Awards & Honors
Starkville-MSU PRAM chapter awards MSU communication department students and faculty during PRAM awards ceremony

During the virtual Bulldog PRism Awards Ceremony, the Starkville-MSU PRAM Chapter honored the MSU Department of Communication, its students and faculty, with six awards. 

An Award of Merit was presented to Carly Pippin, Lauren Lucas, Charlotte Corr, John Nix Arledge and Terri Hernandez for the Center for Community-Engaged Learning: Annual Publication & Social Media Management.

The Center for Community-Engaged Learning (CCEL) collaborates with Mississippi State University's (MSU) faculty and staff who, with their students, participate in research and service-learning projects in the city of Starkville. CCEL emphasizes training and community engagement in order to bridge the gap between university and community. When CCEL went through a total brand change a few years ago, it was not highly publicized, which resulted in the reformed CCEL being unknown and misunderstood. CCEL had the opportunity to reestablish recognition and better communicate its function to MSU students, faculty, and staff through social media and a printed highlight publication, and accomplished this through its partnership with our team. The purpose of this campaign was to strengthen CCEL’s presence on campus through intentional social media posting and establishing the foundation for its annual publication.

Awards of Excellence were presented to Marisa Laudadio, Madeline Burdine, Anna Owens, Amelia Henson and Terri Hernandez for the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Website Renewal.

The John C. Stennis Center for Public Service was established in 1988 under the legislative branch to promote and strengthen public service leadership within Congress and the nation through leadership development programs, conferences, seminars, and special projects. The Center’s primary concerns were its nonuser-friendly, bland website and its connections to former senator John C. Stennis, which presented possible racist associations. Our team was hired to redesign the website and increase its aesthetic appeal to young adults interested in public service and current members of Congress and their staff. We were tasked with showcasing the Center’s programs and accomplishments of its past participants, minimizing Senator Stennis’ presence, and promoting a modern brand and online image. The purpose of our campaign was to promote an inclusive image and create an updated, aesthetically pleasing website that was user-friendly and highlighted our client’s programs and mission.

Awards of Excellence were also presented to Mckinsy Harris, Bailey Sennett, Majesty Henry and Terri Hernandez for Mercedes-Benz of Tuscaloosa: "The MBT Experience" Social Media Campaign.

Mercedes-Benz of Tuscaloosa (MBT) is a car dealership with the aim to provide customers the opportunity to purchase new standout Mercedes-Benz vehicles, purchase first-class used vehicles and take advantage of the onsite service department. Due to MBT being a business that aims to guide clients through their journey of purchasing a vehicle, social media served as a great way to connect with potential clients and be timely against competitors. The opportunity MBT faced was to use social media effectively, which could help the business connect with potential customers through social media and build a relationship with its clientele. Therefore, MBT hired our team to design a social media campaign with strategies and tactics specifically targeted towards showcasing to potential clients how the MBT experience stands out against competitors. Therefore, the purpose of this campaign was to share the MBT experience with their social media audience through strategically posting images and videos, connected to the MBT experience, to MBT’s social media accounts.
 
Leah Williams received an Award of Merit for her Churn & Spoon Crisis Avoidance Campaign; Karie Pinnix received a Bulldog PRism Award for her Crisis Communication Plan for Mercari, Inc. and was also named the 2020 Student Top DAWG. 
 
The Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) is a statewide network of professionals and students who come together for networking opportunities, as well as to advance their knowledge of public relations by connecting with others in the field. The Starkville-MSU chapter of PRAM has been providing expertise, inspiration and professional development opportunities to public relations practitioners and students for more than 25 years.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.