To our current members, alumni and friends, welcome back to another school year with University of Oregon PRSSA! I am honored and excited to serve as president this year, and help UO PRSSA continue to grow. Over the summer, I’ve watched our executive board build plans for one amazing year complete with opportunities to connect with industry professionals, develop your professional skills, expand your resume, and get involved with a nationally recognized network of PR professionals. Here are just a few ways to take advantage of all PRSSA has to offer this year:
Get involved by joining a committee. Chapter committees assist in all areas of UO PRSSA, from planning events, promotion and fundraising. It’s an awesome way to connect with other members and expand your resume. This year, we’re excited to introduce committee leadership positions and a new Campus Collaboration for even more opportunities to get involved. Learn more about Chapter committees at our first Chapter meeting this year!
Join us for agency tours and networking events. Each term UO PRSSA hosts tours with some of the biggest PR agencies in the nation. This year, we’re heading to Portland, Seattle, and other major cities to get a taste of life in the industry. If you prefer to stick closer to home, we also host regular networking events and mixers with Oregon’s PRSA chapters and other local professionals.
Take advantage of job listings and scholarships. Your PRSSA membership earns you access to an amazing database of jobs and internships (http://www.prssa.org/career/prsa_jobcenter/). Only PRSSA and PRSA members have access to these listings, so it’s a great way to uncover opportunities! PRSSA also offers scholarships and awards each year exclusively for members (http://www.prssa.org/career/prsa_jobcenter/).
Learn from guest speakers and workshops. Our bi-weekly Chapter meetings aren’t just routine announcements. We host a variety of PR industry professionals throughout the year! Come get your questions answered and make a connection! We’re also excited to continue our annual PRofessional Development Workshop series this year to help tune up your resume, prefect your cover letter and build your portfolio.
If you’ve ever thought about joining PRSSA, this is the time to do so. I’d like to invite everyone to attend our first Chapter meeting on October 9 at 6 PM in Allen 141! We hope to see you there and show you all that PRSSA has to offer. Questions? Shoot us an email at prssa@jcomm.uoregon.edu!
Callie Gisler is the 2013-2014 University of Oregon PRSSA chapter president. She is currently a senior in the SOJC, pursuing a double major in public relations and magazine journalism. Follow her on Twitter at @CallieGisler.
