The Public Relations Student Society of America has finally gotten their own office on the upper floor of the Plangere Center. The snug corner at the far end of the hall that once contained leather couches for the weary and computers for the busy, now houses a grand glass window with a view into the simple work space of the University’s student public relations charter.
“It is important to the entire Monmouth community that PRSSA earned an office in Plangere,” said Melissa Roskowski, the former president of the PRSSA, who played a key role in the acquisition of the new office.
“The benefit to PRSSA members is clear—real life experience and a viable way to grow as an organization. However, with the addition of the office, PRSSA can take in more clients, both on and off campus, which allows Monmouth and its surrounding community to utilize all the skills PRSSA’s members have to offer,” Roskowski said.
The University’s PRSSA chapter was established in 1997 with the intention of preparing students for success in the field of public relations. The PRSSA is a student run chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. According to Professor McAllister-Spooner, APR Director and Corporate and Public Communication Faculty Advisor, the PRSSA also creates internship and employment opportunities for students all while giving them the proper training as well as networking opportunities.
“The PRSSA has become significantly more active for the PR students to create employment opportunities and to create practical experiences by working and being a member of the chapter,” said McAllister-Spooner. “So they work on real projects, they have real clients, and it’s something more to put on your resume and something to add to your portfolio.”
The necessity for office space grew to be a problem as, over the years, the population of the organization increased.
“I think it was in fact due to the increasing number of students joining that Monmouth faculty gave us an office,” said Robyn Flynn, the former Fundraising Director for the PRSSA.
“Our numbers grew larger and were comparable to other Communication groups such as WMCX, The Hawk, and The Outlook, therefore it seemed fitting that we have an office space to accommodate all the students. In addition to that, PRSSA took on more work, we were in the process of starting our own not for profit PR firm and that added to our need for our own space,” said Flynn.
“Establishing our organization and increasing its visibility took hard work and dedication,” said Roskowski, “but ultimately we succeeded and the office was needed and allotted to us due to the rise in our membership.”
“The idea to build an office was the long term goal for the PRSSA from the start,” said Sara Palughi, current Co-President of the PRS
- SA. “Throughout the years, the club has grown and progressed; increasing not only our membership but our contributions to the University and the local community.”
The new office is used as a workspace for the PRSSA members as well as a meeting place for members and clients. Executive Board member meetings are also being held there and computers were put in to help transform the newly constructed room into an efficient working center.
“Firm and executive board meetings will be held in the office,” said Palughi. “The main function of the office will be to conduct client meetings, store and organize paperwork, and act as a work space where all members can meet and brainstorm together on various PRSSA projects.”
Due to the size of the office, PRSSA general meetings will be held elsewhere, said Palughi.
The new office is considered a wonderful recognition by the University to the PRSSA. The public relations program was certified last year by the Public Relations Society of America: it is only one in 28 public relations programs in the world to be certified. The certification and recognition of the Public Relations program played a large part in the PRSSA’s obtaining an office space in the Plangere center.
“This was a huge step for PRSSA and also the Monmouth community,” said Flynn. “We finally gained the recognition that we have worked for and earned throughout the years, and it feels so good to finally be acknowledged for it.”
“I was thrilled when the PRSSA office opened,” said Roskowski. “We had all put so much time and effort into it, so we had a great sense of accomplishment. I absolutely think that this office will benefit PRSSA’s current and future members. It gives students the opportunity to see what PR is all about outside the of a class room setting. This means they will be more confident in their skills, better prepared for their internships and, ultimately, ready for their careers after graduation.” “It is very important that PRSSA now has an office in Plangere,” said Palughi. “It gives PRSSA a presence in the building and allows members to collaborate on projects… this office and the firm have been the long term goal of PRSSA, so it is nice to see the clubs ‘dreams’ finally come true.” “It took a lot to get that space and it is a huge accomplishment that can be credited to not only members and eboard members, but also the faculty, they went above and beyond to get us what we all knew we deserved. Members are excited to have a place to call their own this semester and to congregate to work on projects,” Flynn said.
The PRSSA meets at 2:30pm every other Wednesday in Room 234 in the Plangere Center.
PHOTO COURTESY of Joanna Zietara
