SMU PRSSA 2014 - 2015
Public Relations Student Society of America is a pre-professional organization open to all students interested in a career in the communications field. This organization has more than 9,600 members and 285 chapters across the nation. SMU’s chapter provides networking, access to professional development, and many other valuable opportunities!
You must be a current SMU PRSSA member to apply for an executive officer position. Please email your application to hrittenber@smu.edu
by 5pm Tuesday, April 22. No late applications will be accepted. For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any current board member or prssa@smu.edu
. More information can be found at smuprssa.org
.
Name: Graduation date:
Student ID:
Birthday:
Email:
Cell phone:
Major(s):
Minor(s):
Semester joined PRSSA:
Current mentor: ___________________
1.
What position(s) are you interested in applying? Please rank (a maximum of four) in order of preference. (Attached is a list of positions and descriptions.)
2.
3.
Why do you think you are best suited for your number one position choice?
How would you improve our organization? What goals do you have for our chapter?

4.
What other campus organizations and activities are you involved in?
5.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the selection committee?

SMU PRSSA EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS
President
The PRSSA Chapter President is responsible for the direct overall operations of the chapter and executive board, serving as the principal administrative officer. Some of the President’s main responsibilities include establishing and executing chapter goals, delegating tasks to the board and representing the chapter at various opportunities. The Chapter President is required to preside at all membership and executive board meetings as well as the Communication Studies Advisory Board meetings. Additionally, the President is responsible for maintaining a dialogue with the Professional
Advisor, the Faculty Advisor, the Communication Studies Advisory Board, the PRSSA National
Committee on behalf of the chapter.
Vice President of Public Relations
The VP of Public Relations is responsible for publicizing all information about general member meetings, events and conferences hosted by SMU PRSSA via fliers and other channels in a timely
manner. He/she advises the media & email chairman, websites & blog chairman, and the graphics chairman. The vice president maintains an effective branding campaign for the SMU PRSSA chapter.
Vice President of Programming
The Vice President of Programming advises the career & PRSA relations chairman and speakers and tours chairman. The vice president ensures the chapter has at least one event a month and at least one tour a semester. The vice president’s goal is to ensure SMU PRSSA puts on programming that caters to the membership of the chapter.
Vice President of Membership
The VP of Membership is responsible for expanding and maintaining our chapter’s members.
He/she also heads the mentorship program. In addition to turning in November and March dues to
PRSA headquarters, the VP of Membership is responsible for organizing the incoming executive board elections. Assistant Membership Chairman is also available.
Campaigns & Special Projects Chairman
The campaigns and special projects chairman works on PRSSA National Campaigns (at least one each semester) and other competitions throughout the nation. The chairman is responsible for coordinating teams for each competition and working to ensure the products produced are representative of the best effort of our chapter and school. They will become familiar with researching, planning, and writing PR campaigns.
Media & Email Chairman
The media & email chairman is responsible for updating and maintaining all of our chapter’s social media outlets. They are also responsible for sending out email blasts to the entire chapter for updates and news.
Website & Blog Chairman
The website & blog chairman is responsible for updating and maintaining the SMU PRSSA website and blog at www.smuprssa.org
. This website is an integral part of our chapter and must be maintained and updated weekly. The chairperson will be expected to write blog posts internship

opportunities and chapter events.
Graphics Chairman
The graphics chairman is the lead designer of fliers and generates the creative approach for all
PRSSA advertising. Experience with programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign is recommended.
Treasurer
The treasurer is in charge of all financials for PRSSA. At the beginning of the academic year, the treasurer reviews and prepares the budget. The treasurer approves spending by the EBoard and reimburses them if necessary. The treasurer is responsible for requesting money from Student
Senate for chapter events.
Historian/Secretary/Bylaws Chairman
The Historian is in charge of documenting chapter events (speakers, tours, mixers, meetings, career fair, workshops, etc.). The Secretary types the minutes at every board meeting and emails them to the board at the conclusion of each meeting. In regards to bylaws, the chairman is responsible for making sure SMU PRSSA Chapter adheres to national rules, as well as maintaining and updating the chapter bylaws.
Career & PRSA Relations Chairman
The Career/PRSA Relations chair will be in charge of programming a workshop in the fall and a job/internship fair in the spring. The chair will be responsible for managing the recruitment of professionals, student registration, and other logistical duties for the events. In addition, this chair will be responsible for reporting to PRSA Dallas and providing updates to the parent chapter at least one time a semester. This chair will develop a stronger connection between the members and professionals in the Dallas community.
Speakers & Tours Chairman
The Speakers & Tours Chairman works to organize speaker and tour events for our chapter. The chairman is responsible for finding at least one speaker a month and one tour a semester for the chapter. He/she will create a schedule of events starting at the beginning of each semester of all upcoming events for the chapter. The chairman will work to bring in speakers to discuss topics with of interest to the chapter membership.