Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Entire World of PRSSA

This basic flash video provides an overall visual for the power of PRSSA, encompassing all of the aspects of PRSSA discussed through this informational news package. The power of PRSSA has proved to be strong for many students, which is why this organization is so vast and all encompassing. From providing national networking opportunities, to local support for fundraising and event planning for each chapter, PRSSA continues to “advance the profession and the professional.”

The Power of PRSSA Networking


View The Power of PRSSA's Network in a larger map

PRSSA hosts an annual conference every year as a way to offer its members an opportunity to come together, network with each other, and learn an exponential amount regarding smart business practices. Saint Edward’s PRSSA Chapter was able to send four of their members this past October for the entire five days of the conference. One of the main benefits in attending the conference, reported by attendees, was the ability to network with other like minded students.
As a way of showing the power of networking through the PRSSA National Conference in Washington D.C, we’ve created a Google Map displaying all of the students the Saint Edward’s members met and their various universities around the country. As these students all begin to wrap up their undergraduate college career and start to take on a professional career, this type of national networking has huge power in generating job opportunities for them.
“Your network is your lifelong connection to opportunity, experience and professional growth,” states PRSSA’s motto on networking, “PRSSA can help you start or broaden your network to include friends and colleagues worldwide at all levels of the profession.”

The students arrived in Washington D.C. for five days with ample opportunities to meet other students and professionals. All of these students are members of PRSSA and have similar interests and end career goals in the business arena. The conference consisted of an evening mixer where students wore their schools PRSSA shirt and had the opportunity to meet and network with all 1,000 plus students at the conference.

“The mixer was a favorite memory of mine at conference because it was a fun social environment that engaged all of us, making it easy and fun to meet people and strike up conversations,” said Brandon Chapman from McNeese University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

There were several breakfasts and lunches where students were encouraged to attend and mingle with other students. Several attendees reported these small interactions as a great time to strike up a conversation and hand out their contact card as well as receive others contact cards. The Saint Edward’s students came back with 25 to 50 different contact cards ranging from 20 to 30 different universities across the country each. The Saint Edward’s student’s contacts were the data used for the map display.
As a result of this networking, Saint Edward’s graduating seniors have reported the benefit of talking to other graduating seniors in areas where they are interested in looking for jobs. Having someone in a city where you would like to look for employment who is also looking for similar employment is a huge advantage in widening your opportunities. PRSSA is an extensive organization that offers ample benefits to its members. However, the organizations ability to help and create a network for each student seems to heavily outshine the other said benefits.