Jeff Paterson, APR

Time marches on. Happy 2006.

While our chapter will always remain focused on programming, professional development and networking, we must also look to the larger issues that shape our profession. This year we will start a diversity initiative to educate members and increase the diversity within our profession. We will also carefully build our relationship with our four student chapters, because they are the future – indeed, the near future – of PR.

These and many other chapter efforts rely on volunteers. If you are not already involved in a committee, why not take the plunge this year? Feel free to contact me at paterson@hanci.com or 716-285-8224 to discuss the right fit for you.

Finally, because all of us are in the business of shaping reputations, I want to issue a challenge. Let us resolve in 2006 to build up the PR profession instead of clinging to tired stereotypes that drag all of us down:

Instead of joking that PR people are no good at math, let us become more business-savvy.

Instead of poking fun at our own supposed insincerity, let us be the consciences of our organizations.

Instead of allowing research and evaluation to intimidate us, let us embrace the opportunity to prove our worth!

Ours is a great profession. As this new year dawns, let us make it even greater.

Chapter Seeks Volunteers for Diversity and Student Initiatives 

PRSA Buffalo Niagara has two major new priorities for 2006: diversity, and improved relationships with the four PRSSA student chapters. Committee members are needed for both efforts.

Building on the progress made in 2005, PRSA Buffalo Niagara will strengthen its connections with the four Public Relations Student Society of America chapters in the area: Buffalo State College, Canisius College, the University at Buffalo, and SUNY Fredonia, along with the PR student group at St. Bonaventure University.

Beth Donovan, APR, is leading the way at the board level as PRSSA liaison, with the input of faculty and professional advisers and student leaders. Beth is looking for committee members to help her make this a productive year for our student chapters. To volunteer or find out more, contact Beth at olvbeth@aol.com or 716-828-9631.

Working with the program committee, the newly formed diversity committee will find innovative ways to help members learn to communicate with diverse publics. Also, the committee will look for long-term strategies to increase the diversity within the PR profession in the Buffalo Niagara region. Much more news on this effort is to come. In the meantime, if you are interested in helping to start this initiative, contact Jeff Paterson, APR, at paterson@hanci.com or 716-285-8224.

Looking to get involved in PRSA? Join a committee!

New members are always welcome on all PRSA Buffalo Niagara committees. To learn more about any committee, please contact the appropriate committee chair listed below.

Accreditation

Julie Marranca, APR (716) 856-2932 julie.marranca@crowley-webb.com

Diversity

Jeff Paterson, APR (716) 285-8224  paterson@hanci.com

E-communications/Website

Barbara Byers, APR (716)829-2608 babyers@buffalo.edu

Excalibur Awards

Kathryn Good (716) 743-8336 kgood@guildcraftinc.com

Finance

Virginia McAuliffe (716) 857-6273 virginia.mcauliffe@univerahealthcare.com

Membership

Kathleen A. Kirst (716) 883-4400 kkirst@trautmanassoc.com

Jacqueline Ghosen (716) 645-2833 ghosen@buffalo.edu

Programming

Kandis Fuller, APR (716) 857-4410 kandis.fuller@univerahealthcare.com

PRSSA Student Chapter Liaison

Beth Donovan, APR (716) 828-9631 olvbeth@aol.com

Publicity

Marni Rodman (716) 880-1483 mrodman@mower.com

Scholarship, May Randazzo Memorial

Eileen Herbert (716) 888-2790 herberte@canisius.edu

Sponsorship

Michael Barone (716) 842-2222 mbarone@traverscollins.com

Medaille College introduces PR certificate program

The world of communications is constantly changing and public relations professionals are playing a greater role in today’s business world. Businesses, government agencies, schools, colleges, and religious institutions are just a few of the places where public relations professionals play a major role in creating and executing the mission and vision of an organization. 

