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Leadership

Social Media

Advertising

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reply

persuade

News Stories

Press

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Crisis

Pitching

Analyze

FeatureStories

Engage

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plan

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Target Viralweb

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Audience

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create

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P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S

Vol

Ed

The Integrative Public Relations program at Central Michigan University is an

interdisciplinary major that combines the departments of Journalism, Communication

and Broadcasting. This unique strategy offers comprehensive coursework that will

provide a wide range of skills to use in future public relations careers.

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Presidents Address

A New Perspective

Dear PRSSA members,

This has been a fantastic year to be a member of CMU PRSSA. Our organization has made huge strides in the past year andhas gained momentum for the upcoming years. New events like the Internship Fair and PR Bootcamp has have shown thehard work and effort our members and are willing to put in to ensure the success of our members.

In October, twelve members traveled to San Francisco for PRSSAs National Conference. Students had the chance tonetwork and connect with peers and mentors from around the nation. while developing a professional image through variousmotivating sessions and distinguished speakers from around the globe. Students also had the opportunity to check out thelocal attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Fishermans Wharf.

Throughout this year, CMU PRSSA has had the opportunity to see numerous inuential professional speakers from placeslike Dow Corning, Biggby Coffee and Spectrum Health. These diverse speakers have shown the different elds andopportunities available in public relations.

I want to thank everyone for the dedication and hard work they have committed to our chapter. Without the participation ofour members, we would not have been successful. I would also like to thank the dri ven, creative and motivated executiveboard members. They have been determined to build this chapter up to its full potential.

I hope the underclassmen are able to take any opportunities they possibly can from this organization in the future. Use CMU

PRSSA as a tool to become an educated public relations professional while still in college. There are several ways to getmore involved with PRSSA in the future. Dont be shy to join a committee, share fundraising ideas, help plan events or wri teblog posts and Central PRemiere articles. Any involvement will help you be successful in your future.

In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the graduating seniors. Our chapter appreciates all the hardwork you have put into our chapter. I wish the best of luck to all of you in your future careers.

Best wishes,

Ally ConverseCMU PRSSA President 2012 - 2013

Being a transfer student from Grand Rapids Community College, I knew that to make the transition easier I needed tobecome involved with student groups at CMU. After signing my Integrative Public Relations major, I joined PRSSA andfound PR Central.

During this past semester, I was actively involved with PR Central and decided to run for an executive board position. Ihave always been a person to aim high and accept new challenges and the new PR Central President, I am ready to facethose challenges every day.

One of my main goals this coming year is to bri ng in more members to keep the continuity of PR Central going. I planto have the group work with clients to give each team hands-on experience that will prepare them for a future in publicrelations. Another goal is to have the university and community become more aware of PRSSA and PR Central throughlearning how the organizations are helping students develop professionally in the public relations eld. Through PRSSAand PR Central, students are able to apply techniques and tactics learned in the classroom. This will help PR students togain knowledge, experience and a glimpse of the professional world.

My motto has always been, A successful life is not handed to you, but it is ear ned. Achieving goals is done throughmany baby steps on the road towards your future. You will run into challenges and sometimes face failures. Take yourexperiences and learn what worked and what didnt, then adjust your ways to become a better professional.I plan on using PR Central as one of the baby steps for public relation students through facing new challenges andguring out what works and what needs more improvement.

Abby Schantz

As future PR professionals, it is necessary to accept that there arent enough hours in a day. Face it, time as college sare numbered and the only way to make the most of it is to dive into work headrst. This means joining committees, afor as many internships as possible, surviving off coffee and taking valuable classes other than what is required for theIntegrative Public Relations major. A marketing class is a great option to learn a breadth of different skills used closelypublic relations work.

Its true that marketing and public relations often get mixed up, but there are signicant differences. Understanding hoboth work separately will be benecial when they have to work hand-in-hand. Many companies have recently combinthese departments to reach success.

The late David Packard, cofounder of Hewlett-Packard (HP), agreed that it is necessary to use different tactics to maka company successful. Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department, he said. For public relationstudents, being aware of the marketing world will help to better execute duties and achieve career goals.

Think of it as a cycle. Public relations work is done to position a company in the best way possible to a target audienccompany awareness keeps the public informed and drives them to buy a product or service. Therefore, marketing foc

on strategies to sell the product or service, while public relations work aims at building relationships between the comand its customers. Both public relations and marketing goals are met and the company is a success. Because both ebecoming heavily integrated, future careers in PR could depend on knowing the importance of each.

Simply put, taking a marketing class will only enhance a public relations students time at Central Michigan Universityand prepare them for an amazing career. Classes like MKT 221, Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs, and MKT 300Introduction to Marketing, can help strengthen students knowledge of the public relations industry...and dont forget tcoffee.

