College campuses are sometimes called “bubbles” of safety and academic isolation, but that’s not true for IWUCom students in the nationally accredited Public Relations Student Society of America(PRSSA).
With nearly 40 members in 2014, IWU’s PRSSA is putting students and professionals together every month, for training, networking and exposure to the demands of leadership and strategic communication.
In November, members visited the Indiana Pacers and the Indianapolis Zoo to help gauge their perspective on working in the respective industries. This networking experience has been great for students wanting to access the PR profession firsthand, learning how to network and ask great questions.
“If it wasn’t for PRSSA, I would not have learned that working the sports industry is not fun,” said Senior Marketing Major, Chris Tyler.
“By spending time at these organizations and listening to speakers, it’s just been really cool. I’m glad PRSSA breaks the barrier for students and connects them with professionals so we can learn the do’s and don’ts of the industry,” Tyler said.
PRSSA also develops opportunities for its members to question current PR professionals in diverse industries such as Sports and Non-profit. Social Media University in February brought area experts to campus to present and learn about this emerging area of communication. Monthly PRSSA meetings also feature local professionals working in development, planning and communication branding efforts in the region.
Freshman Strategic Communication Major, Kelsey Batson wishes more students would utilize PRSSA. “It’s a great way to jump start professional development,” Batson said. “PRSSA has been great to help me understand PR better. Every member is encouraging and motivating and planning the events has been really fun.”
