Public Relations | Alumni News

Mount Royal University PR students available for summer 2011 work placements!

May to August 2011 will mark the first work experience semester for the public relations University Degree program.

We are excited to say our group of talented third year students is ready to hit-the-ground-running for your company.

The work experience opportunity is employer paid and allows students to apply and enhance the knowledge and skills acquired through classroom learning to an industry setting.

More information here

Issue #13: Winter 2011

In this issue:

Faculty News and Events

Malcolm Gladwell

On March 11, 2011, along with nearly 1,800 other fans, I had the opportunity to see author Malcolm Gladwell speak. I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity, especially considering how quickly tickets sold out (second only to Sarah McLachlan).

Gladwell was just what I expected; funny, insightful and engaging. He speaks the way he writes, leading his audience through a maze of seemingly disconnected stories and bringing them all together in a way that makes it seem like they were always meant to be told together. He makes his point in a creative and powerful way.

Bottled Water Free Day

On March 10, 2011, the Polaris Institute donated hundreds of water bottles on National Plastic Water Bottle Free Day. A second-year public relations student, Michelle Slade, was the PR rep who provided students with information on recycling, and the negative impacts of using plastic bottles.

The goal of the event, according to Slade, was to ban plastic water bottle sales on campus. During the event students filled out surveys on water bottle use along with a petition for the school. The information gathered will be used to create a policy on the use of plastic bottles for the university.

A note from Jim Wood

So with great hoopla I retired in 2008 but, about all that has meant is that I’m no longer working full time. By way of an up date . . .

Most importantly, as I write this in the desert south of Laughlin, Nevada, I have in my truck a case of Ro-Tel for Janice Robertson. This will be delivered promptly upon my return to Alberta early in April. (Ro-Tel is a type of tomato-based salsa not available in Canada.)

Alumni News

How Helping a Huddle Helped Me

You’re probably working full-time. You may have a family you’re taking care of. You may be doing both. You’re probably trying to find time for yourself in your increasingly busy life. You savour those coveted days off, and when your well-deserved vacation days finally come, you relish the chance to turn off your brain and have some downtime.

Andrea Davis, 2009 Public Relations graduate

Moving to China after graduation was the biggest and best risk I have ever taken. Aside from meeting the love of my life and starting a family with our adopted street kitten "Charlie", I've managed to transform from an observer to a contributor to society.

Update on Mentorship

Mentorship update from Elizabeth

A few weeks ago, I found myself standing on the sidelines amidst thousands of spectators, straining to catch a glimpse of my daughter as she flew by in the Boston marathon. Needless to say, as a proud mom, I was filled with awe and inspiration. Now, as I reflect on the past five years developing and managing the mentorship program, I experience the same sense of pride. So many of you have participated as mentors and students. Like the marathon, it sometimes seems like a blur of faces and yet, at the same time, I have a strong mental image of the great personalities and generous spirits of all who signed up.

On June 2nd, a networking event for all present and past mentorship participants will be held at the James Joyce pub on 8th Avenue. Take a look at the attached invitation and contact elennox@mtroyal.ca if you would like to attend.

The upcoming orientation on May 24 marks the fifth year of the program. This year a record 130 members have joined. A simple thank you seems too little but there it is. Thank you to all.

Public Relations students reap the rewards from the FCS Mentorship program

Third year public relations student Tara McLean is a proud member of the mentorship program at Mount Royal. She realized the value of becoming a mentor when she first heard of the opportunity last year through Elizabeth Lennox. She’s enjoyed the mentorship program and has learned a lot from it, including the importance of relationships and the benefits that come from them.

Recently, a networking event was held for students in the mentorship program. It was a great eye-opener for communications students looking to expand their horizons and understand how important it is to network. Judy Murphy, adult educator and workplace skills developer, facilitated the event, offering some wonderful tips for success in the field of communications.