Todays public relations professionals will face the greatest communication barrier challenge yet - keeping the attentioof a social media audience.

With only a few seconds to capture their attention, public relations professionals have to use methods other than writtcommunication to intrigue an audience: design communication.

The IPR program requires students to take Introduction to Graphics and Visual Communications, JRN 302. The prograoffers other elective courses like Introduction to Multimedia Design, CPS 282, and Advance Multimedia Design, CPS 4for students interested in enhancing their communication design skills. Students who use these opportunities to take classes have a leg up in the market after graduation.

IPR students should denitely take the design courses because in todays world, we have to be able to do everythingjust PR. They need to have multiple skills not just one, Senior Melissa Torok said. Design allows people to take a notype-based paper and make it unique and creative. People will want to read something that is visually appealing, with text and has a nice color scheme.

Torok said to make a design effective, there still needs to be written communication. While design makes the messagepealing, written communication delivers the message.Nicole Yelland, director of marketing and communications at Livio Radio, told IPR students at a CMU alumni dinner totime and learn Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and HTML before graduation.

Other alumni at the dinner agreed basic skills and knowledge of design go a long way in the eld of public relations.The ability to send messages to an audience through a variety of channels, including both written and design communtion, helps a graduate become more marketable. Its one more skillset for a students public relations toolbox.

YourWordsDesign

Public RelationsMarketing&

Ashley Stein

Kelsi Haas

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Classrooms were full of students dressed in professional attire, ready to network with and learn from public relations

professionals. There were opportunities ready to be sought after to land internships and entry-level positions. The stage

was set for PR - The Chicago Way, DePaul Universitys 2013 PRSSA regional conference in Chicago, Ill.

Two representatives from the Central Mi chigan University chapter of PRSSA attended this years

conference held on Feb. 14 and 15.

The conference began by providing students the opportunity to tour public relations agencies in

downtown Chicago. Agency tour options included Ketchum, Edelman, Fleishmen Hillard and Golin Harris. On the tours,

students were able to better understand the agencies diverse clients and see an agency environment and culture rst-

hand.

Following the agency tours, the rst day of the conference ended with two professional speakers and a networking event at

a nearby restaurant.

The following day was lled with speakers of from various backgrounds in public relations. The day began with a

complimentary breakfast and was followed by keynote speaker Fred Cook, CEO of Golin Harris. The conference then broke

into different sessions based on students interest in diverse types of public relations including non-prot, digital, agency

and entertainment.

The conference honestly completely changed my outlook on my public relations career, it was a total game changer,

sophomore and conference attendee Katie Frankhart said. Coming from a small town, it always seemed really unrealistic

to have a public relations career in the city working for big agencies. Having the opportunity to network with people who

have done that made me realize if you do the right things, you can easily end up where you want.

Speakers such as Joseph Tateoka, account supervisor at Edelman and Kevin Saghy, manager of

communications for the Chicago Cubs inspired students by discussing the routes they took to become the public relations

professionals they are today.

The conference ended with a career fair with representatives from local agencies, nonprots and graduate schools.

The windy city - a public relations hub and speakers coming from diverse backgrounds and types of public relations were

both factors leading to the success of this years PRSSA regional conference.

The Central Michigan University chapter of PRSSA held its annual spring conference on April 5, 2013 at the Comfort In

Suites and Conference Center. The theme for this years conference was, Climbing Your Way to Success PR Bootca

Attendees were able to climb their way to success through listening to ve expert public relations professionals in diffe

themed sessions.

The conference started with keynote speaker, Don Tanner, founding partner of Tanner Friedman as he led the rst sess

Mapping Your Ascent. He discussed the importance of PR, gave brilliant advice for professionals starting in the care

background of how he was able to start his own agency and even shared some famous campaigns his agency produc

Students listened intently to every word, vigorously taking notes. Tanner set the morning off to an energizing start.

It was inspiring to see a full room of engaged, enthusiast PR students eager to listen, learn and contribute. If that gro

any indication of the talent to come, our industry is in outstanding shape, Tanner said.

The Packing Your PR backpack session featured Tom Crawford and Neele Churchill from M3 Group in Lansing, Mich

Students strapped on their imaginary backpack and learned the essential tools they will need to have a successful PR

Tom and Neele gave great advice to students on what they can prepare to do now while they are in school before head

out to the real world.

Next, Rachel Esterline Perkins presented a session on social media called Sharing Your Journey. Esterline Perkins

graduated from the Integrative Public Relations program in 2010 and has recently moved back to Mt. Pleasant to join

University Communications team. This session informed students on the importance of developing their personal bran

online presence. Attendees were enlightened on how to use social media to their professional advantage, especially si

Twitter and LinkedIn. Esterline Perkins also spoke on the purpose of a blog and the ways students can effectively use

to enhance their online presence.

