The Belmont University Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and its members received four national awards at the recent PRSSA National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Belmont PRSSA received its eighth annual Star Chapter Award, recognizing 10 criteria of excellence including ethics advocacy, community service and professional involvement. The chapter’s professional adviser, Keith Miles of MP&F PR, received the national PRSSA Teahan Award for Outstanding Professional Adviser. He is currently serving in his second year as professional adviser to the chapter.
Haley Hall and Haley (Hicks) Charlton received PRSSA National Gold Key Awards, recognizing chapter leadership, academic excellence and professional promise. Hall is a senior and serves as the executive director of Tower Creative Consultants, Belmont’s student-run public relations firm. Charlton is a May 2016 graduate and served as the chapter’s public relations director. She is now the communications assistant for Georgia’s Dalton Public Schools.
While several chapters qualify for the Star Chapter Award each year, Belmont PRSSA is one of only two chapters in the nation to receive the distinction each year since the award was established in 2009.
Eight Belmont PRSSA student leaders and their faculty adviser attended the national conference, which brought together almost 1,000 students from across the country. The Belmont delegation included Alex Murphy, Lindsey Barchent, Cayli Allen, Jordan Willett, Kate Whiteside, Lydia Bailey, Aliyah Sheffield, Hall and Dr. Bonnie Riechert. They were joined at the awards banquet by Victoria Lewis, a May 2016 BU graduate who served as a chapter and national officer in PRSSA.
“The PRSSA National Conference helped me expand my professional network, bond with fellow PRSSA members and learn more about the amazing career path I have chosen,” said Allen, secretary of the Belmont chapter. “I’m so thankful to Belmont for providing me with this great opportunity.”
Willett, Belmont chapter’s historian said, “PRSSA National Conference helped me to further understand the role of a PR practitioner and the diverse avenues of public relations. After going to conference, I realized that there are many other students nationwide that are very passionate about the profession.”
Chartered in 2005, Belmont PRSSA is one of more than 300 society chapters, the foremost pre-professional organization for students interested in public relations and communications. PRSSA includes more than 11,000 student members and is sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America.