Medaille College’s professional studies certificate in public relations helps to further your career in the ever-changing world of PR. This five-course PR certificate will focus on the role, scope, and function of the PR professional. You will learn to define the role of PR in the marketing communications mix, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of everyday PR tools and tactics, discuss the best practices of PR professionals, and describe the various publics with which an organization must communicate.

Medaille’s PR certificate program features classes one night a week, and study groups to facilitate the networking of colleagues. 

For more information, contact Mary Conboy, assistant director of admissions, at 635-5033, ext. 2009, or mmc52@medaille.edu.

PRSA membership committee ends 2005 with 17 new members

By Kathleen Kirst and John Senall, 2005 co-chairs

The membership committee was pleased to welcome 17 new members into our chapter in 2005, ending the year with a total PRSA Buffalo-Niagara census of 137 public relations professionals.

We are planning new tactics to recruit and retain even more new members in 2006. The committee asks for everyone’s support to invite friends, co-workers and professional peers into the fold. There is no better recruitment tool than a satisfied “customer,” and you’ll be hearing more about brand new incentive programs soon!

Our upcoming “Taste of PRSA” promotion takes place during the months of February and March, and offers a terrific perk: a $65 savings via a waived initiation fee plus a $20 voucher that can be applied toward PRSA professional development programs or items from the PRSA online store.

To learn more, a casual Taste of PRSA information session will be held Thursday, February 9, at 8:30 a.m. at the Williamsville Starbucks (corner California Rd. and Main St.).  All guests are invited to come learn more about PRSA and our chapter.  Please share this rare opportunity with anyone who has been considering membership, or who might benefit from our opportunities to “advance the profession and the professional!”  Special applications for this promotion, as well as additional details, are also available at the national website (www.prsa.org) and through our chapter administrator, Brenda Schwamborn (b_schwamborn@msn.com or 879-0942).  

We wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge our local committee volunteers. By providing a personal welcome and connection for our new members (and gently reminding those of us whose renewals are due!), the following individuals continue to play a key role in growing our chapter:  Jackie Ghosen, Kathryn Good, Jennifer Hickok, Therese Hickok, Jennifer Kurzdorfer, Tom Lucia and Jason Mollica.  Committee member Beth Donovan has just cycled off our committee to take on the leadership role for PRSSA students.  (Thanks Beth, for your contributions to the committee.)  And, as always, we rely on Brenda’s expertise to help steer the ship and keep us on a steady course!

Finally, we are happy to report that Jackie Ghosen has agreed to take over the membership committee’s co-chair duties starting this month, following John’s election to the board of directors at our December chapter meeting.  Jackie has been an active and contributing committee member for more than three years, and we are thrilled she accepted our invitation to leadership.

Do you have ideas for creative ways to help foster chapter growth in 2006?  Tell us about it! Email kkirst@trautmanassoc.com, or call 883-4400.

Welcome 2005 New Members!

Alicia J. Becker

Magtrol, Inc.

Catherine Bianco

Regional Municipality of Niagara

Jessica L. Golley

The ReHabilitation Center

Judith M. Gregory

Niagara Falls City School District

Lisa Herman

Rich Products Corporation

Samantha E. Kayser

Realty USA

Michael Lazzaro

Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center

Cynthia G. Machamer

University at Buffalo

Karen L. Mazurkiewicz

United States Postal Service

Teresa E. Mazza

VIVE, Inc.

Jason R. Mollica

Niagara University

Michael J. Mroziak

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County

Heather Ann Pennington

Heritage Centers

Paula M. Sandy

Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES

Allison Y. Sardina

Roswell Park Alliance Foundation

Jennie Dahl Tylec

Gelia, Wells & Mohr, Inc.

Longtime PRSA Buffalo Niagara Chapter member relocates

Nancy Fredrickson, past president, board member and May Randazzo scholarship chair, relocated to Atlanta in October.   “I miss everyone in Buffalo, but we are really enjoying a winter full of 60 degree and sun!”  An independent practitioner, Nancy comes back to Buffalo once a month, to meet with the clients she is still serving and “to get [her] fill of chicken wings.”  She would love to hear from her Buffalo PRSA colleagues, and may be reached at (770) 399-9748 or nancy@fredricksongroup.com.

