UA PR Student Wins National Scholarship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama public relations major Jacquie McMahon was recently named the recipient of the national Betsy Plank/PRSSA Scholarship, presented by the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Applications for the award were judged on academic achievement, leadership, practical experience in PR and commitment to the field.

“I decided to apply for the award with the hopes of bringing some national spotlight to our department,” said McMahon, a junior from Pawleys Island, S.C., who is director of UA’s Capstone Agency, one of PRSSA’s 34 nationally affiliated, student-run firms.

Betsy Plank, the award’s namesake, was born in Tuscaloosa and graduated from UA. She was a trailblazer in the public relations field and was a significant advocate for the establishment of PRSSA.

“Saying it’s a huge honor doesn’t even begin to cover it,” McMahon said. “It was an amazing feeling to bring national recognition, which is something Betsy Plank wanted, for the chapter. And to win something associated with such a great namesake was an incredible feeling.”

Teri Henley, faculty adviser for Capstone Agency and an instructor in UA’s department of advertising and public relations, commended Jacquie for her outstanding leadership.

“In 2008 Betsy Plank challenged our chapter to gain national attention for our outstanding PR program at UA,” Henley said. “It is the leadership of students like Jacquie, a member of last year’s nationally recognized Bateman team and this year as Capstone Agency Firm director, who make our program better and better every year.”

Capstone Agency is a student-run integrated communications firm composed of top students at The University of Alabama. Housed in the College of Communication and Information Sciences’ department of advertising and public relations, the award-winning agency seeks to deliver effective, innovative work to a variety of local and international clients.