Miesha Krueger, account director at Weber Shandwick, helped students with Making your mountain call heard. She

breakdown of media relations and presented successful campaigns Weber Shandwick has executed. Kruegers prese

brought what students learn in the classroom to life through showing the brainstorming, preparation and execution sta

each campaign.

To end PR Bootcamp on an exciting note, Chris Brandon and Tim McIntyre from Dominos Pizza spoke on crisis

communication in the nal session, Navigating Back to Success. Students were intrigued to learn about Dominos re

rebranding efforts and how their public relations team was able to completely change the face of the company.

The Dominos turnaround story is really quite unique. The notion of honesty and transparency- and Dominos is really

becoming a case study of how to properly connect with people through this tone- is something we are extremely prou

and will only continue to increase as a hot topic related to PR issues in the future, Brandon said.

The students in attendance, the awe-inspiring speakers and the wisdom they shared allowed PR Bootcamp to be bene

to all and a great success.

PRTheChicagoWay Your Way to Success

C l imb i ngStephanie Cardaris & Jenny MuscatChelsey Colston

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program at CMU contains six journalism courses: JRN 202, JRN 302, JRN 350, JRN 450, JRN 551 and JRN 556.these courses have the abbreviation for the journalism department, understanding their worth is denitely correlated to

ess of a public relations professional.

t professor of journalism, Dr. Elina Erzikova, teaches journalism courses that are in the IPR program. Erzikova believesurses benet the PR students because all good public relations practice starts with a good writing technique.sm is essential to the IPR program because the courses give the true skills that students need, Erzikova said., Writing for the Mass Media, introduces students to the idea of writing press releases, features stories and theed Press guidelines for grammar and punctuation. JRN 450, Public Relations Writing, also reinforces the importance of

not be a successful public relations person if you cannot write, associate professor of journalism James Wojcik said. Ift have any writing skills you will have a hard time lasting in this profession.

so said JRN 551, Public Relations Case Studies, gives students an opportunity to study good PR and bad PR.ns that already happened in history are great teachers. The case studies class takes a look at how things were handled,t we can learn from them, Wojcik said.

nalism classes provide the foundation for students to get a better look at what public relations actually is, Erzikova said.believes that students will benet from knowing what the profession of a journalist is like.

ple work so closely with j ournalists so it is important that they know how and what they do, Erzikova said.e changing in the journalism eld, and video, photography and design have become essential to know as well. JRN 302,tion to Visual and Graphic Communication, is a course in the IPR program that shows students how to work with ever-g computer and design technology.

aid the seminar class, JRN 556, is one of the most hands on courses in the IPR program.minar has every student create a communications plan, which tests your PR ability and all that you have learned in the

There is also hands on approaches to events and students need this real world PR experience, he said.

program offers diverse courses in creating a well-rounded PR student, and journalism is an essential subject in the elduld not go unnoticed.

nication is one of the most basic elements needed to succeed in any business, and to a public relations professional, itthe most valued. Public relations professionals use communication on a daily basis to interact with both clients and thepublic. So it should come to no surprise that completing communication courses for an Integrative Public Relations majornly required, but also extremely benecial.

there are only a few communication courses required for the major, COM 357 falls into the public speaking category a vital tool for PR students. Wherever you choose to take your PR skills, knowing how to deliver a clear message to the

e on behalf of your organization is key to being successful in the eld.

wton is a sophomore majoring in public relations who believes COM 357 is benecial to PR students. I would say that itgood for helping people develop their professional presence and helping them realize how to control their body languagee when presenting to a large group of people, Newton said. This class allows students to better their speaking skillsrning to do so at a more professional standpoint.

ot be the most exciting course, but the class is structured to provide real- world scenarios of what might be done in theon.

tudents, it is apparent that communication plays an important role in the overall structure of the major. Communication isrt in any business and for PR professionals. Knowing how to communicate effectively will make one look more credibleividual.

JCreating a story

ournalism

Reaching your audienceCommunication

Megan Shankland

Katelyn Sweet

The School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts is one of the main components of the IPR program. The director for thBCA, Dr. Peter Orlik, was on the original steering committee for the degree.

The aim has always been to offer a multifaceted degree that provides students with training in interpersonal and orcommunication, print communication, and electronic media communication, Orlik said. Conventional PR majors ainstitutions do not encompass this three-pronged approach. Their students thus have a more narrow skill set and arhandle and integrate the variety of communication challenges and media with which they may be faced with as PR

Due to the nature of public relations, working alongside the media is essential to any position one acquires. To be sin future employment, students must be able to effectively gain skills in media relations. The classes that are requireprogram allow students to gain hands-on experience at working in a mass media setting. This provides students wiopportunity to understand the work of mass media outlets, and improve their media relations strategy.

