for Shook, Hardy & Bacon. He just recently was transferred to their Overland Park branch. Mr. Menke graduated from the University of Iowa and majored in Theater. Shook, Hardy & Bacon is one of the biggest defenders of tobacco and pharmaceutical companies, so this can make his job as public relations manager a little interesting at times. We would like to thank Mr. Menke immensely for coming to KU to speak to PRSSA. His well-rounded journalism career and seasoned professional advice to students was very interesting and beneficial. Our next PRSSA meeting will be on Tuesday, Nov. 14th at 7:00 in Dole 2092. The topic will be Integrated Marketing and our guest speaker will be Josh Dysart, from VML. As always, FREE PIZZA! Hope to see you all there!

Upcoming Events

2006-10-30T14:41:00.000-06:00

Hello PRSSAers.... Here is what's coming up for all you journalists and strategic communicators.

Nov. 1: Richard Ben Cramer, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of “What It Takes: The Way to the White House,” a book about the 1988 presidential election and the character of presidential candidates, 7:30 p.m., Dole Institute of Politics.

Nov. 9: Edward Humes, author of “Over Here, the GI Bill,” and a Pulitzer Prize winner, will discuss the sweeping impact of the GI Bill, 7:30 p.m., Dole Institute.

Nov. 16: The Internship Fair, sponsored by University Career Center, will take place on Thursday, November 16 in the Relays and Courtside Rooms of the Burge Union. The fair begins at 3:30 pm with an Intern Panel. The panel consists of a small group of students who will share past internship experiences and participate in a Q&A session. The actual informational fair (students meet with employers) runs from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Students are expected to wear professional dress and bring a resume. A current list of attending employers and organizations can be found at: https://ku-csm.symplicity.com/events/students.php?cf=intfair06.

If anyone else knows any interesting events happening around campus, please feel free to post. Hope to see everyone tonight!

Former ESPN Rep will speak on MONDAY

2006-10-27T18:45:00.000-05:00

PRSSA MEETING ON MONDAY
Online Sports Marketing/ PR for ESPN
Former ESPN Rep. will speak
MONDAY Oct. 30th, 2006
*the meeting is on Monday because Halloween is on Tuesday!
7p.m. (J-Comms at 6:15p.m.)
Resource/Reading Room - 210 Stauffer Flint

FREE PIZZA

PRSSA Minutes

2006-10-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

The following PRSSA minutes were taken at the meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006 in the reading room of Stauffer-Flint. The topic was non-profit public relations organizations. For our guest speaker, we brought in Peggy Wallert and her assistant Erin Roberts from Cottonwood, Inc. here in Lawrence. Peggy Wallert has been the Director of Community Relations/Development since 1999. Wallert is the chief spokesperson for the agency and works closely with the media and members of the community, as well as deals with crisis communication situations. Wallert also oversees all fundraising events and directs the Cottonwood Foundation. She is from Salina, KS and received her Master's in Special Education from KU in 2001. Erin Roberts is a recent KU School of Journalism graduate and serves as Peggy's assistant.
Peggy and Erin discussed the purpose of Cottonwood, Inc. and described the various assistance and services they provide to individuals with physical disabilities in the surrounding Douglas and Jefferson counties. She also explained the purpose of the Cottonwood Foundation and the two big fundraisers that Cottonwood holds annually.
It was a very informational meeting and we are so thankful that both Peggy and Erin took the time out of their busy schedules to speak to our organization! Our next PRSSA meeting will be on Monday, Oct. 30th. The location will be announced at a later date. Hope to see you there!

Mentors and Pizza

2006-10-22T13:53:00.000-05:00

Journalism students-
Please join us at one of the upcoming Mentoring And Pizza “MAP” sessions on Tuesday, October 24, and Wednesday, October 25, from 5-7 p.m. in the Journalism Resource Center (2nd floor of Stauffer-Flint).

The events are informal. JUST STOP BY ANY TIME either night to chat with your faculty mentors and other journalism professors about electives, study abroad and your career path options. Don't miss this excellent opportunity for one-on-one faculty mentoring.

FREE PIZZA WILL BE SERVED!

