On behalf of the executives and

current members, we would like to

welcome the new members of the

Public Relations Student Society of

America for the 2011-2012 academic

year. We are so excited for you to

join this wonderful organization. My

name is Maggie Backstrom and I’m

the President of PRSSA this year.

I’m excited about working with and

getting to know all of you! Whether

you are a public relations major or

not, PRSSA will be a good oppor-

tunity for members to learn about

this growing field and gain insight

into what is expected in life after

college. According to the PRSSA

website, this organization will help

you to enhance your education,

broaden your network and launch

your career. Just as a reminder, we

will be hosting your official initiation

ceremony in the spring semester, but

until then, welcome and I hope you

enjoy your time with PRSSA!

- Maggie Backstrom

Changes in the Public Relations Department.

The Public Relations faculty at West-

minster College will begin to implement

curriculum changes next fall to give

Public Relations majors more options.

One change is that two 300-level

courses will soon be available to stu-

dents. The new courses will be offered

as electives and can be substituted for

Journalism II. Professor Brittany Rowe-

Cernevicius is putting together a course

on ethics in PR, which will hopefully be

offered in fall 2012. Professor Delores

Natale is constructing an event-planning

course, but the course will not be availa-

ble until 2013.

“I’m excited about the changes,” Pres-

tien said. “They make sense and they

will be a great opportunity for the faculty

and students.”

Course sequencing and prerequisites

are being rearranged to make it easier

for students to switch to PR in their

sophomore year. These changes will

also allow more students to study

abroad.

“Everything we’re doing is going to

make PR majors’ lives easier,” Prestien

said.

Now that the faculty has the opportunity

to develop new courses, Prestien hopes

that the department will eventually have

four or five electives. However, it will be

awhile before more courses are added.

“You learn by trial and error,” Prestien

said. “I don’t see any more substantial

changes any time soon.”

-Rachel Rodgers

Welcome New PRSSA Members!

Westminster College

this issue

Changes in PR Department, Welcome P.1

Dream Job, Social Media Specialist P.2

Ice Cream & PR, 5 Writing Tips P.3

Words from Westminster College’s Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America

Fall 2011/Spring 2012

Volume 1, Issue 1

Internship Experiences P. 4-5

Westminster Alum Lands Dream Job in California.

Imagine this: You are a senior public

relations major. You enjoy the things

you’ve learned so far, but can’t pic-

ture yourself sitting in an office build-

ing writing press releases for the rest

of your life. You are five months from

graduation and it is too late to con-

sider other options. What do you do

now?

Did you know that there are over 100

different types of jobs that a public

relations major is properly trained to

do? A hot job on the market today is

a social media specialist. Due to the

increased popularity of social media

outlets, you can now hold a career in

managing a company’s social media.

What exactly does a social media

specialist do? It is a lot more than

just having a Facebook or Twitter

account. Since social media special-

ists are trained in either marketing or

public relations, they know how to

use media outlets like Facebook and

Twitter to promote an organization.

Some tasks they may be required to

do include: promoting an event

through a Facebook group, promot-

ing a cause by talking about it on

Twitter and providing links, blogging

about what the company is up to on

a daily basis and posting promotion

videos on YouTube.

Generally, if a company is able to

hire a social media specialist, the

specialist will work alongside a public

relations team. For this reason, you

will most likely only see a social

media specialist working for large

companies.

There are many ways to obtain a job

in social media. A good source for

job openings in this field is

www.socialmediajobs.com. You will

want to check it frequently and thor-

oughly as there are numerous jobs

posted every day.

If you have a knack for Facebook

and Twitter, enjoy watching videos

on YouTube or just like to read

blogs, a career in social media may

be for you. This is a fun, up-and-

coming career that is a great alterna-

tive to a typical office job

(www.socialmediatoday.com).

-Brittney Stock

Unique PR Jobs: Social Media Special ist.

Sara Ergen, a 2011 Westminster gradu-

ate, has taken her skills in the PR world

to the West Coast. Anyone who knew

Ergen during her time at Westminster

knows that her dream after graduation

was to pack up and move to California to

pursue a career in public relations. She

made her dreams come true on July 22,

2011, when she boarded a flight and

moved to Hermosa Beach, CA, and be-

gan her job search. Within a month,

Ergen landed a job as a development

associate at The Guidance Center, which

helps more than 2,000 children and fami-

lies who suffer from abuse, neglect, de-

pression and substance abuse.

