Mississippi State University will host a weekend public relations conference April 15-17. This is the first time the southern regional conference, “PR: The Universal Language,” has come to Mississippi.
At this conference, students will hear speakers from several corporations discuss case problems and real-life expectations within the public relations field. Registration fees will cost $55 for Public Relations Student Society of America members and $65 for non-PRSSA members.
PRSSA President Sarah Hill planned the event along with communication department head John Forde.
“I went to New York City for the national conference, and my advisers were approached and asked if they could host this,” Hill said. “We have Scott Boyd for the Macon Beacon, Jane Crump from Viking Range corp., Rick Johnson with the Air Force, Chuck Dunlap with the SEC Baseball and many more speakers.”
Through planning this event, she has talked with sponsors, including Lane Action Furniture in Tupelo, Fed-Ex and The People’s Bank.
Hill said this event will appeal to people interested in all aspects of public relations.
“There are so many different fields of it, and this conference will cater to all of them,” she said. “We call PR ‘the universal language’ because it is used in everyday life-from talking to clients to interviewing for a job to taking people to dinner.”
The weekend conference will also offer courses on persuasion.
Hill said the conference will benefit students who have majors other than public relations.
“All students in communication fields, business and marketing are encouraged to come,” she said. “Most of these fields all are combined in many businesses, so it’s good to have a sense of what each area does.”
Hill said Crump is a highly credible public relations professional.
“I really am interested in hearing Jane Crump speak for Viking Range,” Hill said. “I think she is extremely qualified in the field since she heads up the company’s PR.”
Public relations instructor Laura Walton teaches students how to handle certain case problems.
“This conference will help get them into the society, providing connections when the time for internships comes,” Walton said.
“The 25 speakers and their sessions will provide an intimate look at different areas of public relations studies,” she added. “Business and political science majors are also invited.”