At the end of each semester, all Wayne State Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) members are invited to a luncheon to honor outstanding students and network with professionals, some of whom even sponsor students and sit with them during the event to give a more personal networking connection.
At the most recent luncheon (pictured, right), held April 19 in the Student Center Ballroom, the PRSSA group said goodbye to its old executive board and welcomed in the new. Being part of the PRSSA executive board offers students chances to enhance their professionals lives, with positions from president to copy editor.
"PRSSA is a vital part of any PR major’s school curriculum. This organization gives students the chance to learn new trends, gain unique skills, and network with peers and professionals in the industry," said Amanda Knaebel, current president of the WSU PRSSA chapter. "Serving on the PRSSA executive board is an especially beneficial experience because you get to practice those skills.
“Whether you are running the social media channels, communicating to our members or planning and executing events — you are gaining real, portfolio-worthy experience. You also get to meet some great minds and practice working with a diverse group of individuals."
The previous month, members of WSU PRSSA were hard at work putting the finishing touches on its first regional conference (pictured, left). “The Tale of Our City: PR’s Role in Detroit’s Revitalization” focused on everything public relations in Detroit — from career paths to the city’s new image after bankruptcy. WSU PRSSA co-hosted the event with the Michigan State University PRSSA chapter.
Through their connections in the professional world, the conference committee was able to secure speakers from local public relations firms to communications professionals at Blue Cross Blue Shield, the North American International Auto Show and Crain’s Detroit Business.
But that’s not the first “first” for WSU PRSSA. This past November, they traveled to Atlanta for the PRSSA National Conference. For the first time in program history, four executive board members presented to PRSSA chapters from other universities across the country. The executive board managed to raise enough money to send all 11 members to Atlanta and celebrate the success by reaching out to professional contacts in their parent Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Detroit chapter.
"PRSA Detroit's support has been invaluable to the WSU PRSSA chapter," said Catia Sabak, who served as immediate past president for the 2015-16 school year. “The growth of our chapter and members as future professionals would not be possible without their generosity, mentorship and career opportunities."
When there aren’t conferences to plan or trips to take, life in PRSSA still isn’t boring. Members are treated to many professional development workshops throughout the semester. At the beginning of April, members were treated to a crisis communications workshop with WSU College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts Dean Matt Seeger, who is also a professional in the public relations field.
"Visiting news outlets, public relations agencies and communications departments in nonprofits and corporations help to give students a firsthand look into the field they will be entering as well as to allow them the opportunity to network with professionals," said Stacey Kendall, vice president of professional development for WSU PRSSA.
The organization is supervised by faculty advisor Michele Najor, or Shelly as her students know her. PRSSA students also meet with Mary Henige, their professional advisor. Henige worked for 30 years at General Motors in its communication department before starting her own consulting firm.
PRSSA is open to anyone interested in the field of public relations at Wayne State. For more information on joining, please visit wsuprssa.org.