All journalism students are assigned a faculty mentor. If you have forgotten your mentor's name, check your admission letter or stop by the Advising and Records Office in 201 Stauffer-Flint. Your mentors will e-mail you soon. You can also contact them directly to set up an appointment.
See you there!
- Jennifer Kinnard
Communications Coordinator KU School of Journalism

2006 Internship Fair

2006-10-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

The University Career Center is hosting the 2006 Internship Fair on Thursday, November 16th from 3:30-6:30 pm. The event will be held in the Burge Union. The Internship Fair provides a chance for you to meet with local and national company representatives to learn about what opportunities and internships are available. Students should bring copies of your resume and dress in business attire. The event is open to students of all disciplines who are interested in gaining work experiences in a desired field of study.

The event begins with an Intern Panel Discussion from 3:30-4:30 pm. During this time you can listen to previous and current interns speak about making the most of an internship experience. At the end of the discussion there will be time for a question and answer session.
The Internship Fair will run from 4:30-6:30 pm. Students will meet with representatives from various organizations at this time.

A list of participating companies can be found on the UCC website (www.ucc.ku.edu) under Career Fairs by choosing the Internship Fair link.

2006-10-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

Greetings Strategic Communications Students,Here are two upcoming events you'll want to attend.

1. Ad Club Career Day is Friday, November 10
The Ad Club is now accepting registrations for Career Day 2006. This day-long event is geared to college students studying advertising, marketing, public relations, design, and other related fields and is also open to faculty. Student participants will select from 17 session topics to learn what professionals in each field really do in their careers and how to prepare for such jobs. The day includes an offering of light breakfast selections and a full lunch.

When: Friday, November 10; 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (optional portfolio review immediately following.)
Where: Colonial Presbyterian Church, 9500 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri

Student Registration: $30 (includes lunch). Registration deadline is November 1st. No refunds for cancellations will be issued after November 8. Register online at kcadclub.com. If you have questions, call 816.822.0300 or e-mail Rachel Hack at rachel@kcadclub.com.

2. Public Relations Society of America Career Day is Friday, November 3
Get a Real World Glimpse at Public Relations in Kansas City. Make plans now to join the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for a real-world look at public relations in the Kansas City market.What: “The Ticket to your Future” – Full Admission to Learn and Prepare for a Successful Public Relations Career
When: Friday, November 3, 2006 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where: Kansas City Public Library – Central (downtown) 14 West 10th Street Kansas City, Mo.
Why: Learn the skills you need to get your first public relations job, gain insights from top Kansas City media contacts and PR professionals, and be the first to know about local internships and job opportunities!

The day includes: * Networking, networking, networking * Internship Fair * Resume review * “Day in the Life” panel * An inspiring keynote speaker * Hands-on workshop on how to write media pitches, news releases, Web site content and corporate newsletters under the mentorship of seasoned PR pros * Writing Contest (contact Patty Noland for details; Pnoland@ku.edu) due by Oct. 23 *Announcement of the GKC PRSA Writing Contest winner (who will receive a two-week internship)

Cost: $40 (includes lunch) Questions? Contact Renee Robinson at (816) 460-3027 or e-mail rrobinson@nicholsonkovac.com

Attachments---------------
Ad Club Panel Descriptions 2006.doc:https://ku-csm.symplicity.com/u/ifEmoadS

PRSA.Writing Contest info.pdf:https://ku-csm.symplicity.com/u/mpYucxfP

PRSA Career Day.pdf:https://ku-csm.symplicity.com/u/dkwyUrhB

Ad Club Career Day Reg Form 2006.doc:https://ku-csm.symplicity.com/u/wRLflhmo

Lee Denim Day Speakers

2006-10-05T15:36:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. Friday, October 6th marks the 11th annual Lee National Denim Day. Jayhawk Communications is culminating our campaign by invited three breast cancer survivors to speak to the public and KU students. The speakers will include Donna Neuner, facilitator of the Lawrence Breast Cancer Action support group, Julie Cowdin, a breast cancer survivor committed to raising awareness, and Kathy Guth, an advanced nurse practitioner at Watkins Health Center.

These three women are volunteering their time to educate KU students about their experiences surviving breast cancer and the dangers that breast cancer poses. I encourage everyone, officers and members, to attend this event and show your support for breast cancer research and awareness.

