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The Public Relations major is the largest major in the College of Communications and the Arts, according to the Seton Hall faculty. As a result, the R.O.P.E. in Success event is held annually to celebrate and help PR students.
“R.O.P.E is an event where we recognize SHU student and alum in the communications school for their accomplishments and the teams competing in PRSSA's national Bateman Competition,” said Crystal Jones, a senior public relations major and organizer of the event.
The event draws attention to the many outside businesses that provide opportunities to succeed for students as well as the students themselves.
Ashley Manz, a graduate assistant, received the prestigious Chester Burger Scholarship for Excellence in Public Relations. “This is a national award and quite competitive...impressive indeed” notes Professor Melissa May, a professor in the College of Communications and the Arts and also advisor of SHU’s chapter of the PRSSA.
Professor Bridget Burt Esposito, who has taught at SHU for eight years, was also honored with R.O.P.E’s Blue Apple Award, the event’s main recognition. “This award is given to a faculty member in the communications school who has truly mentored and gone above and beyond for their students,” Jones said.
The R.O.P.E in Success event celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.
To celebrate, “we created a resume ‘book,’ a compilation of resumes from undergrad and grad students which we gave to attendees who may be interested in hiring a Pirate,” May said.
Students were able to mingle with others in the major, professors and members of prospective companies.
PR majors have a great deal of opportunities to find work and within the past year, 68 PR majors have found 88 internships thanks to the relationships made by the department and Seton Hall’s Career Center, according to May.
Angelica Deleon-Vaca, a junior public relations major and vice president of PRSSA, believes the event was a success. “Public relation students got a chance to meet and network with Seton Hall alumni and PR professionals working in the field,” Deleon-Vaca said.
The event celebrated not only SHU students, alumni and faculty, but ten years of providing Public Relations majors with the tools they need to find a job.
Zachary Wohl can be reached at zachary.wohl@student.shu.edu.
