Four University of Arkansas Graduates Receive National Award for PR Campaign

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From left: Debbie Miller, Sara Brown, Schafer Huggins, Jamie Napier, and Kinley Shotts.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A group of four students enrolled in a Public Relations Writing course in summer 2017 will receive a national award for their work supporting a local nonprofit organization.

Sara Brown, Schafer Huggins, Jamie Napier and Kinley Shotts will receive a first-place award in the 2018 annual communications contest of the National Federation of Press Women. The awards will be presented during the annual NFPW conference Sept. 6-8 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

As a part of their course work in the advertising and public relations concentration of the journalism major in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, the team of four students met with representatives of the nonprofit organization Arkansas Athletes Outreach of Fayetteville to determine the client's needs and then crafted a public relations campaign that met those needs. The students were asked to create a campaign that included strategies and tactics for the organization's social media channels, an analysis of the AAO website with suggested revisions for improving navigation and use, and a plan for increasing awareness for the girls' basketball team, which was undergoing a rebranding.

Judges evaluating the entries considered clearly stated objectives, success in meeting objectives and relating to audience, effective use of media, general impact of program, evaluation of effectiveness, and technical quality.

The students graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism in 2017. Their work was submitted in the 2018 contest for collegiate public relations campaigns completed during the previous calendar year. Debbie Miller was the course instructor.

The School of Journalism and Strategic Media is part of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.