UA Plank Center to Host Pre-Professional PR Conference

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Distinguished public relations alumni will return to The University of Alabama to share their insights into contemporary public relations practices, career opportunities and technological advances with current students at a Pre-Professional Public Relations Conference hosted by the Plank Center for Public Relations Studies. The conference will be Tuesday, March 7 in Reese Phifer Hall.

Conference speakers will present award-winning public relations campaigns and provide an insider’s perspective on the creativity process. Experts will share the latest in online communications, media relations and integrated communications. Students will receive advice ranging from how to market individual portfolios to how to dress for success.

Dr. Bruce Berger, chairman of the advertising and public relations department, spearheaded the conference planning.

“We are pleased to see so many of our departmental alumni doing so well on the national level,” Berger said. “Our speakers represent leading corporations, nationally recognized PR firms and well-known nonprofits.”

By bringing in UA graduates who have distinguished themselves in highly competitive markets, Berger said, “the Plank Center promotes academic and professional excellence. It creates an educational environment, where character traits such as discipline, hard work and integrity are valued by students and faculty alike.”

The center, named for UA alumna and nationally acclaimed public relations pioneer Betsy Plank, is designed 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.

With nearly 600 students, UA’s public relations program is the largest undergraduate degree program in the College. It has already attained national distinction as the 12th program in the United States to be reviewed and certified by PRSA.

The College of Communication & Information Sciences at The University of Alabama is among 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. C&IS graduates have won four of the six Pulitzer Prizes awarded to UA alumni, and the forensics and debate squad, housed within the College, has garnered 14 national championships.