TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations recently launched Platform, an online magazine designed and produced by UA public relations students for other public relations students, educators and professionals nationwide.
“In line with the ideas of Web 2.0, Platform was created by nine students in our program as an interactive forum in the field,” said Dr. Bruce Berger, professor and chair of the UA advertising and public relations department and director of The Plank Center. “Led by Dr. Meg Lamme and instructors Tracy Sims and Susy Daria, the students designed and developed all the content for the site to encourage connections among students, teachers and professionals and create a community for sharing ideas and information.”
Content includes interviews with students, academics and practitioners about careers, ethics, leadership, diversity and technology. Visitors also can take a series of AP style quizzes, tune into a podcast, link to a variety of online resources in public relations, e-mail sources featured on the site and post notes on the site’s blog (also accessible by RSS feed).
Students who created Platform as a special project for a campaigns class are Breeanna Beckham, Bethany Cobb, Megan Frazier, Craig Langley, Chase Long, Jennifer Mitchell, Haley Moore, Ross Reddick and Miranda Yow. UA graduate and Birmingham Web designer Ryan Burnett of Burnett Communications developed the site’s infrastructure.
The center is named for UA alumna and nationally acclaimed public relations pioneer Betsy Plank, who is featured in a series of video clips on the site. The Plank Center seeks to encourage a national dialogue among public relations professionals, educators and students about effective and ethical representation of institutions, organizations, ideas and individuals. It promotes teaching, research and service that further the understanding and practice of public relations.
The center is located in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at UA, one of the most prestigious communication colleges in the nation. C&IS consistently is ranked among the top 10 in number of doctoral degrees awarded and in many of its research programs. With more than 600 students, UA’s public relations program is the largest undergraduate degree program in the College.
Contact
Deidre Stalnaker, UA Public Relations, 205/348-3782, dstalnaker@ur.ua.edu
Source
Dr. Bruce Berger, director of the Plank Center and chair of the UA advertising and public relations department, 205/348-7692, berger@apr.ua.edu