{"id":13189,"date":"2024-10-15T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=13189"},"modified":"2024-10-09T10:52:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T14:52:28","slug":"back-to-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2024\/10\/15\/back-to-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Everybody loves a good comeback story. Yet to experience a comeback, you must have weathered a setback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the PRSA 2018 International Conference, the University of Oregon PRSSA Chapter, the oldest in the Pacific Northwest since its founding by UO Associate Professor Jack Ewan in 1972, was as strong as ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Conference, UO PRSSA accepted PRSA\u2019s Certification for Education in Public Relations on behalf of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication from PRSA Chair Anthony D\u2019Angelo and Chair-elect Debra Peterson. Life was good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lily Gordon, UO PRSSA Chapter President for 2018-19, reported that by the end of fall quarter, the Chapter had 75 active, dues-paying members, with 24 members participating on the events and communications committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAverage Chapter meeting attendance increased by 25 percent during the fall quarter of 2018 compared to the previous year,\u201d said Gordon, \u201cand we launched a new website that was more user-friendly and featured career resources and video content. For 2019, we anticipated expanding our Seattle professional development tour to include a networking function with the PRSA Puget Sound Chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next year, UO PRSSA ramped up for another record-breaking year after riding the wave of success inspired by previous executive teams, with no signs of slowing down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then, COVID-19 made its way to America, affecting institutions and organizations everywhere. UO PRSSA was no exception to the difficulties and challenges during this period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019-20, Amelia Bennett served as Chapter president for UO PRSSA. She recalls that the pandemic presented myriad issues in continuing to support members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFearful of the unknown, we transitioned our meetings to Zoom,\u201d said Bennett, \u201cand as a team, we relied on each other to remain optimistic about the future as we passed the baton to the next leadership team.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As classes continued online at UO, student groups, if they even met at all, utilized virtual methods to connect with one another. The first year of the pandemic proved to be the most difficult of times, and the challenges continued into the 2020-21 school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of pandemic shutdowns, UO PRSSA membership numbers practically fell off the map, dwindling from over 75 in 2018 to only five in 2022. The low water mark for the Chapter came in spring 2021, when only six candidates applied for five leadership positions for the 2021-2022 school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UO PRSSA had lost its momentum, but then leadership found new ways to accomplish their stated goals, according to 2021-22 Chapter President Madilyne Nguyen-Acosta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the pandemic hit, we had to get creative with programming for our cChapter\u201d said Nguyen-Acosta. \u201cDespite the challenges of navigating a virtual landscape for the first time in class, and also with our extracurricular activities, we made the most of our circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UO PRSSA executive team, taking advantage of the virtual environment to expand its reach, and understanding that members often seek jobs in Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles, introduced the West Coast Connection: a collaborative, virtual speed networking event hosted by PRSSA Chapters from the University of Oregon, University of Washington, and University of Southern California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe event was a success in expanding networks for our members both horizontally and vertically.\u201d concluded Nguyen-Acosta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By spring 2021, the UO PRSSA team acknowledged that while they couldn\u2019t turn back the hands of time, they could pivot in rebuilding their Chapter by modeling what professionals across the U.S. had begun to implement, according to 2021-22 President Ellie Shalvarjian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe learned how to take our meetings from fully remote to hybrid to in-person,\u201d said Shalvarjian, \u201cbut another wave of COVID cancelled our first in-person professional development tour in over two years, so we continued to rely on the practicality of the West Coast Connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the issues facing UO PRSSA were far more significant than the pandemic. Internal processes concerning budgeting had changed dramatically and support systems for the Chapter were in flux. For example, instead of writing checks to become members of UO PRSSA, an electronic portal process through the PRSSA website had been instituted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet a clear resurgence would develop in the 2022-23 school year. That previous spring, UO saw a 100 percent increase in the number of members interested in leadership positions, from five to ten. Momentum, however modest, was building, and an enthusiastic new leadership team was in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While working to address the electronic portal process, UO PRSSA