The Plank Center is named for Betsy Plank, a 1944 graduate of the University of Alabama (UA), who has attained national and international stature during a distinguished career  in corporate and agency public relations. Often referred to in the U.S. as the “first lady” of public relations, she was the first woman to head a division of Illinois Bell, now Ameritech, and the first woman to preside over the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She also was a founding member of PRSA’s College of Fellows, an honorary group of national leaders in public relations.

Plank also was the first person to receive PRSA’s top two awards: the Gold Anvil, as the nation’s outstanding professional, and the Lund Award for civic and community service. In addition, in 2000 she received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arthur W. Page Society, an association of the nation’s top corporate public relations executives. The College of Communication & Information Sciences at UA has inducted Plank into its Communication Hall of Fame and named its Distinguished Achievement Award for her.

Plank has been a long-time supporter and advocate for public relations students and the Public Relations Student Society of America, which has named its annual scholarships for her. She has been a pioneer in public relations education, having co-chaired the 1987 national commission to develop guidelines for the undergraduate public relations curriculum, served on accrediting teams at many universities, and spoken to numerous student groups and public relations classes.