UofM’s Journalism and Strategic Media Department Receives Top Honor as Best Undergraduate Program in Nation

Thursday, May 16, 2024—The Department of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis was awarded a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil award, naming it the best undergraduate communications/public relations program in the country.

Each year, PRSA honors the best strategic public relations campaigns and outstanding organizational excellence with a Silver Anvil Award, the highest honor the organization can bestow.

“Our public relations faculty really go above and beyond, from our PRSSA chapter hosting the ICON conference in 2023 to the day-to-day teaching that pushes our students forward,” said department chair Dr. Matthew Haught. “I know they are getting our students ready to be rock stars in the professional world.”

Kim Marks Malone, APR, Fellow, and professor, received the award on behalf of the department at an event in New York City recently.

“It was an honor to receive the Silver Anvil for the department,” Marks Malone said. “The recognition as the best undergraduate program in the country is a testament to the outstanding staff and faculty who put their heart and soul into our students every day.”

Marks Malone is the associate chair for undergraduate studies and the department’s online programs coordinator.

Standout elements of the program that earned the department the Silver Anvil honor include:

• An annual Pro Day event where portfolios are reviewed in mock interviews and one-on-one critique sessions.
• The Obsidian Public Relations Social Media Lab. Funded in partnership with a local PR agency, the lab is home to a student-run agency, Meeman 901 Strategies, and the award-winning PRSSA Chapter. It gives students and faculty access to industry-standard platforms.
• An ongoing partnership with PRSA Memphis to bring in industry professionals for joint programs.
• Opportunities for real-world experience. Last year, students in the program provided 22,725+ pro bono billable hours to over 10 local clients, equivalent to more than $500,000 in services including event planning, social media management, media relations, content creation, PR writing, research, and campaign planning and execution.
• Accredited PR faculty. Two full-time faculty are Accredited Public Relations (APR) professionals and one has attained PRSA’s highest professional honor – induction into the prestigious College of Fellows. In addition to the full-time faculty, industry professionals from around the country teach as adjuncts both on-campus and in the online PR program.
• A PRSA-certified program. The UofM undergraduate program is one of fewer than 50 undergraduate programs worldwide that has earned PRSA’s Certification in Education for Academic Program in PR (CPRE). The UofM’s program has been continuously certified since 2001.

To graduate, all the students in the department’s programs must complete an industry internship or work in the department’s student-run agency.

According to an alumni survey, 86.1% of department graduates have full-time employment or have enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.

Photo credit: PRSA/Albert Chau

####

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Godwin
Director of Media and Public Relations
jennifer.godwin@memphis.edu
(O) 901.678.4822 (M) 501.529.7482