received a timely assist from PRSA Headquarters in New York. Senior Vice President of Programs Jeneen Garcia appealed to the PRSA Foundation to help fund membership dues for the new UO PRSSA executive team, providing a jumpstart for the school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The energy of the new team was palpable, with bold visions for the upcoming school year, including a trip to the PRSA\/PRSSA International Conference in Dallas, Texas. Unfortunately, the group didn\u2019t quite have its sea legs yet when negotiating internal policies and procedures within the University of Oregon, and the effort fell short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the group pivoted strategically and focused on providing professional development tours for members in Seattle, Portland and Eugene. With each tour, the leadership team learned valuable skills for providing meaningful and transformative experiences for growing membership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot only did students finally get the opportunity to engage face-to-face with an expansive network of PR professionals,\u201d said 2022-2023 Vice President Megan O\u2019Keefe, \u201cbut we witnessed beautiful friendships growing between our members that I believe played a vital role in restoring the group\u2019s spirit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2023-24 UO PRSSA immediately began to build upon the success from the previous year, and the leadership team, led by 2023-2024 President Karrigen Hansen, attended the PRSA\/PRSSA International Conference in Nashville, the group\u2019s first ICON since 2018-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAttending ICON in Nashville for the first time in five years bonded our team and allowed our Chapter to ignite the passion projects we hadn\u2019t seen for a while,\u201d said Hanson. \u201cBack in Oregon, our numbers grew to the point that we were able to curate a guest speaker series and professional development workshops that truly benefited our members. Even outside Allen Hall, our executive team worked diligently in nurturing and continuing to grow the Chapter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, we worked with PRSA Oregon in collaborating with other PRSSA Chapters like George Fox University,\u201d continued Hanson. \u201cMore specifically, we learned the ins and outs of what it takes to finance a club.  Beyond that, we were determined to advocate for ourselves as an organization that should be taken seriously.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much like the phoenix, the immortal bird from Greek mythology that cyclically regenerates, UO PRSSA is now back to its former position of strength and vitality. Thanks to the diligent efforts of student leaders and their mentors, the recovery was gradual but steady and consistent. These students literally willed UO PRSSA to succeed while emerging from the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been gratifying to witness their perseverance, and continued growth to their former position of strength,\u201d said UO PRSSA Professional Adviser John Mitchell, APR, Fellow PRSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the future, current UO PRSSA Chapter President Jillian Gray said the future is bright and 2024-25 is shaping up to be an exciting year for members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast year, we had more applicants than ever for our executive board,\u201d Gray noted, \u201cand full classrooms packed with eager members ready to learn from inspiring guest speakers from companies like Dreamworks, Starbucks L\u2019Oreal, Edelman, Airbnb, Dutch Bros, and Allison.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a real energy to our Chapter right now,\u201d Gray continued. \u201cWe have an incredible team leading our Chapter and more members than ever attending meetings, with new faces each week. We\u2019re also in the process of planning robust professional development tours in cities like Seattle and Portland.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, these Ducks appear to have risen from the ashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Jillian Gray is a senior at the University of Oregon and serves as the UO PRSSA Chapter President. In her professional life, she has worked as an intern for Edelman, Macmillan, and the University of Oregon\u2019s School of Journalism and Communication. Outside of school, Jillian proclaims herself as a book lover and chai tea enthusiast. If you\u2019d like to connect with Jillian, you can visit her LinkedIn profile here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

John Mitchell, APR, Fellow PRSA, is an experience public relations professional with an extensive background in intercultural communication, advertising, editing, writing and public relations. John is a retired professor of journalism and public relations from the University of Oregon and now resides as the UO PRSSA Professional Adviser. You can connect with John on LinkedIn, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everybody loves a good comeback story. Yet to experience a comeback, you must have weathered a setback. At the PRSA 2018 International Conference, the University of Oregon PRSSA Chapter, the oldest in the Pacific Northwest since its founding by UO Associate Professor Jack Ewan in 1972, was as strong as ever. At the Conference, UO PRSSA accepted PRSA\u2019s Certification for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":13190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3512,6,1555],"tags":[15,3799],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13189"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13193,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13189\/revisions\/13193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}