During the interviewing process, Ergen

had to complete a press release for an

upcoming event and write a thank you

letter to donors. These tests mimic many

of the activities the PR program at West-

minster gives us. The Development Di-

rector at The Guidance Center said that

she was extremely impressed with West-

minster’s PR program and everything

they require the students to do in four

years. After the interview, Ergen said she

felt proud to come from such a well-

established program and was very

prepared to go into the working world.

While at Westminster, Ergen was

involved with PRSSA for four years and

served as the organization’s student run

firm director in her senior year. As the

Student Run Firm Director, she led the

members of Persuasion PR to hold a

successful campaign for Westminster’s

Chapel Drama, as well as helped with

Froggy Radio’s Rocket to the Stars

event. Both the campaign and event

were a success.

Flash forward a year and Ergen is busy

setting up events and campaigns that

benefit The Guidance Center. One of her

biggest accomplishments in her career so

far was to coordinate a “Sunset Wine Re-

ception,” which was hosted by the LA

Kings. The fundraiser raised $30,000 for

The Guidance Center.

“My time at Westminster paid off

and I’m living my dream in California. I

never thought all of this would come so

quickly, and I truly believe I am here be-

cause of the great PR program Westmin-

ster provides,” Ergen said.

-Leigha Zangaro

Page 2 of 6 the PRactitioner

PRSSA’s 5 Tips for Surviving A Paper.

1. Make sure you understand what

the professor wants

If you can’t understand the directions

the professor has given you, then you

can’t write a successful paper. You

must understand the topic you are

writing about to receive a good grade.

2. Brainstorm good ideas / Re-

search topic

When writing a paper, coming up with

a couple ideas helps the brainstorm

process. Giving yourself a wide varie-

ty of topics to choose from helps you

find the best choice: the one with the

most information. After selecting a

topic, start to research for the paper;

gather enough information to get a

good start.

3. Make an outline and budget your

time

After you’ve found that perfect topic,

make an outline. Don’t try cramming

for a test and finishing your paper all

in the same day. Think about your

free time and other assignments to

plan accordingly. Don’t finish the

paper all in one night, take your time

and plan out a little work for each day.

4. Make a quick draft

Always start with a draft of the paper,

but don’t turn this paper in. It’s just

the basis of your work and it will need

to be revised several times. You just

want to lay down your thoughts and

ideas. After getting it all out, you

might find that the information in the

second paragraph really sounds

better in the third one.

5. Edit your paper

After writing the draft, print it out.

Read the paper and mark spelling

errors and grammar problems. Once

you’ve fully checked the paper, fix

your mistakes and edit it again. Mis-

takes can always be found; if need

be, find a friend to look over your

work. Also, make sure you proof read

your work by reading it aloud or look-

ing over it with a partner.

-Kelsey Doak

Ice Cream and Public Relations.

The Public Relations Student Society of

America (PRSSA) hosted its annual Ice

Cream Social on Tuesday, September

27. The goal of this event was to inform

Public Relations majors and minors of

what PRSSA is and has to offer, while

increasing club membership.

“PRSSA is a great organization for

those interested in Public Relations,”

said Maggie Backstrom, PRSSA presi-

dent. “We encourage everyone to join.”

At the Ice Cream Social, attendees got

the chance to enjoy sundaes while they

sat back and heard about the benefits of

being involved in PRSSA here at West-

minster. The event concluded with a fun

current events activity to keep people up

-to-date with what is going on in the

world.

Junior member Kelsey Doak said, “I

have been an active member of PRSSA

since the fall of my freshman year. This

club is a great thing that I can add to my

resume, and when I graduate, I plan on

being a member of PRSA, which is a

national Public Relations organization.”

PRSSA meets twice a month to discuss

what is going on in the Public Relations

world, any upcoming events and current

events. Backstrom says one of the goals

for this year is to increase membership.

There are a lot of Public Relations ma-

jors and minors on this campus who are

not involved in PRSSA.

“One of the things we like to do as a part

of PRSSA is to bring back distinguished

alumni or successful people in the Pub-

lic Relations field to talk with current

PRSSA members,” Backstrom ex-

plained. “It’s helpful for people to see

different things you can do with a Public

Relations degree, and it gives you a bet-

ter feel for the field.”

-Brittney Stock

the PRactitioner Page 3 of 6

Internship Experiences.

