UA Plank Center Enters Second Year of Fellowship Program for Educators

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at The University of Alabama announced plans for its second annual Fellowship Program for Public Relations Educators.

The program is designed to introduce professors to the current day-to-day operations of the public relations function and create an exchange of information and ideas that will enhance the professional development of both the educators and the practitioner-sponsors.

In the first year of the program in 2010, the Plank Center placed three educators in public relations agency and corporate roles with Home Depot, Ketchum and Insidedge.

“We had a great start in our first year,” said Dr. Karla Gower, director of the Plank Center and Behringer Distinguished Professor in the department of advertising and public relations at UA.

“Our Fellows worked in top agency and corporate settings and truly gained world-class exposure to the issues and challenges that face practitioners today,” Gower said. “In turn, the sponsoring organizations learned and benefited from access to the educators who shape curricula and the lens through which their students view the profession.”

Educators selected to participate in the Plank Center Fellowship program will spend two full weeks in the offices of the sponsoring organization. In order to participate in the Plank Fellowship Program, the sponsor will pay housing and per diem expenses for the chosen educator; the educators or their institutions will pay for travel to the sponsoring organization and any out-of-pocket expenses.

Maria Russell, professor of public relations at Syracuse University and the Plank Center board adviser who led development of the Fellowship Program, said, “The Plank Center serves as the convener of the Fellowship Program for Public Relations educators, using its reach and professional standing to draw visibility and awareness for the program. We market the program to both educators and organization leaders, then coordinate the application process and match.”

The Plank Center has posted eligibility requirements and application details for educators and sponsoring organizations on its website at http://www.plankcenter.ua.edu/. Deadline for candidate applications is March 1.

In 2005, the UA Board of Trustees established the Plank Center, named for public relations leader and UA alumna Betsy Plank, to develop and recognize outstanding performance in the profession and the classroom. Through a variety of programs, and in concert with other groups and associations, the Center works to nurture the ethical and effective practice of public relations and help develop outstanding leaders for today and tomorrow.

In addition to national leaders in the practice and education, the Center Board includes an ex officio position for the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America, which represents more than 10,000 members in 300-plus colleges and universities.

The Center is housed in UA’s College of Communication and Information Sciences.  UA’s public relations program, with nearly 600 students, is the largest undergraduate degree program in the college. The program is certified by PRSA and was named by PRWeek magazine as the top ranked undergraduate public relations program in the country in 2010.