PR in the Field of Education

I came across an article today titled 'Wilson School Board Hires Public Relations Director-Fundraiser'. This headline immediately piqued my interest because I have never thought of the possibility of doing public relations work for a school district. When someone asks me what jobs I can do with my PR degree, a question that I get very often, I usually bring up the three areas where PR is usually utilized; non-profits, corporations and agencies.

As a public relations major I'm used to having to explain my future job qualifications because most people don't fully understand what a PR professional actually does. That's the point of PR, the PR person is always in the background and never seen. We have the negative stigma of being, dare I say it... 'spin doctors'. However, the majority of PR work really does focus on advocating for a group who don't know how to advocate for themselves to engage the public and receive support. In the case of the Wilson School Board, their decision to reach out to a public relations professional in an attempt to raise funds and awareness of their schools need was a brilliant idea. I am so glad to see a board of educators be able to realize the importance and effectiveness of public relations, especially in a recession.

Public relations is almost more important in tough economic times to keep an organization afloat. The Wilson School District's PR campaign will remind it's alumni how much their support is needed and will garner much more financial support for the school. In busy day to day life sometimes people need to have an issue brought to their attention in order for them to react. The Wilson School District could have the most innovative educational programs in the world, but if no one knows about it then they won't recieve any support. This is what makes public relations critical to a successful organization.

It is great to see that their are new PR opportunities being developed all the time in many different fields because PR is something that can benefit many different organizations.

Link to the original article.