Nonprofit PR pros ... Save the Date!

“In the Spotlight, Center Stage:

Developing Public Awareness for Associations & Nonprofits”

WHEN: March 31, 2006, in New York City

WHO: PRSA National's Association/Nonprofit Section

Speakers from three different groups will present: association/nonprofit communications leaders, PR agencies assisting nonprofits, and news media professionals who deal with nonprofits.

WHAT: Six hours of learning geared specifically for practitioners facing the challenges and reaping the rewards of building public awareness within associations and nonprofits.

NOTE: PRSA Association/Nonprofit Section members will receive a significant discount! Nonmembers can join the Section today to benefit from the discount.

For more information contact Tina Honer at tina.honer@prsa.org or 212-460-1438. 

Watch the PRSA Buffalo/Niagara website for more information as this workshop draws closer.

Excalibur Awards Ceremony Slated for June 22

Save the date!  The 17th Annual Excalibur Awards Dinner will be held June 22 at Shanghai Red’s on Buffalo’s scenic waterfront.  Last year’s event was a tremendous success, highlighted by a switch to one of the city’s best venues, which provided a breathtaking sunset view of the harbor. 

Each year this event celebrates the triumphs of the programs, projects and people that strengthen and sharpen the public relations profession in Western New York.  The night also provides an opportunity to meet new friends and renew old acquaintances.  So, get ready to celebrate!

Important deadlines to mark on your calendar:
First Deadline
Friday, March 24 - $45/entry for members, $60/entry for non-members

Second Deadline
Friday, April 7 - $55/entry for members, $70/entry for non-members

Final Deadline
Monday, April 24 - $65/entry for members, $80/entry for non-members

Special Honors Deadline
Monday, April 24 - no charge to nominate

The Call for Entries will be in the mail toward the end of February, but it is never too early to start preparing your entry.  If you are a little confused about what it takes to win, visit http://www.prsabuffaloniagara.org/programs_excalibur_awards.html. You’ll find tips for preparing your own entry, plus a sample entry that won gold last year!

For more information on the 2006 Excalibur Awards Program, contact Kathryn Good at 743-8336 ext. 117 or kgood@guildcraftinc.com. 

New APR shares practical tips on the revised Universal Accreditation Exam

By James L. Janicki, APR

I had the interesting opportunity to be one of the first APR candidates to take the new exam in 2005. Following my relocation from Buffalo to Richmond in late February, I scheduled my exam for May. Fortunately, I passed the exam and am now able to share this account with you today.

First, I must thank Julie Marranca of PRSA Buffalo Niagara for her dedication to recruiting APR candidates and working with Professor Ron Smith, APR, from Buffalo State College to provide an excellent review class. I certainly could not have made it this far without Ron’s support and guidance, and for that, I’m extremely grateful.

The study guide that Ron provided was very helpful and I studied his personal website and his book during the weeks prior to the test. In hindsight, it probably would’ve been better to start studying earlier so that I would have an opportunity to read some more of the approved textbooks. I encountered some questions that went beyond the scope of his materials – mostly legal issues – but nonetheless, any additional topics that I could’ve been familiar with would have increased my confidence during the test.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to review the 20 sample questions that Ron provides in review class, be sure to look at them. We used them as a pre-test, of which I had 16 out of 20 correct, and that was not based on any study, just my use of industry knowledge and common sense. The pre-test questions do represent the actual style of the exam questions.

