Meet the Eboard: Mr. President

With a new school year comes a new executive board, and for the next couple of Fridays, Missouri State Chapter of PRSSA would like you to meet its new team. First, meet our fearless leader Mr. President, Doug Gaehle. His major is Public Relations Major with an Ethical Leadership Minor. He plans to graduate in May 2012. 

As president of PRSSA, he is responsible for overseeing the organization but is also seeks to inspire and engage the members of PRSSA to prepare them for careers in public relations. You can ask him any number of questions but most importantly with executive or administrative questions, questions about the national organization, PRSA, volunteer or internship opportunities, recruitment, and “how you can be involved with PRSSA,” this applies to local organizations and the community as well.

Check out our fun interview with Doug:


Why PR?

Sounds cliché but I really enjoy face to face interaction with people. I enjoy planning and executing events as well as the creativity of giving people what they want and need. The social aspect of public relations is something I thrive on because it allows for open discussion and collaboration. It is a field full of hard work and maintaining relationships.

Describe your dream job.

I don’t have just one dream job. I plan to work in all the facets of PR to better understand what it means to be a public relations professional. Ideally I would work in an environment that is culturally diverse and sociable. I would like to travel but have enough time to keep a home life and be an active member of my community.

What is the theme song of your life?

Definitely no theme song here. My ipod with so many different types of music that I choose songs based on my mood and there is always a song to fit an occasion, emotion, or situation.

Favorite color?

Blue.

Favorite past time?

Painting/ crafting, swimming, and reading


Don't forget you can meet Doug in person at our first meeting of the semester on Tuesday at 5:00 in Craig 330!

Welcome Back!

It is that first day of school,

and MoState PRSSA just wants to welcome you back.

You know you missed Craig Hall this summer!

There are exciting things planned this year for all of you,

so be prepared and tell all your friends.

Important to know:

First meeting of the semester is Tuesday, August 30 at 5 pm Craig 334.

Meeting for new members is that same day at 4:30 pm.

The Facebook group is a great way to stay up to date on what is going on, so make sure to join it!

Here is our most recent promotional video:

http://animoto.com/play/eOfx71NqoaU01oSUI9MHLQ?utm_content=main_link

Good luck with the rest of the first week of classes!

IN.network...You Should Do it!

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Wondering what to do this summer?

Consider getting involved with The Chamber of Commerce's program, IN.network.

According to their website, IN.network is:

IN.network is designed with interns in mind. It’s a summer program created to enhance the internship experience by showing soon-to-be graduates what Springfield has to offer outside the workplace. In a nutshell, it’s Springfield’s link from college tocareer. 

I participated in this program last summer, and it was a blast! It is essentially the intern version of The Network from Chamber of Commerce. Their goal was to keep us in Springfield, so it consists of multiple networking events and site seeing. It is funny because they are completely honest with us. They want us to show us how "cool" Springfield here so we will live here forever.

They had many other events such as a Cardinals Ball game, networking luncheons with The Network professionals, lunch at Trolley's, and end of the year dinner. It was such a fun experience. However, it surprised me how many people signed up but did not take advantage the opportunities. Unlike most networking groups, it was FREE! Free is a key word for most college students.

So you get free food, free networking opportunities with Springfield professionals, safe practice for harassing those networking skills, and time with students in Springfield you may have never met before...

Why would you spend your summer in Springfield any other way?

If you want to know more about my experience, check out my blog post. If you want to enroll, contact Kristen Westerman at kwesterman@springfieldchamber.com or call (417)862-5567. IN.network Summer Internship Program Application is due by May 31, 2011.

Job Shadowing: Andrea Harp

One opportunity PRSSA gives to students is job shadowing a current PR professional. Our Chapter provides contact information for a good group of willing professionals in the community. Students then contact the professional of their choice, possibly in the same field as one they want to be in. Then depending on the professional and student's schedule, the student visits the professional's workplace to see a "Day in the Life" of so to speak.


This semester, Bethany Parry shadowed Andrea Harp, a recent Drury graduate who is now working for Ozarks Community Hospital. She shared with us what she learned from Andrea while she was there.
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Through PRSSA, I recently job shadowed Andrea Harp, Social Media and Marketing Coordinator at Ozarks Community Hospital. It was a fun experience. I was so thankful that Andrea took time out of her busy schedule to let me get to know her better and learn more about PR in the real world.

I thought I would share with you 4 of my favorite tips she gave me:

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1. Never Underestimate the Power of Tagging:
Andrea manages the blog, and she said that since OCH started using social media, they now come up before Cox Hospital in the Google search engine. She said to tag every blog post well because it truly increases your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and therefore your online presence and traffic.

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2. Introduce Yourself to Your Co-workers as a New Employee:
As a PR professional, it is important to get to know your co-workers in all departments right away. Don't be afraid to go around and introduce yourself. To quote Andrea, "everybody poops", so don't let titles intimidate you. Knowing your co-workers on a personal level helps you professionally especially if you need their cooperation to generate social media content like for a blog.

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3. Be Aware of Rules in Your Industry:
Andrea works in a for-profit hospital and health care provider. Because of this, there is a lot of red tape and procedures she must take to follow the law. For example, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) restricts release of patient permission. Everything is confidential. They must not even email about a patient's condition because the lack of security. In order for Andrea to gather patient testimonials, she has to ask for permission in advance, so it is not harassing the patient. Also, they have to be careful that no patients are accidentally photographed when taking pictures. These are some of the rules for the health industry, but every industry has their own set of rules, and it important to know them.

