Third University Professor to Be Awarded This Title
Sheila McAllister, public relations professor, was recently named the President of the New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the exchange of information in communication research.
“I have been a member of NJCA since 2005 and I have worked with various committees. I worked my way up the ladder and I am so thrilled to now be able to say that I am the President of NJCA,” said McAllister.
McAllister serves as the director of the University’s graduate program in corporate and public communication as well as the faculty advisor to the University’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).
Victoria Day, sophomore and current student in McAllister’s communication research methods class, said, “It is no surprise that McAllister was awarded the title of President of NJCA. Her credentials and overall experience in the communication field goes above and beyond that of the average professor. You can definitely tell that her heart is in communication and she is more than deserving of this title.”
NJCA is a network of people dedicated to the understanding and management of communication. It promotes and recognizes the need to excel in communication research and application at a scholarly and professional level. According to the NJCA website, one of its main missions is “to advocate for the development and implementation of communication education at all levels of curricula.”
“As president, I will encourage students to prosper in the field of communication,” said McAllister. “I will especially urge students to attend the NJCA conference on April 20 at Fairleigh Dickinson University, which is an event that students can participate in by submitting papers and forming panels. Not only will students make connections with other emerging communication professionals at Monmouth, but various people involved in communication everywhere.”
There are other key executive positions in NJCA that are currently being held by other communication professors at the University, including Vera Towle as the Internet Relations Director, Mary Harris as the Public Relations Director, Chad Dell as the At-Large and Victoria Jordan as the Undergraduate Student Representative.
As a first-year member with NJCA, Harris “assists with Public Relations and outreach regarding the NJCA mission, membership, and annual conference.” In addition, Harris attends meetings to collaborate with other executive board members regarding event planning. Elected Public Relations Director in April 2012, Harris “looks forward to continuing [her] work with the organization.”
“McAllister and many other public relations professors are very inspiring- they all make the field look fun and exciting,” said Allie Phillips, sophomore and member of PRSSA. “McAllister especially encourages the students to get involved and do things to gain experience within the field.” Phillips is a public relations concentration within the communication major and believes that PRSSA is a great way to get involved. “McAllister runs PRSSA in a way that allows us to use our own creativity. With her help, I am positive that this is the field that I want to enter in the near future,” Phillips said.
Since its establishment in 1997, the University has had two other communication professors awarded the title of President of NJCA, including Don Swanson in 2001 and Michael Echols in 2012.
