By Lucy Walsh
Members of the Belmont University’s Department of Public Relations gathered virtually on December 1 to celebrate a successful semester and to honor fall graduates. The event was organized by members of Belmont’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and featured semester highlights and a guest speaker from a local Nashville professional.
November 2020 graduates earning degrees in Public Relations included Kaitlyn Drzewiecki, Lindsey Falgoust, Katie McAdams and Emily Stembridge. Graduates were honored at a socially distant commencement ceremony hosted on campus on November 20 in the Massey Performing Arts Center, and each student was given time during the departmental celebration to share their favorite memories of their undergraduate experience. Graduate Emily Stembridge shared that her favorite memory involved taking every single public relations course with senior PR major Aliah Tayyun, with whom she won a 2020 Parthenon Award for their public relations campaign for Unlocked, a local ethical jewelry brand.
Recent graduates and PR Capstone students also announced their plans to pursue the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations exam offered through the Public Relations Society of America and the Universal Accreditation Board. Students are eligible to complete their certificate exam after taking a certificate preparatory course and sitting for the exam within six months of their graduation.
Belmont’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America was also honored for their awards from the 2020 PRSSA International Conference. The PRSSA executive board attended the virtual conference programming in October, and the chapter took home the Star Chapter Award and the Dr. F. H. Teahan Award for Outstanding PRSA/PRSSA Chapter Relationship Award honoring their sponsorship with the Public Relations Society of America Nashville Chapter. Jamie Anderson, a former PRSSA chapter president and May 2020 graduate, was honored with a National Gold Key Award.
Other highlights included recognition of attending faculty and the addition of Amber Palmer-Halma and Annakate Ross as two new adjunct professors for the 2020-2021 academic year. Department milestones also included the launch of the Social Media Management major which currently stands 25 students strong after its first semester and the launch of the PR at Belmont blog. Additionally, Public Relations faculty members began teaching in the newly redesigned M.S in Strategic Communication & Leadership program offered at Belmont beginning in the fall 2020 semester.
The Zoom celebration concluded with a presentation from guest speaker Pam Schmidt who currently serves as the Director of Human Resources and Talent Development at MP&F Strategic Communications in Nashville. Schmidt shared resume and hiring tips with attending students with the specific context to how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the careers of young professionals. Her best advice? Flexibility, digital skills and a well crafted thank you note are keys to success!
A private, four-year university, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service. The University’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. Rewarding career opportunities are offered in public relations and Belmont University offers degrees in both public relations and social media management. Since the establishment of the public relations major at Belmont in 2004, our public relations graduates are in demand throughout the region, from coast to coast and around the world. To learn more, visit http://www.belmont.edu/pr/index.html.