MSU communication graduates, faculty win big at public relations conference

MSU communication graduates, faculty win big at public relations conference

MSU Office of Public Affairs

News Bureau (601) 663-6318

Contact: Zoie Henson, PR Intern

Zlh55@msstate.edu

November 1, 2021

     STARKVILLE, Miss.— Recent graduates from Mississippi State University’s Department of Communication received four top awards at the Southern Public Relations Federation Conference in Panama City Beach this month.

     At the October 10-13 SPRF conference, student groups from the communication department’s PRISM Spring 2021 class received three Lantern Awards and were named Best of Tier 3 for their work on public relations campaigns.

     MSU graduates Mckinsy Harris, Bailey Sennett, Majesty Henry and current communication faculty member Terri Hernandez were awarded a Lantern Award and Best in Tier 3 for their work with Mercedes-Benz of Tuscaloosa on “The MBT Experience” social media campaign. Through this campaign, students worked to produce content for social media through photography, videography, graphic production and more to reach higher levels of engagement.

     MSU graduates Marisa Laudadio, Madeline Burdine, Anna Owens, Amelia Henson, along with Hernandez, were awarded a Lantern Award for their work on the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Website Renewal campaign. In this project, students worked to completely redesign, reformat and renew the center’s website, resulting in a more user-friendly site.

     “Our team worked diligently to create a website for the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service that highlighted its programs and accomplishments in an inclusive, updated and user-friendly way,” said Henson, who served as copywriter for the project. “Completing this project was complex and challenging, but having team members with diverse skills made the process simpler. Seeing our project receive awards proves that our hard work and dedication was worthwhile.”

     John Nix Arledge and Carly Pippin, current MSU graduate students, along with MSU graduates Lauren Lucas and Charlotte Corr, joined by Hernandez, received a Lantern Award for their work with the Center for Community Engaged-Learning, where they worked to produce an annual publication and manage social media.

     “I am so proud of the work PRISM produces on behalf of its clients, and it’s great to see these professional-level projects recognized by SPRF and deemed award-worthy by other national public relations practitioners,” said Hernandez.

     Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Communication offers a bachelor of arts degree in five concentration areas: broadcast and digital journalism, communication and media studies, print and digital journalism, public relations, and theater. For more, visit www.comm.msstate.edu. MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.