Hallmark Information Night

2006-10-03T12:43:00.000-05:00

Interested in a marketing internship at Hallmark? (Summer 2007)

Do you meet the following qualifications?
-Graduating in December 2007 or May 2008
-GPA of 3.0 or higher
-Interested in a career in marketing
-Proven leadership ability
-Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills

Come meet the Hallmark recruiting team and learn more about this opportunity!
When: Thursday, October 5
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Where: Relays Room (third floor of The Burge Union)

Breast Cancer Awareness Week

2006-10-02T10:42:00.000-05:00

Hey all. Just a reminder that Breast Cancer Awareness Week begins today. Be sure to stop by the booths at Stauffer-Flint or Mrs. E's to get more information about cancer, how you can help and what's going on at KU this week to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Also, make a donation in honor/memory of someone struggling with breast cancer. Don't forget about the speakers in Woodruff Auditorium on Friday night, which is Lee Denim Day. Have a wonderful week!

2006-10-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

I want to address one of the biggest public relations campaigns that is going on word wide daily: global warming. Everybody knows it is a problem considering the amount of pollution and destruction our standard of living constitutes, especially in America. What is being done in this department? Not enough is the obvious answer, although 28 states are currently taking action to help fight global warming.

I’m happy to see that the number of opportunities to educate people on global warming has increased lately. I see fliers around Lawrence, a commercial every so often. There is even an online E-mail system you can sign up for that sends out regular global warming updates and tips on what we can do to help. The e-mails make suggestions from simply turning off lights and electronics when not in use, to switching out just one light bulb to a more environmental friendly quality. My favorite statistic is “if every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent bulbs with better bulbs, it would be equivalent to taking 3.5 million cars off the road!”

It’s good to see that public relation efforts can spread the word, even when it’s not necessarily for monetary gain. Luckily we live in a country where making changes that matter is an option.

Check out:
http://environmentaldefense.org
http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/

Hispanic PR Wire

2006-09-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

OK, so I realize this is similar to my post last week, but Hispanic PR is very intriguing to me. There are lots of great links on a site I ran across called the Hispanic PR Wire. One of the newest articles talks about the McDonald's PR efforts amongst latino adolescents. As latino teens tend to be overweight at this stage in life much more than their caucasian counterparts, McDonald's (with Discovery Kids and the NBA) is kicking off a campaign, Es tu cancha or It's your court. With this program, they plan to promote an active lifestyle and also improve basketball courts in latino neighborhoods. Talk about creative PR... I'm lovin' it.

PR Blogroll

2006-09-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

Hi Gang,

My friend Suse asked me earlier this week what blogs I read about PR and its related fields. I decided that I should probably tell the rest of the club as well, so without further ado, Jarrod Morgenstern's PR blogroll.

You will notice a box to the right of the screen that is updated on a real-time basis according to blogs tagged as PR that I have noticed. Enjoy their insightful commentary.

---

PR-Squared is great blog of Shift Communications a Boston-San Fransisco agency that provides witty, sharp commentary on Web 2.0 and other disciplines.

Repman is Steven Cody's blog, the general manager of one of the top NY public relations firm, Peppercom. His blog focuses on reputation management and trend spotting.

Mike Swenson's blog, Citizen Brand is a great commentary on PR and the importance of building brands. Swenson works at Barkley Evergreen PR.

Micro Persuasion is Steve Rubel's blog and is the industry standard for PR blogs. He works at Edelman.

What are some of your favorite blogs? (Besides KU PRSSA, of course.)

Kansas City PR Career Day

2006-09-20T14:38:00.000-05:00

Save the Date!
Get a Real World Glimpse at PR in Kansas City

Make plans now to join the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for a real world look at PR in the Kansas City market.

What: “The Ticket to your Future” – Full Admission to Learn and Prepare for a Successful PR Career!

When: Friday, November 3, 2006 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Where: Kansas City Public Library – Central (downtown)
14 West 10th Street Kansas City, Mo.

Why: Learn the skills you need to get your first public relations job, gain insights from top Kansas City media contacts and PR professionals, and be the first to know about local internships and job opportunities!

The day includes:
* Networking, networking, networking
* Internship and Career Fair
* Resume review
* “Day in the Life” panel
* An inspiring keynote speaker
* Hands-on workshop on how to write media pitches, news releases, Web site content and corporate newsletters under the mentorship of seasoned PR pros
* Announcement of the GKC PRSA Writing Contest winner (who will receive a two-week internship!)