When it came to test day, I felt very prepared (and tired from studying until 3 a.m., but a Venti-sized Starbucks coffee cured that pretty quickly). However, I was surprised by some of the questions. Many were very straightforward – the stuff you deal with on a daily basis – including questions about the four steps of a PR campaign; the roles of spokespeople, CEOs and gatekeepers; communication models and their theorists; the technical aspects of press releases and other communication tools; and which ethical principle applies to various hypothetical examples. I recommend memorizing the Code of Ethics, since PRSA provides specific examples about unethical behavior and violations of the code. The examples used closely mirrored those in the code. (One example: Sending a new pair of skis to a reporter covering winter vacation destinations is a violation of which principle in the Code of Ethics…) Also, there were at least three questions about staff vs. line functions, and which company positions fit under which designation – marketing director, PR director, operations director, manufacturing director, etc. Be sure to study the difference between line and staff functions.

When I mentioned that I was unfamiliar with some of the legal issues, I remember encountering several questions that dealt with PR functions in publicly traded companies. Since I never worked for a public company, I was unfamiliar with specific SEC rules about filing reports, handling stockholder conference calls and releasing information. If this isn’t within your realm of experience, I recommend reading a text specific to this part of our industry.

I was also quite surprised by the number of questions that I felt were subjective. For example (this is from memory as you are prohibited from taking any notes out of the testing center, so the actual wording may not be correct):

You are instructed by a supervisor to gather information about an elected official. If you begin with a Google search, the first thing you should do is:

look under the NEWS tab for any articles pertaining to the politician

look under the IMAGES tab for any pictures of the politician

look under the WEB RESULTS tab for the politician’s address and phone number

look under the GROUPS tabs to see what people have written about the politician

I’m still not sure of the answer to this one, and I wonder how I could’ve studied differently to know this answer!

Yet another vaguely-recalled example:

Your company has decided to build a landfill on some property. The first public you should communicate to is:

The politicians who will vote to approve your project

The neighbors who live near the project

The media who will report on the project

The environmental organizations who may oppose the project

Once again, the answer may be obvious to you, but I’m just not sure where I would’ve studied this issue. It seems so subjective based on the circumstance. Regardless, the test makers had a correct answer in mind.

It is important to note that not all questions called for one right answer. Several questions asked for two out of four, or three out of five or six. That must be why I answered a total of 147 questions, not 200 as suggested in our review materials. Also, I’m not certain if you receive partial credit for having one or two of the correct answers in multi-answer questions, or if you need to have every answer correct to receive any credit for the entire question. Perhaps the APR coordinator can find this out?

When taking the test, the computer gives you one question at a time on the screen. You are able to skip questions and go back or “mark” the question for review at the end. This was helpful because I “marked” about 30 questions and then reviewed them at the end. However, I only changed my answer on a handful of them. (You know what they say about your first instinct, right?)

As you make progress, the screen always tells you what question you are on, such as “38 of 147.” This helps you gauge your time. Although allotted three hours, I completed the test in about 2 ½ hours. And the testing center is for many different test takers. I spoke to other test takers in the waiting room who were taking GREs, architectural exams and engineering tests.

At the end of the exam, the computer program told me how many questions I answered correctly in each of the 10 sections and what percentage I had correct. However, it didn’t tell me the overall score, so I wasn’t sure I passed until I received my letter about a week later. My lowest section score was 50% and my highest was 98%. The problem is that each section may have a different number of questions, so you can’t simply average the 10 section scores to get your final score. Hence, I suffered the agony of waiting for a week or so. (Actually, by that point, I didn’t care because I was glad it was over!) Even today, I don’t know my final score, as it was not published in the letter. However, I do know that PRSA informs you of your score in the follow-up letter if you happen to fail the exam. Hopefully you won’t have to worry about that.

I am sorry that I am too foggy on the experience to report any more specific questions, but I do hope that you find this report helpful as you prepare for your exam. Remember to relax. And one more tip that worked for me – since you have pencils and scrap paper at your work station, I took the first several minutes to write down the things that were floating in my head before I started the test and forgot them, including the Code of Ethics’ principles and what I call “HALFIE” (Honesty, Advocacy for profession, Loyalty, etc.).

Feel free to call me at 804-649-3704 or email janicki@gmail.com if I can offer any further assistance. Best wishes and good luck!