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PRKent is the only public relations program in Ohio with both CEPR and AEJMC accreditation

������’s undergraduate public relations program has joined a select group of fewer than 40 colleges around the world that hold official certification from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

PRSA is the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals. It sets standards of excellence and upholds principles of ethics for its members. After reviewing a 150-page application, a team from the organization’s Education Affairs Committee visited ������ in April to conduct a review of the public relations program. This review included interviews with students, alumni, employers, faculty and administrators, observation of classes, and an analysis of curriculum, job placement rate and other data. PRSA will officially grant ������ Certification in Education for Public Relations (CEPR) at the organization’s international conference on Oct. 23-25 in Indianapolis.

“CEPR is a quality-assurance endorsement for the work of our students, alumni, faculty and others involved in the PRKent program,” says Michele Ewing, APR, ������ associate professor and PR sequence coordinator. “It shows that our undergraduate public relations program is among the best in the nation.”

With the CEPR endorsement, ������ earns new distinction as the only institution in Ohio to house a PRSA-certified public relations program within a school with accreditation from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

“Public relations classes have been taught in the ������ journalism program for 80 years, and the public relations program has grown 43 percent in the last four years to almost 200 students,” says Susan Gonders, Ph.D., co-chair of PRSA Educational Affairs. “It has an award-wining PRSSA chapter, excellent relations with alumni and other practicing professionals, and a robust, multipronged systematic assessment process.”

The certification report also praised the program’s professional emphasis and its high career and graduate school placement rate — 82.5 percent within the strategic communication field — for ������ public relations majors within the first year after graduation.

“The PRKent program has allowed me to grow as a person and a professional since my first day in Franklin Hall,” says ������ public relations major Erin Zaranec, ’17, PRSSA president. “Interacting with faculty and staff who are so supportive of each student has allowed me to explore my interests in the PR industry, while interacting with professors who have years of experience in the field.”

Aside from the recognition, one of the benefits of the certification process was having noted academics and professionals take a deep look at the ������ public relations program, says Tim Roberts, undergraduate studies coordinator for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and associate lecturer in the public relations sequence.

“Having outside PR professionals and educators who understand public relations validate what we are doing and share constructive recommendations is invaluable,” Roberts says.

The certification team evaluated the following areas:

• Curriculum
• Faculty
• Resources, equipment and facilities
• Students
• Assessment
• Professional affiliations
• Relationships within the unit and the university
• Diversity and global perspectives

The program will be up for recertification every six years.

Learn more about ������’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Photo Caption: ������ public relations students and advisor Michele Ewing attend last year's national Public Relations Society of America conference.