College of Fellows Welcome Letter

January 2012                                                                                                                                                

Welcome to the PRSA College of Fellows’ home page. 

I am honored to serve PRSA as 2012 chair of the College of Fellows and look forward to working with all members to further the College’s initiatives. If you haven’t already been tapped to help, I’m confident you will be. To highlight work we’re doing:

·         Strategic Plan — During 2011, the College created a three-year strategic plan that dovetails with PRSA’s strategic plan. This will guide us as we work to support PRSA through involvement in leadership positions, and our work in mentoring and education.

·         Mentoring — In partnership with PRSA staff (especially the JobCenter), we are enhancing this cornerstone program. It is the leadership’s expectation that all Fellows are signed up for the mentoring program, and actively working with those who need assistance. In 2012 we will have new sign-up materials supporting a new electronic mentoring match system. Later in the year, we’ll introduce support materials designed to enhance the program for mentors and protégés.

·         Education — Our partnership with the educator’s community continues in 2012 as we conduct further Learning to Teach sessions to prepare our members who want to transition to a teaching career. As more and more Fellows are interested in this transition, the work this team does ensures the training and support are in place.

·         PR for the College — We plan to make a little more noise than usual in 2012. Members of the College are incredibly active members of the public relations community. We want to make sure our members and PRSA leaders are aware of our work. We’re planning to create a more regular newsletter and also a page on our section of PRSA’s website where we can highlight the work Fellows are doing throughout the public relations profession and their local communities.  

·         Professional Development — As has been tradition, Fellows will create and sponsor a Master Class during the 2012 International Conference. If you have thoughts on topics or speakers you would like to hear, please let me know as soon as possible.

·         Membership Recruitment — New application materials are posted on the Fellows website, and the GoodFellows team is already working with potential applicants for the College. Working together, we will have a terrific class to induct at next fall’s conference.

Finally, please remember that members of the College are held to a higher behavioral standard than other PRSA members. Please familiarize yourself with our Standards of Excellence.

If you’re interested in helping on these initiatives, please let me know. Otherwise, you can likely expect to be called upon. I look forward to working with all of you in 2012.

Sincerely,

Mary Deming Barber, APR, Fellow PRSA
2012 Chair, PRSA College of Fellows