The Georgia Southern University public relations program is one of only 52 programs globally, and the first affiliated with the PRSA Georgia Chapter, to earn the prestigious Certification for Education in Public Relations (CEPR) from PRSA.
The CEPR program is managed by PRSA at the national level with a rigorous review process following standards established by the Commission on Public Relations Education. The application from the Georgia Southern program was years in the making as the program continues to evolve based on the changing landscape of the public relations practice. The application submission in 2020 kicked off the review process, which includes a review of the program by practitioners and professors, interviews with stakeholders and a campus visit. The extensive interviews included administrators on campus, PR program advisory board members, alumni, internship site supervisors, PR department faculty, students and other faculty at the university.
Georgia Southern University Public Relations Professional Advisory Board Chair, PRSA Georgia Chapter member and Rountree Group President Don Rountree, said, “The CEPR designation validates what the Public Relations Professional Advisory Board has been focused on for our students, and that is cultivating and developing incredibly well-prepared graduates to enter the industry knowing they have a quality education in public relations that is truly best-in-class nationally and globally.”
Public relations has been an offering of the Communication Arts department at Georgia Southern since the mid-1970s, first as an emphasis program before becoming a major in 1996. All students graduating from the well-rounded program have participated in service learning and/or completed an internship.