Many strategic communication classes are small so that full-time professors can help students work on projects for real clients. Students are strongly encouraged to put their skills into practice by interning for local agencies, companies or nonprofits.
Strategic Communication also provides opportunities to students with our on campus organizations Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and Ad Association.
PRSSA
The logo for the PRSSA chapter at TCU.
n 1968, 20 years after its own establishment, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) founded the Public Relations Student Society of America. PRSSA is aimed at enriching the college experience by providing real-world experiences such as job shadows and agency visits. Our on-campus chapter of PRSSA provides an opportunity to network with speakers and visit agencies in the DFW area. I
TCU’s PRSSA chapter was named for Professor Emerita Dr. Douglas Newsom, an accredited member of PRSA and a member of the PRSA College of Fellows. The chapter meets throughout the semester to plan events and host guest speakers.
The chapter is a proud sponsor of the TCU Bateman Competition Team each year. First established as the National Case Study in 1973, and later renamed to honor the late Carroll J. Bateman, APR, the competition challenges teams of students to research, plan, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign for an actual client. More than 75 teams enter the competition each year, giving students real-world experience that can translate to resume additions, portfolio pieces and even jobs. After an extensive judging process, three finalists are chosen to present their campaigns to the sponsor, who receives the right to ideas presented.
For more information, visit the chapter’s Instagram at @tcuprssa or contact chapter sponsor Dr. Amiso George.
TCU Ad Association
The TCU Ad Association is an organization looking to be a resource to all students in the fields of advertising, public relations, marketing and many more.
The Ad Association seeks to help students prepare for graduation by enhancing their resumes and interview skills, introducing them to professionals, giving students the ability to network and teaching them about the jobs available in the trade.
The Ad Association is affiliated with the American Advertising Federation. There is also a Fort Worth chapter of AAF, AAF-Fort Worth, and a Dallas chapter, the Dallas Ad League, which members can attend at a discounted rate.
The dues are $50 for the entire year. These dues will cover all expenses for the events, any food offered, field trips, etc. The $50 also includes membership in the national chapter of AAF.
For more information about the Ad Association contact one of our faculty sponsors, Dr. Catherine Coleman and Dr. Penny Kwon.
National Student Advertising Competition
The STCO 2023 NSAC team poses after their district win on April 13, 2023. The team includes Alice Mansour, Micaela Viacava, Marianne Sikaffy, Rafaela Alban, and Hugh Londrey. The adviser is Duke Greenhill with support from Steve Levering.
The National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) is the premier college advertising competition. It provides more than 3,000 college students with real-world experience by requiring a strategic advertising, marketing, and media campaign for a corporate sponsor. Schools participate within their District (15 Districts in all) and one from each district is selected to present their campaigns to a panel of industry executives at the American Advertising Federation (AAF) National Conference. Steve Levering and Duke Greenhill lead the NSAC teams at TCU.
Additionally, students compete annually in national advertising and public relations campaigns competitions. In recent years, students have placed in the top 10 nationally ranked teams in the American Advertising Federations (AAF) National Student Advertising competition, the Public Relations Student Society of America Bateman Competition and the Texas Public Relations Association’s annual competition.