University Of Maryland Puts Pr In Students' Hands

10 Maryland public relations students will run the sixth annual Grunig Lecture, a PR-based networking event.

by Abby Kloppenburg, USA TODAY College

For the first time, the University of Maryland is putting PR in the hands of its students.

On Oct. 30, a group of 10 Maryland public relations students will run the sixth annual Grunig Lecture, a PR-based networking event put on by the school and the Council of Public Relations Firms. The students have been coordinating the event to earn a class credit.

Melissa Cassorla, a senior who has been studying PR for two years, serves as one of two leaders of the group, which they call "the Grunig team."

"I'm receiving three credits for this, but we're also setting the precedent for as long as the series continues," she said. "Everyone will be learning from our mistakes."

At the event, Cassorla says she is especially looking forward to meeting Dave Senay, the President and CEO of FleishmanHillard who will serve as the keynote speaker. FleishmanHillard is a marketing and PR firm that has earned 87 Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America, an organization that spotlights the highest performance in the industry.

To read more, please click here.