WMPRSA February 2004 E-Newsletter

President's Message

One of the great things about public relations is the ability to work almost anywhere. PR professionals are employed in corporations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, sports teams and so on.

This month's WMPRSA event takes a look at how public relations is practiced in, and how it can help the management of, area schools. K-12 education has been a hot topic in the past several years, and West Michigan's public, parochial and charter schools are no exception. Our February meeting will be a discussion about PR in the schools with area superintendents and school PR professionals giving their insights. Whether or not you have kids in school, we should all be interested in the management of our schools and their public relations efforts simply because we are citizens of a society dependent on education. But even more so, this meeting should be interesting to us because it's a unique opportunity to see how PR is beneficial to a specific part of our society.

Meanwhile, you should have received a notice about our annual awards program. The name has been changed yet again--to PRoof Awards. Please enter your projects and campaigns for an award so you can bring back to your office "PRoof"  that you know your stuff, and that PR works. Also, please consider nominations for the individual awards. And of course, mark your calendar for April 1 and plan to attend.  For more information please visit our awards page.

Finally, we continue to progress on our diversity and advocacy initiatives. The plans for both are also on our Web site. I want to encourage all members to think about getting involved in these efforts. As part of diversity we have extended invitations to schools in Kalamazoo, Holland, Muskegon and Grand Rapids to give presentations to minority students about PR as a career option. Let me know if you'd be willing to make a presentation in any of those areas once the opportunities arise. And if you want to get involved in advocacy, please consider responding with a letter or guest op-ed to papers in your area when the PR profession is misrepresented, or take the initiative to tackle some of the other ideas in our advocacy plan. Let us know if you do so we can share individual efforts with the whole chapter.

Enhancing the profession,

Tim Penning, APR
WMPRSA 2004 President

FEBRUARY PROGRAM:
HAVE YOU MADE YOUR RESERVATION? 

Issues/Crises in our schools

Have you made your reservation for our February 26 event, a stimulating discussion about issues/crises in our schools with four leading West Michigan educators. Joining the West Michigan Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America will be (in alpha order):

• Bert Bleke, superintendent of the Grand Rapids Public Schools
• Jim O'Donnell, superintendent of the Diocese of Grand Rapids' schools
• Juan Olivarez, Ph.D., president of Grand Rapids Community College
• Peter Ruppert, president of National Heritage Academies.

Our panelists will share war stories and lessons learned about specific issues they have faced; they will be joined by their public relations counsel to help outline how key messages were shaped and shared with internal and external audiences. There will be time for questions/answers and discussion.

The specifics: February 26 in Room 120 of the Applied Technology Center at Grand Rapids Community College, 151 Fountain NE. Networking will begin at 11:30 a.m. and lunch will begin at noon.

Cost: Members - $20; Non Members $30 and Full Time Students $15.
We should have you out of there by 1:15 p.m. 


TO REGISTER: Call the WMPRSA Hotline at 616.336.0678, or
                    FAX to 616.451-3108, or 
                    E-mail to mailto:admin@wmprsa.org

Mark Your Calendars Now!

March 18 Program
New York Times Columnist Shares His Knowledge
Come and hear Stu Elliott, who writes a popular column about advertising in the New York Times. He will reflect on the past 20 years of advertising and offer his perspective on potential trends in the field.  Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear from one of 'greats' in the field. This program is part of a series of events celebrating the 20th anniversary of GVSU's School of Communications.  The event will be held at GVSU's  DeVos Center downtown campus in Loosemore Auditorium, 7:00 p.m. on March 18. There is no cost to attend this program.  Everyone is also invited to a 5:30 reception held next to the Loosemore Auditorium.  The reception is free, however attendees are encouraged to make a contribution to the Hal Walton Scholarship Fund.

April 1 PRoof Awards
For more information please visit our awards page.

April 15 Program
Keeping Up with the Internet Revolution
Think the Tylenol case study has it all?  Think again. Today there's the Internet and that changes crisis communications thinking dramatically.  Learn how to make interactive communications an integral part of your overall crisis plan.  Find out why you should go online, identify appropriate strategies for going online and discover a mix of tools that enable you to deliver the type of information you need to deliver the type of information you need to get your message out to the media and other stakeholders immediately.  Our presenter Pat Prosser of Structure Interactive will use actual crisis situations from a variety of disciplines to illustrate this concept.  Mark April 15th on your calendars now for this informative lunch meeting. The exact location and time have yet to be determined.  Please read the March next newsletter for more details.