PR Alumni Chapter News

You have made a significant investment in your Mount Royal education and we want to help make sure that your time, well spent, pays in dividends. Alumni benefits and services are the perks that come with your membership in the Mount Royal University Alumni Association (MRUAA). Visit the www.mtroyal.ca/alumni

Alumni Snapshot – Where are they now?

Name: Katie Cook
Graduation year: 2009 (first grad class of MRU!)
Organization & Title: Communications Specialist, ThinkInnovation GmbH.
Of interest: I blog on behalf of my company on the subjects of PR, social media savvy and consultancy.
Contact: Here's a link to my blog:http://ybr.thinkinnovation.de/

Name: Andrea Lauder
Graduation Year: 2007
Of Interest: I've been accepted into the master of arts in
communications and technology (MACT) program at the University
of Alberta and will begin my studies in the spring of this year. I'm
really excited for this opportunity!
Contact Info: anders_8@hotmail.com

Name: Allison (Tooton) Himmelman
Graduation Year: 2004
Organization: Communications Advisor, Workers' Compensation Board of NS
Of Interest: My husband Steve and I welcomed our baby girl, Clare into our lives on August 16, 2009. After a year maternity leave, I returned to my position as Associate Director, Alumni Outreach at Dalhousie University for a few months before accepting a position with the WCB as a Communications Advisor. Would love to hear from any other alumni living in Atlantic Canada!
Contact Info: Allison.Himmelman@wcb.gov.ns.ca

Name: Kayleigh Rose Galpin
Graduation Year: 2009
Organization and job title: Communications Advisor, Calgary Homeless Foundation
Location: Calgary, AB
Of interest: I am going to Cambodia in November with the NGO Hope for the Nations. I will even be going into the remote Khmer Rouge villages, whose people are now ostracized from the rest of Cambodian society. I am very excited to experience a completely different culture, and to offer help and encouragement however I can.
Contact Info:
work email: kayleigh@calgaryhomeless.com
work phone: 403-718-8543
cell phone: 403-465-2653
www.facebook.com/kayleighgalpin
www.twitter.com/kayleighroses
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/kayleighgalpin

We’d love to hear from all grads, especially from anyone in the years prior to 2000. Send your updated info to elennox@mtroyal.ca.

Job Seekers Network

The Job Seekers Network is a weekly electronic bulletin listing job openings in the field of public relations. It has become an avenue for businesses to find practitioners with the best training available in the field of public relations. The bulletin, which goes out every Friday afternoon, is sent directly to the inbox of approximately 350 alumni of the Public Relations program at Mount Royal University.

If you have a job to post or if you are aware of an opportunity in public relations, please send your posting to elennox@mtroyal.ca. Interested applicants will contact you directly.

Notice board

Mount Royal University Continuing Education is hosting a one day forum and trade show called 'Social Media Shift: big ideas for growing business' on June 23.

The event is intended for entrepreneurs, small to medium business owners and those charged with marketing and communications and/or customer service loyalty programs within small to growing businesses. Early bird $249 Regular $299 + GST after May 16.

Note: (due to the target audience) there is no special rate or discount for MRU students, faculty or staff. There is a special rate for alumni.

A big thank you to...

....Michelle Dennis, Tara McLean and Amanda Mulligan for their contributions to this issue of In PRactice. These three third year students worked on this project as part of a class assignment for their Public Relations Management course.

Remember to let us know when you move or change jobs so we can keep in touch and let you know about all the great things that are happening in our program.

Elizabeth Lennox
Coordinator, Public Relations Outreach
Faculty of Communication Studies
Mount Royal University
4825 Mount Royal Gate SW
Calgary, Alberta T3E 6K6
(403) 440-5698
elennox@mtroyal.ca

The Public Relations Alumni E-Newsletter is produced once each semester and sent electronically to graduates of the Public Relations Program at Mount Royal. The next issue is due in the fall. If you have a story to tell, send it to elennox@mtroyal.ca. Photos are encouraged.