Questions?
Contact Renee Robinson at (816) 460-3027

PRSSA minutes

2006-09-20T14:09:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody!
Last night was a very beneficial meeting for PRSSA members. Three journalism school students came to speak about their great internship opportunities that they've had. They also took questions from the members and offered helpful tips to those of us who are beginning to look into internships. First off, we took care of a few housekeeping issues such as: Lee Denim Day coming up Oct. 1st through Oct. 6th (if interested, contact either Tyler Klaus or Eric Williams), we also mentioned the Kansas City PRSA day which will be held Nov. 3rd from 9-3 in KC, and the $50 dues for a PRSSA membership are due Oct. 17th. Our student panel was comprised of Anna Zeller, a senior from Minnesota, Sara Miller, a senior from Bonner Springs, KS, and Jackie Schaefer, a junior from Texas. All three students had impressive internships with companies such as Sprint Nextel headquarters in Overland Park, KS, a radio station, Greg Advertising, GQ magazine and Hungry Man, Inc. in New York City. They all three offered great advice regarding internships/interviews and answered numerous questions from PRSSA members! Thank you for everyone who attended last night's meeting & we hope to see you at our next meeting!

See you at tomorrow's meeting...

2006-09-18T23:25:00.000-05:00

Come to the PRSSA meeting tomorrow at 7 pm in the Reading Room to hear from a student internship panel. Free pizza as always (and we'll bring enough this time). Also, plan on coming at 6 pm to be a part of the Jayhawk Communications campus campaign for Lee Denim Day which is the first week in October. Great experience for a great cause. Check out the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation online for more information about this annual and national awareness week. See you all tomorrow!

2006-09-16T12:38:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that Oct 23 is the last day to register to vote in Kansas; the earlier you register the easier it will be. Registration cards are available at registration tables located on campus and in the Student Senate office, 410 Kansas Union. You can also download the registration card via the Student Senate website and drop it off in 410 Kansas Union. Civic Engagement Week is September 21st to September 28th, so look out for a broad range of activities on campus to get involved with the election process. The state and national elections will be November 7th… don’t forge to vote!

Information from:
Student Legislative Awareness Board
410 Kansas Union
785.864.3710 (office)
slab@ku.edu

1st KSPA meeting

2006-09-13T19:36:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!
My name is Joni Hammer and I am the secretary of PRSSA this year. After every meeting, I will be posting a blog that explains what all was discussed in our previous meeting, along with giving a little preview of our upcoming meeting. Before I begin, I would like to thank all of you who attended our first meeting! We had a great turnout and we're hoping that you all will find this organization just as beneficial as we do and continue to come to our meetings!
At our meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 5th at 7:00 p.m., all of the officers introduced themselves and Jarrod Morgenstern (our president) gave an overview of what exactly PRSSA is and what we do. We also had a guest speaker, Patty Noland, come to our meeting that night. Patty Noland is the Career Development Coordinator in the J-school, she's also our PRSSA supervisor. Patty discussed the numerous benefits of becoming a PRSSA member and explained what exactly PR is. Our next meeting will be Tues., Sept. 19th in the reading room of Stauffer-Flint. Our speakers for the night will include a board of KU students who have great stories regarding their PR experience. As always, there will be free pizza and pop! :) Hope to see you all there!
~Joni Hammer, PRSSA secretary

Fundraising

2006-09-12T23:09:00.000-05:00

Hello PRSSA!

This year has gotten off to a fabulous start! We have a fairly decent budgeted amount of money for the year, however fundraising is always a necessity. I'm currently investigating possible sources of fundraising, however if anybody has any brilliant ideas that they'd like to share, by all means let me know and we can definatly look into them. Otherwise, I'll keep you posted about upcoming fundraising events that we can take part in. Have a lovely evening and I'll see you all next tuesday!

Megan Penrod

Women and Minorities in Getting Jobs in Sports

2006-09-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

I don't think women and minorities should get jobs just because they are women or minorities. I feel like my competition for getting a job is going to be against women and minorities because employers will be wanting to hire just because they need or want a woman or a minority.

A woman or a minority should get the job if they are the best person for the job, not because the employer simply wants diversity!

Black Coaches Association Helps Diversity Problem in Major College Football.

2006-09-12T21:28:00.000-05:00

The article can be seen here.

The Black Coaches Association is encouraging African-American coaches to file a Title VII complaints. They also said that if they needed to, they would back the coach.
This is a great job of standing by your client and gaining credibility. This will help the alternative populations mentioned above get more job offers in PR because it shows that they know what's best for their client.

The only way to really hit the alternative markets is research, research, research. It will also be important to hire members of these markets. Not only that, but smart ones, who really know people.

"If you can't get the best research, get the best you can get." Prof. David Guth

Anything is better than nothing.

