PRSSA
One of our bragging points is our co-curricular program, the center of which is our nationally-recognized chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, PRSSA. The Belmont Chapter of PRSSA was chartered in July 2005 and received its first national award in 2006. Since that year we have attended each national PRSSA Conference and brought home national chapter and student awards in categories such as Chapter Development, Ethics Advocacy, and Star Chapter Award, based on 10 different criteria. This is impressive, considering we are competing against 300 or so other larger, more established chapters throughout the United States.
We sent one student to the PRSSA National Conference in Salt Lake City, in 2006
- Eight students to the National Conference in Philadelphia in 2007
- Two students to the National Conference in Detroit in 2008
- Two students to the National Conference in San Diego in 2009
- Four students to the National Conference in Washington, D.C. in 2010, and
- 12 students to the National Conference in Orlando in 2011
- 11 students to the National Conference in San Francisco in 2012
In October 2012 Belmont sent 11 students to the PRSSA National Conference in San Francisco, and the chapter received its fourth Star Chapter Award as well as the award for hosting the outstanding (out of 10) PRSSA Regional Conference in 2012. This award recognized attendance by 125 students from 14 different chapters, and speakers from HGTV, Dallas Cowboys, Bonnaroo, IBM, Cracker Barrel and Cision. Our public relations majors and minors continue the tradition of excellent student leadership evident in our program since its first establishment.
Belmont PRSSA hosted its second PRSSA Regional Conference in 2015, again receiving the national PRSSA Teahan Award for Outstanding Regional Conference. The Chapter has received a Star Chapter Award each year since the award was established in 2009, making it only one of only two Chapters in the nation with this distinction. In 2014 faculty adviser Dr. Bonnie Riechert received the national PRSSA Teahan Award for Outstanding Faculty Adviser. The Chapter’s Professional Adviser, Keith Miles of MP&F Strategic Communications, has twice received the national PRSSA Teahan Award for Outstanding Professional Adviser. Belmont PRSSA and its sponsoring PRSA Nashville Chapter have three times received the national PRSSA Teahan Award for Outstanding PRSA/PRSSA Relationship. In 2019 Belmont PRSSA received the national PRSSA Teahan Award for Community Service.