Southern PR Hall of Fame Honors Namesake of UA’s Plank Center

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.  — Betsy Plank, public relations legend and the namesake of The University of Alabama’s Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, has been inducted posthumously into the 2015 Southern Public Relations Hall of Fame.

The Southern Public Relations Hall of Fame was established in 2010 to recognize the distinguished accomplishments, commitment and leadership of professional public relations practitioners and educators from the Southeastern United States.

The recent induction ceremony took place in Starkville, Mississippi. Inductees are current and former Southern public relations practitioners or educators who have brought honor to the PR field.

Inductees are recognized for their extraordinary achievements, accomplishments and contributions to their organizations, communities and the public relations profession.

“People don’t tend to think of Betsy as Southern since she spent her working life in Chicago, but she thought of herself that way,” said Dr. Karla Gower, director of the Plank Center and UA professor of advertising and public relations. “She was born in Tuscaloosa, lived in four Southern states, finished her degree at The University of Alabama and returned, at the end of her career, to the University, endowing the Plank Center in pursuit of public relations leadership.”

For more information, visit the Southern Public Relations Hall of Fame website.

About the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations

In 2005, The UA Board of Trustees established The Plank Center to develop and recognize outstanding performance in the profession and classroom. Through a variety of programs, and in concert with groups and associations, the center works to nurture and help develop outstanding leaders. In addition to national leaders in the practice and education, the center’s board includes an ex officio position for the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America that represents more than 11,000 members in more than 300 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 within the College. The program is certified by the Public Relations Society of America and for six years has been ranked among the top five public relations programs in the country by PRWeek magazine. More information about the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations can be found at www.plankcenter.ua.edu.