May 6-7 State PRSA Conference
The 2004 Michigan PRSA Conference is scheduled for May 6-7 in Detroit. Click here for the press release.

Get "A Taste of PRSA" When You Join in February or March
Public relations professionals who join WMPRSA in February or March will not only save money, but will also get a taste of the benefits of PRSA membership.  During this special promotion, PRSA will waive the $65 initiation fee, and new members will also receive a $20 voucher that can be applied towards PRSA's national professional development programs such as online seminars and teleseminars, or books or gift items offered through the PRSA Store.  This offer is valid for those joining as full Members. Local Chapter dues apply.  For complete details, visit www.prsa.org.

It Pays to Refer a Member to PRSA in 2004!
Recruit three or more members to PRSA in 2004 and you will receive a PRSA Dollars voucher that can be used towards PRSA books, gift merchandise, seminars or dues renewal.  The more members you recruit, the more you win. And everyone who recruits a member is eligible to receive additional prizes and awards, including travel vouchers at the end of the year as part of a grand 'MGAM' drawing.  Your name will be entered in the drawing once for each member that you refer.  Important: To ensure that your referral is counted, the new member must include your name on their print or online application as the referring member. Introduce a member to PRSA and everyone wins!

News from National

National Offices of PRSA To Relocate
PRSA has signed a 13-year lease agreement to relocate its national headquarters from its current location at 33 Irving Place to 33 Maiden Lane in downtown Manhattan's financial district. The new location and office space will provide a cost-effective opportunity for growth and greater professional development for PRSA's nearly 20,000 members and the profession. The move is scheduled for April 16, 2004.

PRSA National Advocacy Efforts
PRSA's national officers have been working to advocate for the PR profession, just as WMPRSA is locally. Here are some local advocacy efforts undertaken by PRSA on our behalf. (Please note that John Paluszak, who authored the piece in PR Week, is speaking to our local chapter next fall about Corporate Social Responsibility).

Issue:
Establishing a clear brand identity for the public relations profession.
PRSA Response:
PRSA President & CEO Del Galloway, APR discusses this issue and PRSA's efforts to demystify the profession and our professional brand in a bylined article published in the January 12 issue of BRANDWEEK.

Issue:
The need of the United States government to focus on improving its foreign policy, in an effort to improve the image of the United States internationally.
PRSA Response:
January 12 issue of PRWeek featured an Op/Ed by PRSA past president and liaison to the United Nations, John Paluszek, APR, Fellow PRSA, which details the role that public relations can play in restoring global communications.

JOB BOARD

Health Communications Specialist Wanted
The American Institutes for Research seeks a Health Communications Specialist to work on a web-based prevention outreach project sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Position Responsibilities:
Develop web content and web-outreach strategies to serve information needs of organizations at national, regional, and community levels

Communicate information related to prevention research findings, news on best practices & model programs, articles on innovative community projects, responses to practitioners' questions, information from other prevention-focused websites and clearinghouses

Work with project manager to develop and implement monthly/quarterly content plan; write content for the website

Create innovative outreach strategies to market content and increase user participation

Locate and interview prevention experts for web chats or other online forums.
Work with the government client and contribute to client meetings, reports, and presentations

Ideal Candidates will have:
Minimum of five years related experience with Web or document-based health communications

Masters degree and work in substance abuse prevention field highly preferred
Strong communication and interpersonal skills a must to be able to work with government client in a team-oriented environment. 

We offer a comprehensive salary and benefits package.  Please forward resume with cover letter, and samples of independently written/edited Web products to:
 Resumes@air.org, subject line:04/Health/Comm

Organization Seeking Public Relations Volunteer
Safe Haven, an organization in Grand Rapids that serves to prevent abuse against women, is looking for a volunteer to assist with public relations. They are looking for someone to help with the newsletter, awareness campaigns, media relations and special events.  For more information call Michelle Reinhold at (616) 245-7578. 

Subscriptions and 2004 Newsletter Editor Contact

This monthly electronic newsletter comes from the West Michigan Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Sponsorship of the newsletter is provided by Pathway Internet Services, which also hosts the WMPRSA website.

WMPRSA
PO Box 68124
Grand Rapids, MI 49516
Phone: 616-336-0678
Fax: 616-451-3108
wmprsa.org

Send newsletter feedback, ideas and accompanying color or b&w photos in jpeg format to: Carol Tanis at ctanis@grsymphony.org.

Deadline for newsletter content is the 1st of each month.