Tyler

2006-09-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody! Here are a few J-school events coming up this month you might be interested in:

-TONIGHT- Sept. 12: Matthew Rose of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation will speak on the "Future Transportation Crisis" at 7 p.m. in Lied Center. Burling Northern Santa Fe is a railroad delivery corporation, focusing on speed, agility and resourcefulness to help expand the global marketplace for goods and services such as cars, coal, clothes, and games. The School of Business will sponsor the lecture by the chairman, president and CEO of the rail corporation.

Sept. 13: Study Abroad Fair on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union! It starts at 9:30 a.m. and goes until 3:30 p.m., serving as an excellent tool to meet contacts and get the internship process rolling.

Sept. 18: If you're a newly admitted freshman then come experience and learn about the J-school at 5 p.m. in the Resource Room 210 S-F.

Sept. 20: Multicultural Scholars can meet with Ron Smith, the deputy copy chief at The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Be in 104 Stauffer-Flint at 4:30 p.m.

Go and check some events out, get involved...

and please, have fun!!

Does PR translate?

2006-09-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

With the latino population on the rise, we're likely to see more and more advertising and PR geared toward the Spanish-speakers of the country. I'm interested to see what your thoughts are surrounding Hispanic public relations. We don't talk about it much in the J-school, so I'm interested in discussion on the topic. Last month, General Mills announced their new marketing strategies targeting Latinos and African-Americans. For Latinos, a magazine with coupons, Betty Crocker recipes and lifestyle articles will be published called Que rica vida. They estimate a circulation of about two million. On [foodnavigator-usa.com], they say that "Latino buying power is forecast to reach around $1 trillion by 2010." In the past couple of years, I've become more and more aware of the diversity that surrounds us. I think there will be a huge future in this seemingly small sector of PR...

If you're looking to broaden your horizons, be sure to check out Sara's posts to the blog on Sundays to get information on opportunities abroad and upcoming J-school events.

Wikipedia and PR

2006-09-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

Today, I want to take a few minutes to write about Wikipedia in terms that future marketers want and need to know.

Wikipedia defines itself as "the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit."

It's kindof a big deal. According to Alexa, Wikipedia is among the top 20 most visited Web sites. Steve Rubel, VP of Edelman, recently wrote in his blog Micro Persuasion that Wikipedia is more popular now than the New York Times, The BBC, and CNN.

Wikipedia isn't just an upstart Web site anymore.

Wikipedia, while seen as an encyclopedia more than a news medium, it is without a doubt a huge influence for consumers. As public relations practitioners, we must be aware of our clients reputation in both traditional media and alternatives like Wikipedia.

This is a powerful social media that can reach consumers more efficiently and effectively than pitching reporters and editors. We, with the Wikipedia community, are enabled to tell our story from our perspective on this massive encyclopedia.

This does, however, come with a few complications. Wikipedians have problems with commercial use of Wikipedia. Don't even try to run promotional pieces as articles for the encyclopedia.

What you can do:

Make sure your client is mentioned on every list.
Add your client's Web site under relevant topics.
Link additional articles to your client's article.

Here is an example:

My name is Jarrod, I represent the Widget Workshop where we make the fastest unicycle on the planet. I created an article called the "Z1 Skimmer" that shows some of the features, costs, comparisons of my unicycle. I also put it on the lists of types of unicycles in the world. I did a quick stub about Widget Workshop with a link to relevant news articles and company Web pages.

Thus, the "Z1 Skimmer" has been wikified. Check out this to see what I did this summer. It needs some work, but it is a start.

What do you all think of Wikipedia? Is this a fad? Will it die out?

BBQ this Saturday

2006-09-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,
Don't forget about the Pre- Game PRSSA BBQ this Saturday (09/09/06) at 1020 Illinois from noon-4p.m. Come party with PRSSA! It will be a great time to meet the officers, socialize with other members, and find out more information about the club. It's an informal occasion, so just come by... eat some good food on us and head on down to watch the Jayhawks beat Louisiana Monroe at 6pm. Rock Chalk!

Once again:
This Saturday -
1020 Illinois -
noon-4pm

Hope to see you there!

IABC Conferece

2006-09-06T14:16:00.000-05:00

There is an exciting opportunity for students coming up in a few weeks!
The IABC Southern Region Conference will be held in Kansas City Sept. 24-26. More than 200 professionals nationwide will gather for some great professional development.

