Nov 21, 2013 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg University’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America was awarded the Star Chapter Award for meeting specific chapter and professional development goals. The chapter was one of 27 from around the country honored with the prestigious award.

“This is a huge step for us at Waynesburg PRSSA,” said Molly Winters, a junior public relations major and the president of Waynesburg’s chapter of PRSSA. “We are up to par with some of the best chapters around the country.”

A chapter must meet eight of the 10 Star Chapter requirements to earn the national award.

“The stars or requirements range from participating in Ethics Month, applying for national scholarships and holding an annual event,” said Winters. “We actually completed all 10 stars.”

In just its fourth year of existence, Waynesburg’s chapter of PRSSA is one of 328 national PRSSA chapters, the student counterpart to the Public Relations Society of America.

“To do it in three years and to do it in a chapter with approximately 25 dues-paying members, I think is an extraordinary accomplishment,” said Richard Krause, the adviser for Waynesburg’s chapter of PRSSA and chair of the Department of Communication. “It speaks volumes to the dedication of our students.”

Krause said that while earning Star Chapter was an objective for he and his students, it was looked at as a long-term goal because of how new Waynesburg’s chapter is.

“To achieve that in year four accelerates the plan,” said Krause. “The goal is always to get better and this program has the potential to be outstanding, given our unique mission and our talented students.”

Moving forward, Waynesburg’s chapter of PRSSA is hoping to gain national accreditation for its student-run PR firm, Red Brick Communications.

“There is so much potential with this chapter to do some amazing things, and we just now have to work very hard to achieve those goals,” said Krause.