Betsy Plank Day

Betsy copy

The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations honored the late public relations legend and its namesake, Betsy Plank, by hosted a national celebration, #BetsyPlank Day, on April 4. For the sixth consecutive year, we celebrated the life and legacy of Betsy Plank, the First Lady of public relations and the “Godmother of PRSSA.” Her contributions to the industry, example of leadership and passion for students have shaped the definition of success in the field today.

Betsy Day ­involved a national social media campaign using #BetsyPlank. Last year, more than 45 PRSSA Chapters, student-run firms and organizations competed for the Betsy Plank Championship title.

This interactive toolkit provided exactly what organizations needed to compete in the 2019 #BetsyPlank Competition

 

#BetsyPlank Competition Winners:

  • 1st Place: The University of Alabama PRSSA
    UA PRSSA volunteered at not one, but two West Alabama nonprofits. Members planned and promoted a ReadBAMARead T-shirt design contest. The contest was so successful a similar contest is being considered for elementary students. In addition, UA PRSSA volunteered with the Miracle League of Tuscaloosa. One member noted the “new appreciation for the Tuscaloosa community and the work our community partners do to strengthen the state of Alabama.”
  • 2nd Place: Kent State University PRSSA
    Kent State PRSSA held a month-long donation drive for the Kent State Women’s Center Pantry. In addition, members partnered with Her Campus to host an Extraordinary, Ordinary Women event, where more than 50 attendees celebrated mentorship, females in the workplace and breaking glass ceilings. In Betsy-esque fashion, each attendee received a blank card to hand-write a thank-you to their professional mentor.
  • 3rd place: Samford University PRSSA
    Members of Samford PRSSA embraced Betsy’s love for service by volunteering at Someby Senior Living. Members played games with the residents, and several members have made plans to continue volunteering. Betsy Plank Day is not complete until there is a cake! On that note, members threw a party at the ZTA house since Betsy was a ZTA.

The Plank Center would like to thank everyone who participated and celebrated the life and legacy of Betsy Plank!