Five Belmont students and graduates received Awards of Merit last week at the Parthenon Awards, the yearly awards ceremony of the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The student group, including Joseph Norris (Dec. ’10), Bethany Nelson (May ’10), and seniors Allison Hurst, Jason Weidman and Sarah Norton, were recognized for their PR campaign, “Belmont Census Week: It’s In Our Hands,” a project designed to raise awareness in the Belmont community about the 2010 U.S. Census.
“This award recognizes an excellent public relations campaign by the Belmont student team,” said Bonnie Riechert, director of the public relations program. “The campaign was well researched, strategically planned and skillfully executed, demonstrating effective communication on behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau.” The campaign was implemented in February 2010 and included several campus convo events.
Two other Belmont students, senior Kate Burns and sophomore Katie Siklosi, were also recognized at the Parthenon Awards and received the two 2011 Nashville PRSA Young Professionals Scholarships, recognizing them for their academic achievement, commitment to public relations and their internship experience. The scholarship is open to members of the Public Relations Student Society of America, which has area chapters at Belmont University, Lipscomb University, Middle Tennessee State University, Austin Peay University and Western Kentucky University.