Reflect and Project: How has Your #PR education Prepared You for Your Career?

A Guest Post Announcement by Ai Zhang, Professor, Stockton University

Spring semester has ended. Graduates have begun a new chapter in their lives. During times of transition, I love to reflect on the past and project into the future. As an educator, I’m constantly asking myself how teachers can better prepare students to excel in their careers; and more importantly, how can they create an impact in our society? Education and learning, they are critical to life success.  

Please join the #PRStudChat community on June 27, at 8:30 P.M., ET, for a dynamic discussion about learning and education. The theme for this month’s chat is “reflecting and projecting.” We will reflect on the current status of undergraduate public relations education and project into the future by discussing ways that we can educate and prepare qualified students to succeed in today’s digital workplace. I will be the special host for this month’s chat. I am an Associate Professor of Public Relations at Stockton University. I founded my University’s PRSSA Chapter as well as a student-run PR firm.

Here are some of the questions and topics that we will answer and discuss.

Q1. How has your education played a role in your career?

Q2. What was the course that is the most helpful for you during your career/internship?

Q3. Describe your best PR professor. What made him/her so effective?

Q4  What are some extracurricular or volunteer activities that have been beneficial to your career?

Q5. Knowing what you know today, what advice would you give to young PR students?

Q6. Being a lifelong student is crucial to succeeding in PR. What are your top resources and tools to stay updated with the field?

Q7. What is the biggest trend in PR that you think schools need to prepare their students for?

Q8. What are your recommendations for improving PR education?

Q9. Do you have a mentor? Describe the importance of mentorship in your career & tag your mentor(s).  

Q10. What excites you about the future of PR?

And much more.

Please come join the #PRStudChat community for a dynamic discussion on learning and education. The team always welcomes your questions before or during the chat session. You can tweet at  @PRStudChat, @ValerieSimon, @dbreakenridge, and @AiAddysonZhang with your questions. Be sure to also visit our LinkedIn Group to share your ideas.

“See” you on the 27!

About Ai Zhang

Ai Zhang received her M.A. in Communication from Syracuse University, and her Ph.D. in Communication/Public Relations from University of Maryland. She graduated in 2009 and then started teaching at Stockton University in New Jersey. She started the PR track at the school and developed most of its PR courses. Professor Zhang is also the faculty advisor for her school’s PRSSA Chapter and its newly launched student-run PR firm.

More About PRStudChat

It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow-up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals … A community where everyone can learn and grow together.