Purdue News
Purdue NewsThe course, Problems in Public Communication, was revised in 1991 by Professor K. Sriramesh to give students the opportunity to develop a real public relations campaign for a campus group or for a nonprofit community organization. Each semester an average of 30 students enroll in Sriramesh's class and get some real-life experience in public relations.
"I divide the class into groups of about six people and ask them to operate like a real public relations agency. So they must identify the publicity problems the organization is experiencing and present a PR campaign that is eventually implemented," Sriramesh said. "This involves developing a budget, identifying the audience and working closely with the client to create a PR solution that works for them."
Students also work on the design and distribution of posters, logos, newsletters and brochures for clients. The specific tools used in each project depend on the client's needs.
One of the students' past clients is the Legal Aid Corp. of Tippecanoe County, a private, nonprofit agency that provides legal assistance and representation to low-income individuals and families. Kenneth Weller, executive director of the organization, said: "We've been very pleased with the work done for us by this class. In fact, we're still using the brochure and logo designed by one of the groups we worked with almost three years ago."
Sriramesh said, "At Purdue, public relations majors make up 60 percent of the students in the Department of Communication, and I wanted to give that group as much hands-on experience as possible.
"Theory helps us to practice, but we need to bridge the gap and bring real-life situations into the college classroom."
Nonprofit organizations interested in participating in this program should contact Sriramesh at (765) 494-0195; e-mail, srirames@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
