PRSSA students invade the windy city

Last weekend a group of 13 PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) invaded the windy city (aka Chicago) looking to gain professional guidance from touring three different PR agencies. The students were able to get an inside view of the Wrigley Field baseball stadium while touring with Kevin Saghy the PR marketing specialist for the Chicago Cubs. Kevin tries to keep a positive image of the team even when they are doing bad. He focuses a lot of his time on social media and trying his best to get the fans involved. The main advice he gave for students just about to graduate is to really focus on AP style writing and to also keep your resume down to one page. Kevin also said that for every bullet point you have on your resume make sure to have a verb to make you stand out. The main advice he gave for the interviewing process was to bring leave behind folders; that way it gives the interviewers a chance to look over everything you’ve done on their own time.

Famous Wrigley Field sign before walking into to our first tour with Kevin Saghy

After the first tour the PRSSA students were able to explore the great city of Chicago. One of the first places they visited was Millennium Park, which is one of the most famous parks in the United States.

 

The famous mirrored bean at Millennium Park

 

PRSSA students in front of the bean

The students were also able to check out downtown Chicago nightlife

The next day the students went to visit two large agencies, Ketchum and Edelman. Ketchum and Edelman are rival PR agencies that are both in the same building in downtown Chicago. The tips that Edelman gave out about job searching and resumes were to wait a week after applying to get back to them to let them know you are still interested, let them know you are actively interviewing (might make them reach their decision quicker), don’t just copy and paste cover letters (design them differently for each position you are going for) and when you are sending your resume via email make sure to have your cover letter as the main body so they don’t have to open up two attachments. Edelman offers full time internships (40+ hours) paid for recent grads. Ketchum was the next agency and their atmosphere was a little more relaxed than Edelmans. At Ketchum they recommend doing as much volunteer and outside work as possible to show that you have real world experience. They advised us to to make sure we had writing examples on file and to send them with our resumes to show what we have done. Their biggest advice was to go on as many informational interviews as possible because that was a great way to network and get your name out there. The last great piece of advice they offered was to follow up as much as you can, even if you feel like you are harassing them. They pushed that people in this field get a hundred emails a day and it is really easy for them to forget, so the more you follow up the more they are to remember. Ketchum also offers full time paid internships.

View from the sixty third floor at Edelman

 

SCSU Mass Comm student and chapter take top honors at Society of Professional Journalists Conference

Kevin Hurd was the winner of a Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. The Sigma Delta Chi Awards date back to 1932, when the Society first honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the organization awarded the first Distinguished Service Awards. The awards recognize the best in professional journalism in categories covering print, radio, television, newsletters, art/graphics, online and research from across the United States. Kevin Hurd did a piece entitled “Cash, Credit and Saving while in College.” It is a 30 minute story that looks at the need for young people to be smart with their money from the perspectives of an economist, local bankers and peers. The piece was judged best among radio stations in 101+ size cities across the United Sates in the Radio Documentaries category. It aired on KVSC-FM in 2009. The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s largest journalism organization dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism.

Kevin Hurd with SPJ's Sigma Delta Chi Award for radio documentary.

For the 2nd year in a row, the SCSU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists was named the best student chapter in the region. The award is given to a student chapter each year among chapters in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Members of the SCSU chapter of the SPJ traveled to the SPJ National Convention in Las Vegas, NV in October to receive the award.

SCSU MC Students pictured (l to r) Arum Yang, Kevin Hurd, Nick Lenz and Jennifer Austin.

St. Cloud State to offer mass comm course at Maple Grove Graduate Center

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Those interested in the politics and economics of international communications and the role of mass media in shaping the emerging global society have an opportunity to further their education.

The St. Cloud State University Department of Mass Communications is offering its first graduate-level course at the Maple Grove Graduate Center, 6401 Sycamore Court N., Maple Grove, off of Bass Lake Road and I-94. Beginning Jan. 10, Seminar in International Mass Communications will be offered from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays, taught by Roya Akhavan.

The course looks at international politics, international affairs and uses a critical and analytical approach with an international dimension of different cultures. The class is relevant to professional enrichment in a broad range of careers.

St. Cloud State offers the only accredited graduate program in mass communications in Minnesota.

The St. Cloud State Department of Mass Communications provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become socially responsible, professionally successful mass media communicators. Mass Communications majors can specialize in advertising, journalism, public relations, or television or radio broadcast.

For more information, contact Roya Akhavan at rakhavan@stcloudstate.edu or (320) 308-4202.