Manship students recognized for excellence in national competition at Public Relations Student Society of America National Conference
Public Relations Student Society of America at LSU received first place in the National Organ Donor Awareness Competition at the PRSSA National Conference, which took place from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Student-run public relations firm 225 Communications partnered with Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency to design and execute a semester-long educational campaign for Public Relations Campaigns, a Manship School of Mass Communication capstone course.
“The most fulfilling part of leading the Manship PR students is to watch them progress
from doubt and a bit of fear at the beginning of the semester to confidence that they
have
accomplished their campaign goals at the end of the semester,” Manship professor
Jinx Broussard stated.
NODAC challenges students to utilize their public relations skills to create a campaign
and host a daylong event in April to spread awareness about the need for organ donations
across campuses nationwide.
“In doing so, the students enhance their knowledge by applying what they are learning
in the classroom,” Broussard stated.
Broussard has selected one group of students in each of her campaigns classes to
work on the LOPA campaign since the competition was initiated in 2014. Her students
won first place in NODAC that year and second place in 2015.
Students in Broussard’s campaigns classes have assisted LOPA for about six years
and
have registered hundreds of organ donors.
“The obvious implication of LSU’s NODAC win is more people in the donor registry,” stated Kelly Ranum, CEO of LOPA, “but the real victory is the hope they have given to the thousands waiting. Our society often struggles to talk about donation because it makes us think about our mortality. 225 Communications used their skills and training to break through those barriers, focusing on the positives, and helped get the conversation started. I appreciate the tremendous job they did and imagine their passion for donation will continue long after graduation.”
Manship students Brooke Chandler, a native of Metairie, La.; Rachael Greene, a native
of Mandeville, La.; Anna Hoz, a native of Mandeville, La.; Meagan Meyers, a native
of Houston, Texas; David LaPlante, a native of Baton Rouge, La.; and Kaitlyn King,
a native of Mandeville, La., created and implemented the award-winning campaign in
the spring of 2016.
About PRSSA at LSU
PRSSA at LSU is a pre-professional organization that allows members to network and
gain insight from leading professionals around Louisiana. It is one of more than
300
chapters of PRSSA National. Visit www.prssalsu.com for more information about the
organization.
About the National Organ Donor Awareness Competition
The Anthony J. Fulginiti PRSSA Chapter at Rowan University has encouraged PRSSA
chapters across the nation to participate in its annual competition for over 20 years.
Visit
www.prssa.org for more information about the competition.
About the PRSSA National Conference
The PRSSA National Conference is a professional development and networking event
for
students in the public relations field. Visit www.prssa.org for more information about the
conference.
About Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency
Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency is an independent, not-for-profit organ and tissue
recovery agency. LOPA is federally designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
as the organ procurement organization responsible for servicing the state of Louisiana.
Visit www.lopa.org for more information.