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This past fall, the Curry College School of Business and Computer Science added Public Relations to its portfolio of market-relevant majors. As a requirement for the program, a cohort of students recently completed the Public Relations Campaign and Research Design course, which is designed for students to work with a non-profit organization.
In the semester-long consulting project, the group of students created a public relations campaign for the needs of two organizations: The Arc of the South Shore, and Rodman for Kids.
Dr. Brenda Wrigley, Professor of Public Relations, launched the inaugural course during the spring semester of 2023. Nine students in the class split work between the two clients, conducting research, recognizing challenges and opportunities for their respective organizations, designing collateral, and presenting a professional grade campaign. On May 10, the groups presented their clients with their research and findings at the inaugural client showcase.
Michael MacBeth ‘23, a double major in Communication and Public Relations, worked directly with the Rodman for Kids. “This course helped prepare me for what launching a campaign for an organization is like," MacBeth said. “One key takeaway was how much communication is necessary when working in a group while creating a campaign.”
Skylar Carrigan, ’24, a Public Relations major with a minor in Graphic Design, worked with The Arc of the South Shore, and enjoyed working hands-on with a client. “This course showed me what a cooperative client looks like and taught me that working with clients enables you to make your work specific.”
Courses such as these provide our students with hands-on learning, one of the core values of the School of Business and Computer Science. “Experiential learning is the most exciting part of the curriculum,” said Dr. Wrigley. “The result is that students grow in confidence and professionalism as they work for their client, overcoming challenges and realizing they are entering the field with the skills and experience needed to excel.”
“This course taught us everything about what it's like to work in the professional world of PR,'' said Olivia Perron ‘24. “Having Dr. Wrigley there every step of the way took a lot of the pressure away and made it easy to learn.”
“We were incredibly impressed by the work, dedication, and attention to detail put together by the PR Capstone course students,” said Jane Lima, Communications and Engagement Associate at Rodman for Kids. “We are so grateful that we were chosen to participate in this course and cannot wait to see where the students end up in the PR world!”
“It was such a pleasure to work with the students and Professor Wrigley," said Brenda Linden, Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer at The Arc of the South Shore. "From our first introductory call right through to presentation night, the students were so organized, asked such great questions, and really showed that they had done their research about our organization. Their presentation was thoughtful, well-researched, and presented extremely professionally. We are so grateful for the research and recommendations that the students provided in their report and are already working on the tools to implement many of their recommendations.”