Last week, the Department of Communication held a new event for the first time in its 22-year history. 

The PRSSA chapter held PR Day Thursday, Nov. 8, bringing students from Thomas Jefferson High School, just south of Pittsburgh. The event was organized by senior public relations major Amanda Troncone, and junior Nicole Tobias, the president of Waynesburg’s PRSSA chapter. Tobias said that PRSSA tries to do things that haven’t been done before. 

“We always look to challenge ourselves,” Tobias said. “It can be challenging at times, but the event was a great payoff and the kids had a great time.” 

Chairperson of the Department of Communication and faculty advisor to the PRSSA chapter of Waynesburg Richard Krause was pleased with how the event turned out. 

“I was really happy with the way our kids set the day up,” Krause said. “I spoke with the advisor from Thomas Jefferson and she was thrilled with [how the day went.]” 

Thomas Jefferson is one of the only high schools in the greater Pittsburgh area with an introduction course to public relations. Tobias, a graduate of Thomas Jefferson, was a part of that class during high school and knew several of the current students that attended. 

“To bring them outside of the classroom and have them submerged in our environment was a lot of fun,” Tobias said. “I just love the teacher I had too and it was cool for her to be there and she was so proud of me.” 

The students arrived on the fourth f loor of Buhl Hall around 8 a.m. They participated in four sessions throughout the morning, and the event concluded with lunch. 

The day also featured two people with extensive experience in the public relations profession. 

Pam Cunningham, professor of public relations writing and advertising, and the president of PRSSA national Ben Butler spoke at Waynesburg’s first PR Day. 

Troncone was thrilled to have PR professionals present at the event. 

“We are extremely fortunate to have a great relationship with Ben Butler,” Troncone said. “All of our events stemmed around him coming.” 

As a senior in the Department of Communication, Troncone, like all of the others, needs to complete a practicum project, and PR day was a huge part of hers. She was the main event planner for the day. 

“This day was very manageable,” Troncone said. “I never felt overwhelmed by anything.” 

One of the other goals for the event was to expose what the Department of Communication and PRSSA had to offer for students looking for a place to study public relations. 

“We know there are a couple people that are interested in it as a career,” Krause said. “Now we have to get them to make the next step to look at it not only as a career but think of Waynesburg as a place to pursue that career.” 

In addition, Krause hopes to make PR Day an annual event at Waynesburg University. 

“If we can get this thing moving and bring in a different school or two every semester, I think we can really see a spike in our numbers,” Krause said.