Public Relations

Public Relations is one of the fastest-growing professions, yet many people aren't sure exactly what PR involves. Even some managers at companies who employ PR people wonder what they do! At William Penn, our public relations emphasis is based on the fundamental tools the student will need to be successful in the PR industry. Despite the notion that PR folks "do lunch" and smile a lot, the primary skills needed in this profession are writing and speaking. Therefore, expect to do a lot of that here at Penn. Journalistic writing is emphasized in PR courses because media relations work--the interaction of PR people with journalists--is an essential part of most PR jobs. So as we welcome you to our PR emphasis, we realize that you are exploring what exactly the PR professional does. That can be an exciting time. Few professions offer the variety of communication challenges that PR does. Public relations is all about communicating your organization's mission and goals and, most importantly, listening to what influential people (called "publics") have to tell you about your organization (this information is called "feedback").

Public relations is all about feedback and advocacy: Advocacy means that you are not working as an objective journalist, but you are working as a responsible, knowledgeable promoter for your nonprofit organization or for-profit company. There is a lot to learn about PR and your employer, an employer that could range from a local social services agency to a huge corporation. Therefore, consider a second major or minor in a variety of fields. These include Business, English, Psychology, Fine Arts--and the list goes on. A PR person specializes in Communication, but must also be well-educated in diverse fields. Therefore, a liberal arts education is at the heart of a good PR education.