The Chamber Internship

I'm very excited to say that this fall semester, I'm taking instructor Robin Street's Jour 491 Public Relations Techniques class. The second of three public relations classes offered in the journalism school, the class focuses on developing individual PR skills and style.

Throughout the semester we will cover writing effective press releases, learning how to do surveys, professional PR case studies and developing our own campaigns.

Additionally, Ms. Street's class provides internships doing PR work for local businesses in the Oxford community. Though the internships are not paid, the credit and experience are worth the time and effort in giving students the competitive edge over other PR students.

Luckily I was able to receive my first choice in internship with the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation and Chamber of Commerce. One of the most sought after internships, The EDF is dedicated to a strong commitment in seeking new business and supporting existing industry for the Oxford-Lafayette County area. The chamber provides marketing, publicity, savings and client opportunities for nearly 700 businesses and members. The EDF uses community resources to help business needs and create healthy partnerships.

Its also pretty cool to note that Ms. Street was named the Public Relations Association of Mississippi's (PRAM) Educator of the Year this past spring. That fact, no doubt, continues to prove that the University of Mississippi journalism staff is one of the best in the south.

In both the class and internship, its going to be a great semester learning to become a better public relations practitioner.