The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) inducted Kent State University’s Michele Ewing, APR, into its College of Fellows at the 2014 International Conference in Washington, D.C. Ewing is a public relations associate professor in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) and a longtime resident of the Youngstown, Ohio, area.
Ewing joins an elite group of 300 professionals who have dedicated more than 20 years of excellence to the public relations industry. Less than 2 percent of PRSA members are accepted into the College of Fellows.
“I’m really honored to be joining such an elite group of PR professionals,” Ewing said. “I feel like one of the cool kids in the industry now.”
Ewing was inducted with 14 other professionals at a PRSA Fellows dinner and escorted by Rick Batyko, APR, president of the Regional Marketing Alliance (Cleveland Plus) and a Kent State alumnus.
Ewing said the application process was extensive, taking her more than four months to complete. She was asked to show the results of each of her jobs in the public relations industry, as well as document how she has worked to advance the PR profession.
“I had to track down clients I haven’t talked to in years,” Ewing said. “It was good to hear that I made a significant contribution to these organizations.” After working as an executive at Marcus Thomas LLC, an integrated marketing communications agency in Cleveland, Ohio, Ewing decided to pursue a career in higher education.
“About 15 years ago, JMC Professor [Bill] Sledzik and a colleague encouraged me to teach an evening class at Kent State,” Ewing said. “I almost didn’t do it because I was a senior executive and my children were young. I was concerned about managing it all. Thank goodness I made time to teach that class.”
Ewing said working with her Kent State colleagues and students for the past 12 years continues to be an energizing experience. She is able to play a role in the future of public relations and contribute to it through her instruction. “I see more growth and need for public relations compared to my early days in the field,” Ewing said. “Audiences are communicating 24/7 and expecting real-time communication today. I’m also fortunate to work with young, aspiring public relations professionals every day, and the future of the PR industry is in good hands.”
About the Public Relations Society of America
With more than 31,000 members, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the largest organization of public relations professionals. PRSA is comprised of 111 local chapters organized into 10 geographic districts and has 14 professional interest sections that focus on issues, trends and research relevant to specialized practice areas, such as technology, healthcare, financial communications, entertainment and sports, and travel and tourism. In addition, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has more than 10,000 students who are members at more than 300 chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. PRSA is headquartered in New York. For more information about PRSA, visit www.prsa.org.
About Kent State University’s Public Relations Sequence
The public relations sequence at Kent State University is part of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, a nationally renowned program that offers degrees in advertising, digital media, journalism and public relations. It also offers master’s programs in public relations, reporting and editing, and media management. For more information about Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and its public relations sequence, visit www.kent.edu/jmc.
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Media Contacts:
Jennifer Kramer, jlkramer@kent.edu, 330-672-1960
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595