Many of the skills needed in broadcasting such as video production, writing and promotions are also helpful in publClasses such as BCA 311, Broadcast and Cable Copywriting, and BCA 512, Broadcast and Cable Promotions, teachow to incorporate these skills into public relations. Since PR pr actitioners typically work with marketing and adverdepartments, it is necessary to promote the organization in multiple ways. The use of videos is becoming more prevconnecting and engaging with audiences. Being able to effectively produce a video that will captivate others is an im

that students will gain in taking BCA classes.

The school of BCA adds an opportunity for students to learn more skill s that will be helpful in their future career.Graduates of CMUs IPR program have been very successful because they are so broadly trained, Orlik said.

The school of BCA adds an opportunity for students to learn more skills that will be helpful in their future career. Thprovides students with a well-rounded education that ensures success for graduates.

There are many ways one can become a leader. A leadership minor at CMU only requires 24 credits and is a great wstrengthen ones resume as well as build their leadership and interpersonal skills.

Leadership minors require students to take four core classes including LDR 200 Intro. to Leadership, COM 461 Comin Leadership, LDR 402 Application of Leadership and the choice of either PHL 118 Moral Problems, PHL 218 EthicPHL 318 Business Ethics.

It has been a good experience obtaining a leadership minor. Jessica Hefron, PRSSAs vice-president of chapter dsaid. The communication classes have helped me understand individuals on a more personal level and to reach ouwhom I may not see eye-to-eye with.

Aside from communication skills, there are other important skills that help in making exceptional leaders.

A leader is not the person who talks the most or has the most ideas, it is the person who can transform the teamsproductive, proactive goals and outcomes. Hefron said. Listening gives the leader a rounded idea of who their teathey want out of their experience

If the leader isnt listening to what their followers are saying or recognizing goals of the group, then its hard for proato be made. This means the leader has to gain the trust of their followers in order to listen and reach those mutual g

For public relations professionals, gaining the trust of audiences and clients by listening to them is extremely importand working to better leadership skills is an important role for PR students to strive for. One great way to build thostake advantage of the leadership minor offered at CMU.

Leadership plays an important role in PR by allowing an individual to better their skills and help those who surrounleader helps develop the skills of those who look to them for advice and offers up their time to benet another. Hef

BroadcastingHelping PR beco

LeadershipReaching your potentia

Scott Stewart

Derek Wooton

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A Diverse Loo k

Chunbo (Richard) Ren recently joined Central Michigan University as an assistant professor of public relations in the Colleof Communication and Fine Arts. Ren currently teaches Public Relations Principles and Practices and the Public Relation

Seminar. Because of his diverse background and journey, Ren brings a fresh perspective for teaching public relations atCMU.

Ren got his start at Qingdao University in China where he received a law degree in Foreign Affairs Management in July of1995. Since Ren wanted to work in an exciting and new city, he moved to Beijing after graduation. At a job fair he attendeRen spoke with individuals from MSL China, Chinas leading strategic public relations agency. At the time, he knew littleabout public relations but was of interest to the agency because of his writing skills and uency in English. Working for MChina was Rens rst job in public relations where he worked with clients like IKEA, Ericsson, Intel, Juniper and Electrolux

After working for MSL China for six years, Ren left and began working for Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relatagency with ofces in 74 countries around the world. While working with Weber Shandwick, Ren had the opportunity toimprove his leadership and public relations skills. While working with his rst client, LOral, Ren learned how to use publrelations strategies to understand the clients needs and formulate tactics around those needs Ren slowly developedan interest in healthcare public relations after a close family member fell ill. He became group leader in the

healthcare practice division at Weber Shandwick. In this role, he was responsible for new businessesdevelopments of Beijing and worked with various clients such as Bayer Healthcare, P&G, Pzer and Nestle.

After deciding he wanted to gain more knowledge of the public relations eld, Ren chose to leave Chinato get his Ph.D. in healthcare communications. He studied at Washington State University for ve yearsbefore moving to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. to teach.

As a student, I can tell Richard Ren is a life learner. His lessons in the classroom are carefully researchedand well put together; we dont get the same old stuff everyday, said senior, Jill Simpson. He has apassion for PR and brings all of that enthusiasm into the classroom.

With his impressive work history, Ren is able to bring a great deal of knowledge and experience to the IPRprogram. He is committed to helping students get the most out of their education while attending CMU.

Who is Richard RenAlly Converse