In support of its leadership mission The Plank Center conducted a Public Relations Day for public relations students at the University of Alabama on November 6, 2008. The goals of the day were to highlight leadership values and skills in daily practice and to help prepare students to be productive and responsible professionals.

As part of the Koten Distinguished Lecture Series in Public Relations, the day included a talk by Ron Culp, Partner/Managing Director, Ketchum.  His talk was titled "Restoring Trust in a Cynical World."

Other sessions and presenters included:

• Resume Review
  LaTasha Smith, Career Consultant, UA Career Center.

• Apply Yourself: PR Job Search Practices
  Jim Bakken, Account Supervisor, McNeely, Piggot & Fox

• Corporation vs. Agency vs. Nonprofit 216
  Stephen Bradley, President, Stephen Bradley & Associates, LLC
  Andre Taylor, VP (ret.) of Communications, Alagasco

• RU There?  Social Media at Work
  Melissa Evans, Marketing Coordinator, Citect
  Jennifer Hudson, Account Executive, Edelman

• Government Public Relations
  Kim Henry, Public Affairs Specialist, U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command
  Wendy Tabor, Public Relations Specialist, GEAR UP TN

• Out-of-School Insights
  Elise Hayes, Junior Account Executive, Luckie Strategic Public Relations
  Haley Moore, Account Coordinator, Porter Novelli
  Courtney Wilborn, Marketing & Business Development Specialist, PPT Solutions

• Marriage of Research & Strategy
  Bari Watson, Director of Athletic Marketing & External Affairs, Belmont University

• Domestic Violence Case Study
  Holly Shepherd Lollar, Public Relations Account Director, O2 Ideas
  Miranda Yow, Account Coordinator, O2 Ideas

The first PR Day was held in March 2006.

Public relations student leaders met with Betsy Plank during the conference (l-r): Lana Kassis, VP of PRSSA (2005-6); Larry St. John, president of PRSSA (2005-6); Haley Moore, president of PRSSA (2006-7); and Betsy Plank.

The day long conference drew 470 student participants to 11 sessions and workshops led by UA graduates who hold communication positions in various companies, agencies, and non-profit organizations in the southeast. UA public relations faculty members Karen Cartee, I-Huei Cheng, Susy Daria, Bill Gonzenbach, Karla Gower, Meg Lamme, and Tracy Sims organized and moderated the sessions.

The conference opened with an interview with Betsy Plank, chair of The Plank Center. She discussed the importance of ethics in practice, shared perspectives on the evolving history of the profession, and provided insights into her own experiences as one of the first women to hold a leadership position in the field.

Other sessions and presenters included:

• Business Etiquette
  Nancy Wood, Communications Consultants, Atlanta

• What’s the Story? PR/Media Relationships
  Carl Carter, Carter-Harwell Public Relations, Birmingham, AL)

• A Day in the Life of a PR Pro
  Jim Bakken, McNeely Pigott & Fox, Nashville, TN
  Holly Shephard Lollar, Kid One Transport, Birmingham, AL
  Allison Pullen, Intergraph Corporation, Atlanta
  Lindsay Pettit, Manning Selvage & Lee, Atlanta

• Beyond Facebook: How PR Uses Online Communications 
  Doug Black, Luckie & Company, Birmingham, AL

• Behind the Scenes of the “Mississippi: Believe It” Campaign
  Rick Looser and Kristin Walker, The Cirlot Agency, Jackson, MS