UAB public relations program earned a prestigious honor through the nationally recognized Public Relations Student Society of America. This photo was taken before COVID-19.
Students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham received the 2020 Public Relations Student Society of America’s STAR Chapter of the Year award for the first time in the program’s history.
“We are honored and excited to have been awarded the STAR Chapter Award by the Public Relations Student Society of America,” said Jacquelyn Shaia, J.D., Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Public Relations program in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Public relations is a strategic communications process that advocates and represents a client but does so in a manner that builds, maintains and preserves the client’s ongoing relationships with its publics.”
According to Shaia, the students have worked incredibly hard to distinguish themselves in this field, and the award by PRSSA recognizes their hard work, skills and readiness to begin their careers with great potential for success.
Shaia says public relations is an important field that affects every one of us, in some way, every day.
“Communication and messaging are critical to understanding each other — particularly illustrated in the time of a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic,” Shaia said. “Students in our program represent nonprofit organizations in Alabama as part of their studies and are taught how important it is to not only effectively represent the client but do so in an ethical and professional manner.”
Recognition of the program by a large, nationally recognized organization of professionals — over 22,000 members — is important in that it signals that the program meets and exceeds the standards of excellence set by leaders in the industry.
“The STAR Chapter of the Year award by the Public Relations Student Society of America is tremendous,” said Isabella Henke and Tehreem Khan, co-presidents of UAB’s chapter of Public Relations Council of Alabama/Public Relations Student Society of America. “We work very hard to represent our clients and UAB as ethical and skilled professionals. This is the first time UAB has ever applied for this particular award, and we are humbled that we have been selected for this honor.”