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4. Ask People How They Want to Contribute:
When Andrea came on, she introduced herself to her co-workers asked them if there was a specific way they would like to contribute to social media content. For example, some of the doctors like to write blogs for Andrea, while others are comfortable talking with reporters, and other go on camera for YouTube videos. By getting others in the organizations involved, it gives the community an expert and takes pressure off you.

I had a fabulous time chatting with Andrea and her boss Carrie. Everyone at OCH was so friendly. I highly recommending shadowing someone with a job your would like to have one day. For me, it only solidified my passion for PR and social media!
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If you had a job shadowing experience that you would like to share like Bethany's. Or if you have questions about how you can job shadow someone. Contact us at prssa.mostate@gmail.com. 


Bethany Parry is a senior PR major at Missouri State. You can follow her on Twitter at @bparry08 or check out her blog at www.coffeeculturecommunity.blogspot.com

6 Things I Learned at PRSSA National Assembly

Hi, my name is Bethany Parry.

If you do not already know me, I am the one on the right in the picture above.

This year I was privileged to represent the Missouri State's Chapter of PRSSA at National Assembly.

First, to tell you a little about myself, I joined PRSSA in Spring 2010 because my aunt bought my membership for Christmas. She is a PR professor at Belmont University, and one of the main reasons I am in PR.

This past year, I got more involved serving as a community relations chair and on the Bear Communications Firm as well. One of my passions outside of PR is coffee. When I heard the PRSSA National Assembly was being held in the coffee capitol of the world, Seattle, this year, I volunteered right away!

Little did I know how much this experience would affect me personally and professionally.

The trip was incredible. 

I was surrounded by the brightest, most dedicated PR students in the nation, 

and it was both refreshing and exhilarating.

It was unlike most conferences I have attended because it was intimate and more about the participants than big name speakers.

Even without speakers, I learned so much from just speaking with my peers. 

Today, I would like to share the top 6 things I learned from PRSSA National Assembly:

#1: Know Your Brand: The National Committee put on a few sessions for us. One of them being "Branding with Brandi". It sounds corny, I know, but I realized how important it is to consider each "tweet" and "project" your organization is tied to because that all contributes to your brand. I also learned as individual Chapters, it is important for us to realize the National brand we are representing and try to meet those guidelines.

#2: Take Advantage of Opportunities: PRSSA National has so many tools available for students and Chapters that I was completely unaware of. There are opportunities to win awards for your Chapters, submit news, get published, hold regional activities, chat with other PRSSA members via #TwitterChats, get internships, get jobs, and so much more. The National Committee is such a great resource as well. I hope to set up some "Skype" dates with the new National Committee members to everyone realize the amazing opportunities at our finger tips.

#3: Networking with your Peers, Now, is Networking with Future PR Superstars: I met some incredible people in Seattle. Some that I hope to stay in contact with such as my roommate, Veronica, the new Chapter Development Chair, Kendall, and the new Public Relations Chair, LaurenKGray (and my new twitter friends). This is the best kind of networking, hanging with peers. I know that there were at least some future PR Super Stars in Seattle, and hopefully, they will still remember me someday. Networking is all about the relationships, which makes it so fun! That weekend Edelman, a global PR firm, held a fun networking event for us. They were so nice and brought lots of prices from clients like Starbucks and X-box. Having giant screens with games of Dance Central also helps making networking even more fun. 

#4: Do Not Rely on ONLY Students for Raising Funds: I learned many fundraising ideas from other Chapters, but they all had one common theme: "Do not rely on ONLY students for raising funds". Students do not have money, and they can other buy so many t-shirts and cookies at bake sales. The big money is going to happen when you target businesses and professionals because they have deeper, more reliable pockets.

The National Committee for 2011-2012

#5: Doing Your Civic Duty Can Be Fun: I will be honest. At first, I dreaded Saturday Assembly. All that I knew was that it consisted of voting ALL day on stuff, and it was so strict we had to motion to use the bath room. I was terrified of boredom and possibly wetting my pants. However, it was not terrifying; it was actually quite exciting to be a part of such a grand process. I got to know my peers, watch them run for spots on the committee, and celebrate in their success. Because I was a part of this process, I do not feel intimidated asking help from any of these committee members. I know they are there for the Chapter's, and I have their business cards. Also, I just realized how important being a part of these events are, and I hope Missouri State's Chapter of PRSSA will always have a voice at Assembly.

#6: PR People are SUPER Nice! PR people are the nicest people you will ever meet. I was nervous going to an event that I did not know anyone, but that was ridiculous because PR people seem to instantly become friends. I would encourage anyone who has a chance to go to a National or Regional event to take it because you will meet such wonderful people and hopefully form lifelong bonds with people in your future field!


If you have any questions about Assembly or anything National offers, feel free to contact me via email (Bethany08@live.missouristate.edu) or via Twitter (@bparry08). Or if you want to see more about my trip, check out my personal blog here. Again, I highly recommend getting involved at the National level. It is an experience you will not forget.

And of course I enjoyed many good cups of coffee while I was there! ;)

-Bethany