Students in the ADPR 451/851 class hoped that the PR tactics they’d been practicing would actually work.
A lot was at stake. Their final project assignment was to create a PR plan, develop tools and then activate them. A big part of their grade was depending on being able to show measurable results. And their clients were depending on them.
The project was a way to demonstrate what they’d learned in the semester-long class on public relations techniques taught by Professor Phyllis Larsen. Clients were recruited by the students and ranged from nonprofits to student organizations.
“To be honest, I wasn’t familiar at all with Nebraska Transition College prior to our final project," Phil Carter, a student in the class said. "The more I looked into it, the more I wanted to help so I reached out to Stuart Stofferahn (executive director) and he couldn’t have been more engaging or accommodating. He had a plan for NTC but lacked the resources needed to build a viable public awareness campaign. After meeting with Stuart and Tina Henderson (a member of the board of directors), we knew it would be a lot of work to help them achieve their goals, like building a donor base, attracting more followers and gaining media attention, but given the timeframe we were able to pull it off."
Industry’s increasing attention to accountability and the need to measure results were echoed in the course. Moving the needle isn’t easy in a short time frame, yet each student was able to reach or exceed the objectives they set.
Chris Flanery set out to get 250 pairs of socks donated for Skate for Change but ended up with 553 pairs. Bill Riccetti, Phil Carter and Taylor Strasburg were proud and a little amazed to raise $15,165 for Nebraska Transition College. Matt Balascak and Brook Weber worked together to raise $1520 for Alpha Gamma Nu fraternity renovations. Rylie Kalb and Hank Neal helped raise $555 for a scholarship for a young woman in Tanzania.
Not all projects focused on fundraising. Others raised awareness and support for the Lincoln Parks Foundation, a student organization called I Am That Girl, Veterans United, the UNL Students With Children organization and Lambda Phi Epsilon international fraternity.
“This is exactly why I do what I do,” Larsen said. “These students honed their public relations skills and put them to use for the greater good. There’s no better final exam than that."