Welcome to the 2014-2015 Executive Board!

It is hard to believe that this year is coming to an end. Over the past two semesters, I have watched the firm grow into something spectacular. There have been ups, and there have been downs but I wouldn't have it any other way. This year's e-board has been there through it all with me and has truly shaped me into the leader I am today.

After reviewing various applications and an intense interview process, next year's board has been chosen. PRowl PR's executive board will be made up of 7 amazing aspiring PR pros next year. I have no doubt I am leaving the firm in more than capable hands and I cannot wait to see what they do next year! Meet our 2014-2015 Executive Board:

Amber Burns, Firm Director (bottom middle)

Alyssa Guckin, Assistant Firm Director (top middle)

Jaime Martorana, Assistant Firm Director (not pictured)

Jordan Washington, Assistant Firm Director (top right)

Kaylie Corallo, Director of Public Relations (bottom right)

Faiz Mandviwalla, Director of Finance (bottom left)

Maggie Wurst, Secretary (top left)

Good luck to all of you on this amazing journey full of learning & leading!

Keep Calm and Start the Year Right!

The start of the new school year is officially upon us. I know everyone is thinking the same thing, “Where did the summer go?!” Trust me, I feel your pain. However, let’s not let the end of summer deter us from a great school year! For us PR majors, it is important to make sure we take advantage of every opportunity the school year has to offer. Here are a few tips to ensure a great academic year without getting too overwhelmed:

        1.  Get Involved- Not only does joining a club look great on a resume, but meeting new people every year is such a rewarding experience. So, go out and find something that interests you. I promise it will be super beneficial in the long run.
2.     Stay Organized- Every PR person should have a planner. I would die without mine. Keep your schedule organized and neat so you never have an excuse for forgetting something.
3.     Eat and Sleep- I know it sounds cliché, but the busier you are the less important eat and sleep become. Make sure you are eating well balanced meals and maintaining an appropriate sleep schedule, you will be more productive.
4.     DON’T STRESS- A new school year can be a lot to handle for most people, but stay calm, relax, and don’t let yourself become stressed. If you follow the prior tips, you’ll have the best school year to date! 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Kelly Dougherty.

3 Reasons To Join PRSSA

With the start of a new school years comes the opportunity to become more involved on campus. If you are interested in a career in public relations what better way to learn more about the field than to become a member of a professional public relations student organization.

PRSSA, which stands for Public Relations Society of America, has over 10,000 members nationwide and has chapters located in thousands of universities. At Temple University, our PRSSA chapter meets every Tuesday from 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM at the Howard Gittis Student Center. Click here for more information: http://templeprssa.org/. The first meeting of the semester will be held in 217B.

Interested? Here are three reasons to join a PRSSA chapter near you according to www.PRSSA.org:

1. Enhance Your Education
Events. Network, learn and interact with public relations students from around the country at PRSSA events like National Conference, National Assembly and Regional Conferences.
Competitions. Apply what you’ve learned in the classroom, add to your portfolio and work with high-profile clients by taking the opportunity to compete in one of our many case study competitions.
Leadership. Add to your résumé and gain valuable leadership skills by running for office in your Chapter, student-run firm or the PRSSA National Committee.
Scholarships and Awards. Be recognized for your accomplishments or let us help you fund your education through one of the many scholarships and awards PRSSA offers students each year.
News and Intelligence. Stay current on industry news and the latest trends in public relations through PRSSA and PRSA news and intelligence resources.
Writing. Add to your portfolio and be published nationally by taking the initiative to write for FORUM® or PRSSA's blog, Progressions.
Places to Study. Find a school with a PRSSA Chapters near you by browsing the list of Chapter in the United States and one in Argentina.

2. Broaden Your Network
Events. Develop valuable relationships with future colleagues and current professionals through national and regional events.
Social Media. Start discussions and connect with PRSSA members from all over by plugging in to PRSSA social media.
PRSA Sponsor Chapters. Meet current professionals, ask questions and get professional advice through your Chapter’s PRSA Sponsor Chapter.
Champions for PRSSA. Browse the Champions for PRSSA Directory to see this network of professionals dedicated to supporting PRSSA members and your education.

3. Launch Your Career
PRSA Jobcenter. Browse career resources and search for public relations employment opportunities all over the world with PRSA Jobcenter.
Internships. Get job-hunting tips, upload your résumé and find the most recent internship opportunities through the PRSSA Internship Center.
PRSA Associate Membership. Start networking and get connected to 20,000 public relations professionals when you join PRSA as an Associate Member for only $60 up to five months before or two years after graduation.
PRSA Sections. PRSA Professional Interest Sections connect you to others who work in a niche industry, such as sports, health care or the military. Check out PRSA’s Section specifically for New Professionals.