The conference is offering valuable resume critique and one-on-one time with professionals - you won't want to miss this! For students, there are a couple of unique opportunities related to the conference:
An opportunity to be paired one-on-one with a professional for a personal discussion about career advice, resume critique or finding their first job; A session geared specifically for students to learn about the different opportunities available in the communications professional; A session about "Interviewing Bloopers and Resume Faux Pas;" Valuable networking time with professionals from across the region; and Excellent programming to supplement their day-to-day education.

The cost for students is $210 for the full conference, and $105 for a one-day registration. Please note that the special student session is not listed on the program, but will take place Monday afternoon, Sept. 25 from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
KC/IABC has allocated $500 in student scholarships. We will be awarding five students $100 in scholarships to attend either one day or the full conference. To apply for a scholarship, students should complete the attached form, describing in 200-500 words the reason they are deserving of a scholarship, and e-mail it to Sara Miller at srmiller@ku.edu by Sept. 8. (WHICH IS FRIDAY!) All entrants will be notified of scholarship decisions by Sept. 11.

Resume and Cover Letter Critique: All students interested in receiving feedback on their resumes and/or cover letters should submit them to Sara Miller by Monday, Sept. 18. Students do not have to be members of IABC to take advantage of this opportunity -- they just need to be excited about the profession and about the opportunities that are out there for them.
Sara Miller is very happy to organize a group and provide transportation - the more the merrier!

Contact Sara if you have any questions at srmiller@ku.edu
cell phone number: (913) 484-5410.

Also, visit the Conference Web site for more details http://southernconference.kciabc.org/

Great Sports PR by NIKE

2006-09-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

I think it's important to realize that football is going to compete with baseball for America's national past time. The NFL is cleaning up their act and there is so much more money and emphasis to be placed on football because Americans love it so much. It will never get to be as big as soccer/futbol, but it will be "America's futbol."

Back to PR, Nike's new commercial that will be airing this football season supposedly proves that "Football is Everything." This is a great example of great PR to promote their equipment. Nike has always had great commercials in my opinion. This one will set the bar for other sports PR work. They also released a great multimedia press kit. It's also important to know that everything in PR is going to be multimedia and integrated just like all journalism is turning that route. PR follows what everyone does because it's their audience. Check Nike out at this website:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/nike/25382/

Sidenote: Kansas does not have very many professional athletes or talents. This is because we do not obsess over any one thing like Texas and football, canada and hockey, or Europe and soccer.

Beginnings

2006-09-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the PRSSA blog for the University of Kansas! I'm very excited to begin the semester. We plan on posting new and interesting angles on a variety of public relations and strategic communications topics nearly every day.

Today, we are talking Katie Couric who is also getting set up with her new "beginning."

According to the Washington Post, a CBS employee in the publicity department visually doctored photos of the new anchor in a promotional photo just prior to her taking the reins of CBS news on Sept. 5.

That's some serious photoshopping work. That is wrong on so many levels. One, CBS did a great job in making Katie's job of appearing to be a serious journalist much harder with this in the wings. Two, this sends a terrible message from CBS that could possibly compromise their integrity and public trust. It says, If we don't like the story, we'll just fix it a little bit. Not a great way to start a fifteen year job.

I think Katie handled this better than anyone though, saying, "she liked the original photo better because 'There is more of me to love.'"

What do you think? Is this that big of a deal? How did Katie react? Does compromise CBS evening news?

Personal Background: I am currently the president of the KU chapter of PRSSA. I am also serving as one of two Journalism Student Senators. I am majoring in Strategic Communications at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. I plan on working in the agency PR biz. Last summer, I was a marketing intern at the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.

Please feel free to send me anything you find interesting or want me to talk about either via e-mail [ jarrodm(at)ku(dot)edu ] or via del.icio.us .

Edit: Props to Steve Cody, managing partner and co-founder of Peppercom, a New York based public relations shop, where I saw this story. His blog, Repman, is among the best of all agency principals. Truly a must read.

Welcome to PRSSA

2006-08-23T13:48:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to KU after a long summer. We're really excited to get this year started in PRSSA and we welcome anyone interested to come find out about public relations, PRSSA and PRSA.

We also have a student-run agency called Jayhawk Communications that offers professional experience and working with clients.

For more information regarding PRSSA and JComms please attend our first meeting. It is in 2092 Dole on September 5 at 7:00 p.m.

- Eric Williams
Assistant Director
Jayhawk Communications