The Penn State chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) won first place in a national competition to create an awareness and promote family discussion about organ donation.
Groups from PRSSA chapters from across the country were challenged as part of the National Organ Day Awareness Competition. Students were required to conduct a daylong event and maintain a binder of materials that was submitted for judging.
The Penn State chapter focused its efforts on The Gift of Life, a nonprofit organ procurement organization based in Philadelphia. In addition, Penn State students, faculty and staff were encouraged to register as organ donors.
“We’ve placed in the top three the last few years,” said Renea Nichols, a senior lecturer in the Department of Public Relations who helped guide students through the process. “The competition is great because it gives students experience from beginning to end and they get feedback from PR professionals.”
Nichols learned about the competition while working as a professor at Arizona State University, where her students also placed in the competition.
“I’m passionate about teaching public relations to my students, and I always want to get them involved,” she said.
Associate professor Ann Marie Major serves as the faculty adviser for Penn State’s Lawrence G. Foster PRSSA chapter, which includes some 300 members.
“We have been very blessed with the quality of students in our program,” said Major. “They bring an intellect and ability to national competitions that few other universities have. We have a great faculty, great administrators and great alumni who support us in every way.”
The competition -- sponsored annually by the PRSSA chapter at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. -- allows PRSSA members the chance to enhance their public relations skills and gain experience working on a nationally recognized campaign.