Do you love your chapter of PRSSA? Tell us about it!

The Public Relations World of a Capella

A few of the many perks of joining a Temple student organization are that they are great resume boosters, they expose you to people who share similar interests as you, and they allow you to continue learning about something you love without required course credit. Temple’s a Capella groups do just that for both music majors and non-music majors. With four registered a Capella groups at Temple: Singchronize, Broad Street Line, Owlcapella, and Low Key, each group brings unique sounds and fun songs to the stage. These groups are filled with musicians who are passionate about their talent so much that they are willing to commit hours every week to rehearsing and performing. 

Though the musical aspects of a Capella are what really keep people a part of them, public relations is also vital to the groups’ credibility and audience capacity. So, each group collaborated to come up with a great PR tool that everyone can benefit from. This past semester, the a Capella family coordinated an event called Serenade at the Circle. It takes place around 10pm on the last Thursday of every month on campus. Each group performs two to three songs to display their musical abilities as well as to give the other a Capella groups a sense of what everyone has been working on. Not only has this built a stronger support system within the a Capella family, but it also draws in audience members from those passing through campus on a Thursday night. The turnout at this monthly event has gotten progressively larger, and is a great way for the groups to advertise upcoming performances. 

In addition to this fun event, each group is also responsible for promoting themselves as much as possible throughout the semester. This upcoming weekend, Singchronize and Broad Street Line will have their annual winter concerts Both groups have made Facebook events for the concerts, created flyers to post around Temple’s campus, and have passed on the event info to friends and family from home. The groups are expecting a great turnout and anticipate putting on a high quality, fun show for everyone to enjoy.

Public relations is a part of almost anything you get involved with at Temple as well as a future job. These a Capella groups have done their part to use public relations to their highest advantage. 

Are the organizations you are apart of using public relations effectively? Let us know how!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Madeline Barry.

TUTV Student Organization Filming Recap

Yesterday (March 3), PRowl Public Relations assisted client TUTV (Temple University Television) with an event to promote the March 16 launch of TempleTV.net, the channel's interactive online platform. One of our largest audiences for the launch campaign is current students on Philadelphia's main campus and abroad. When doing our research in the planning portion of the campaign, we found that Temple University has more than 300 registered student organizations on campus, with a total membership reach of 15,330 students.

In order to engage these students and get them excited for the website launch, PRowl planned a four-hour event where student organizations were invited to film a clip welcoming all visitors to TempleTV.net and introducing their organization to Temple's global community. On the upcoming March 16 launch day, these student organization "welcome" messages will rotate on the homepage. Every time a visitor enters the site, a new student organization will be there to greet them.

After a lot of e-mails and attending meetings to talk to student organizations, we got a great turnout of 58 organizations throughout the day. Students were invited to either share a message about what their organization does, or demonstrate their mission through a creative act. There was even more creativity than we expected! Singing, dancing, guitars, keyboards, flags, acting scripts, and other props appeared in the room throughout the day, and we were happy to have them!

Thank you to all Temple student organizations that stopped by. We look forward to sharing the messages we got yesterday with visitors who enter the site around the world on March 16!

The Power of Student Organizations

As a member of six different student organizations, I am definitely an advocate for getting involved on campus outside of class. Student organizations are not only a way to get to know your peers with similar interests, they often provide professional development opportunities, connect you with leaders in the field you're interested in, and can be a resume booster if used in the correct way.

PRowl Public Relations just finished compiling a database of all student organizations at Temple University, complete with type of student organization, number of members, and contact information for organization leaders. Especially when targeting students in our campaigns, student organizations are a powerful way to connect with campus opinion leaders. Temple University has a total undergraduate enrollment of approximately 27,000; of those 27,000 students, more than 15,000 of them are involved in a student organization.

From doing this research personally, I can tell you that there is a student organization for almost any interest you may have. There are more than 320 political/advocacy, recreation/leisure, arts & entertainment, professional, academic department, media/publication, Greek and service organizations at Temple University to choose from. If you're a Temple student, I encourage you to go to https://temple-community.symplicity.com, sign-in with your student information (your TUA and PW), and explore the different opportunities to get involved. If you're not a Temple University student, contact your Student Activities office and ask for more information about organizations at your university.

Whether you're targeting students in a campaign or are a student trying to differentiate yourself and meet your peers, student organizations should be a critical component of your professional or personal plan.

If interested in public relations, make sure to check out your university's Public Relations Student Society of America!