al Poly Public Relations and Cis Communications students and faculty hosted the First Annual Public Relations (PR) Day on May 20, 2010. The event was held on ‘campus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ag. Circle, near the corner of North Perimeter Road and Via Carta. PR Day was organized by a group of journalism students in Central Coast PRspectives (CCPR), the student-run public relations firm on campus. Both public relations and agriculture communications student organizations contributed to the event’s success by volunteering at PR Day, including the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, and Agriculture Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT). The CCPR student team, consisting of Kristy Gonzalez, Krista Scarbrough, and Victoria Zabel, planned throughout Ag Circle 8 the Spring quarter to organize the event, While beginning to clean up from the event, Zabel mentioned, “It was nice to see everything come together after all the planning and hard work.” PR Day was designed to Introduce students to the skills needed for an advantage in the job market. It served as an opportunity for students of all majors to network with industry professionals and gain valuable insight into public relations and overall industry ‘communications. To accommodate busy course schedules, PR Day was divided into ‘eight speaker sessions. Topics for sessions covered areas of Personal Brand, Social Media, Graduate School, and Day-in-the- Life of a Public Relations Professional. The morning session block included Personal Brand and Social Media, Speakers for Personal Brand featured Charlotte Rinaldi and Amie Hammond Vv R Story by Krista Scarbrough from Cal Poly Career Services. Rinald and Hammond spoke to attendees a resume building, cover letters, and aspects of job-seeking communicati Social Media speakers included Dr. Dan: Eller and Dr. Scott Vernon. Dr. Eller has: years of public relations experience, Public relations specialist for the Cali State Park System. Dr. Vernon teaches & the Agricultural Education Department. at Cal Poly and serves as the Co- of the Brock Center for Agricultural Communication. He also manages the Livestock Publications Council's Nati Writing Contest, and is a professional auctioneer and motivational speaker. Dr. Eller and Dr. Vernon spoke with participants about the impact of social media both on an individual and career level. The second block of sessions included Grad School and Day-in-the-Life of a PR Professional. Grad School speakers included Megan Alpers and Dr. Doug Swanson. Alpers is a Cal Poly alumna and currently enrolled in graduate school at San Jose State. She js an account executive for McGrath and Power Public Relations in the San Francisco Bay area. Dr. Swanson is an accredited public relations practitioner with work published in numerous publications. Dr. Swanson been teaching at the college level since 1991 and is the current advisor for PRSSA and Central Coast PRspectives, Speakers discussed various aspects of graduate school, including the best time attend, how to apply and what to expect overall Speakers for Day-in-the-Life of 2 PR Professional featured Eileen Joseph, Stacia Momburg, Tanya Kiani and Susie Penner. Joseph is the director cof edvancement and college relations freers in the World of lations ply.edul~prsse inthe College of Liberal Arts at Cal Poly. Momburg works in media relations for Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Momburg is also a part of the university administration, Student Affairs, International Programs, Research and Graduate Programs and Continuing Education. Kiani is the assistant dean of advancement and ‘external relations for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at Cal Poly. Kiani leads aspects of the college's fundraising campaigns, ‘alumni affairs, publicity and industry relations. Penner is a Cal Poly alumna ‘and is currently the communications director at Oracle. Penner is also the PR director for a local non-profit, the Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center. Speakers for Day-in-the-Life of a PR Professional discussed their personal experiences, as well as how to work one’s way up within a company. ‘Aluncheon was held in Ag. Circle during University Union Hour. The luncheon served as an opportunity for a ‘moet-and-greet between speakers and attendees. Volunteer and journalism student Rachel Egan said, “It was nice; students walking by asked questions ‘about public relations, even if it was mainly to get pizza.” “Love PR” T-shirts were sold at the Ag. Circle information table. Shirts are still available for purchase, and cost $7 for PRSSA and ACT members and $10 for non-members. ifinterested, please contact CCPR at calpolyecpr@gmail.com.clay. elas tts Buc Ze