Andy Burlett

Where: Beuilacqua Construction & Remodeling

How did you get it? “Family friend.”

What did you learn from it? “Creating media buzz for a local/neighborhood

company can be very difficult.”

Advice: “Research is key: use all resources you have before and during the

internship. As for finding an internship, talk to everyone! You never know who

you will know and what/who other people know!”

Katelyn Conn

Where: Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau

How did you get it? “Mrs. Natale sent out an email for it.”

What did you learn from it? “I learned how to plan a large scale event (the

Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival). I also learned how to track publicity, evaluate

projects, etc. Lots more! “

Advice: “Look for an internship that works for you. Make sure you are interest-

ed in what they do and be willing to work on any kind of project—you never

know what you might learn.”

Miltiadis Constantine

Where: Office of Off-Campus Study

How did you get it? “When I studied abroad, I received a lot of advice/input

from the intern at the time, Briget Roth. Following my return to the U.S., I ex-

pressed interest in working for the Off-Campus Study Office with Dr. Bersett

and Doreen Matune. They offered me the internship and I’ve been there since.”

What did you learn from it? “I learned that programs don’t function on their

own without promotion. PR is essential to separating a good program from a

great program.”

Advice: “Take your work seriously; don’t slack. You will get out of your intern-

ship what you put into it.”

Brooke Emmonds

Where: ACMH Hospital in Kittanning, PA

How did you get it? “My mother has been a nurse at ACMH for 25 years. My

supervisor is well known in the entire community. When I worked at a golf

course, I catered a cancer benefit for ACMH. My supervisor was the host. We

met there.”

What did you learn from it? “I learned organization is KEY.”

Advice: “Look ahead. Be confident in your approach. Tell them your expecta-

tions BEFORE you both agree to the internship.”

Page 4 of 6 the PRactitioner

Caitlin Girard

Where: Angeli Winery

How did you get it? “A family friend runs the winery and my older sister

does their graphic design.”

What did you learn from it? “My internship was in a small town and didn’t

have a structured schedule, because of that, I learned to set my own goals

and schedule for my work.”

Advice: “Don’t go for a small business. You’ll get to work with Chambers of

Commerce a lot, but the lack of structure compared to school will be a tough

change.”

M. Assunta Goretsky

Where: Lawrence County Early Learning Task Force (LCCAP)

How did you get it? “I found it through the emails Westminster sends out

each week.”

What did you learn from it? “I am still at my internship, so I am still learn-

ing. So far, I’ve learned that you have to take initiative and work on your own

projects. It’s not like a class where a teacher will continuously give you as-

signments.”

Advice: “I recommend doing it over the summer. Fall or Spring, you are do-

ing class work as well and it’s really hard to get it all done.”

Kandice Hartner

Where: New Wilmington Farmers’ Market

How did you get it? “I was asked to create their logo, and when I saw that

they needed PR help, I offered my services .”

What did you learn from it? “I learned some valuable experiences, such as

deadlines and conducting interviews.”

Advice: “Before starting an internship, decide and plan out how your intern-

ship will work with PR. Don’t just sit around waiting for them to offer you

something PR related because a PR situation may never simply arise.”

Nate Horgan

Where: Westminster College Sports Information Department

How did you get it? “I previously did work for Sports Information Director,

Justin Zackal. I was interested in getting into the field and learning from one

of the best S.I.D.’s in the country. He was very willing to help.”

What did you learn from it? “I learned about the amount of work that goes

into sports publications for the college. I was able to learn a lot about the

style and design aspects that go into various sports publications.”

Advice: “If students are interested in getting into PR in the sports field, get in

contact with your local S.I.D. They are great resources to be in contact with

and learn from.”

the PRactitioner Page 5 of 6

2011-2012 Officers.

Faculty Adviser: Suzanne Prestien

President: Maggie Backstrom

Vice President: Nate Horgan

Communication Liaison: Allie Addoms

Historian: Tara Snyder

Philanthropy Chair: Brittney Stock

Public Relations Chair: Rachel Rodgers

Secretary: Leigha Zangaro

Treasurer: Miltiadis Constantine

About Our Organization....

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is comprised

of undergraduate students interested in public relations. Meetings,

guest speakers, workshops and special events allow students to further

their knowledge of PR and gain valuable experience in the field.

For more information,

visit:

www.prssa.org