The Ehling ReportPublic Relations Student Society of America

Inside:

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• Networking within PRSSA• 7 Rules for Networking Success• Mastering the Elevator Speech

Lunch date with Burson-Marsteller

By: Elizabeth Holtan

The New York office’s Harold Burson bobblehead is the star of photos from van der Leeuw and Troutman’s travels as part of a friendly competition with other Burson-Marsteller recruiters. For more of Harold, follow #HBSI2011 on Twitter.

A mix of eager PRSSA members began to fill the chairs around the burnished wood executive table in the Dresslar Room of Newhouse at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5. The event, organized by PRSSA Vice President of Programing Brittnee Anderson, featured two internship recruiters from Burson-Marsteller.

B u r s o n - M a r s t e l l e r is one of the world’s largest and most well known public relations firms, notable for its corporate crisis management. Founded in 1953 by Harold Burson and Bill Marsteller, the company now has 58 offices and 45 affiliates in 59 countries and six continents.

The public relations undergraduate and graduate students accompanied by Public

Relations Department Chair Dr. Brenda Wrigley, warmly welcomed Senior Associate Maggie van der Leeuw and Client Executive Joi Troutman from Burson-Marsteller’s New York regional headquarters.

Van der Leeuw and Troutman, in the company of a Harold Burson bobblehead, provided a savory spread of Jimmy John’s sandwiches, chips and cookies.

Van der Leeuw has spent six and a half years with Burson-Marsteller and lives in New York, not far from the city. Troutman, a New Jersey native and recent graduate of Hampton University, is only three weeks into her position. At present, she has enjoyed her time at the firm and added that her specialty is resume review.

PRSSA Initiative Makes Front Page

Syracuse University’s PRSSA chapter has partnered with Cotton Incorporated to take part in the “Cotton. From Blue to Green” denim recycling campaign. Syracuse is one of five colleges nationwide participating in the program, which recycles denim to provide insulation for communities in need. The goal is to collect 500 pairs of jeans, enough to insulate an entire house, during the month of October.

Inside:Professional HighlightJaclyn Grosso, Director of Communications and Media Relations for SU’s College of Law

Alumnus HighlightRay Lapena ’10, Communications Leadership Development Program Candidate for General Electric

National Conference RecapPRSSA 2010 National ConferenceThe Capital Connection: People, Press, and Politics, Washington, D.C.

Ray Lapena often imagined his first job would be with a public relations agency in the heart of New York City. Nearly five months after graduating from Syracuse University, he works as an in-house communications specialist at one of the largest corporations in the world.

“I had no idea I would go into corporate PR,” said Lapena, who graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Public Relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a minor in marketing. He currently works for General Electric at the company’s headquarters in Schenectady, N.Y.

Lapena does not regret pursuing corporate public relations instead of agency work. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to lock down doing one thing, but with a company as big as GE, the opportunities are almost endless,” he said. His main interest within the company is the advancement of green technology.

He deviated from his original career path when he made a last-minute decision to apply to GE’s Communications Leadership Development Program (CLDP). The program involves three eight-month rotations within one of GE’s five businesses. Around half of CLDP employees are Newhouse alumni, said Lapena.

Lapena was selected as one of 16 CLDP candidates after interviewing with GE on campus. GE then paid for his flight to Westchester, N.Y., where he proceeded to pass four rounds of interviews as part of a rigorous “hiring forum.”

What impressed GE employers most were Lapena’s writing skills during a surprise press release exercise. “I do thank Newhouse for that, because all those writing classes definitely put me ahead of the game,” said Lapena, who was chosen for the PR and marketing communications rotation first.

Because GE has various markets overseas, Lapena often speaks with people from countries such as India and Saudi Arabia. “Sometimes I’m on the phone really early to compensate for the time,” he said.

Since the global demand for energy is substantially increasing, Lapena also works closely with GE’s sales and marketing departments as necessary. However, he mainly deals with the company’s public relations agency, Masto Public Relations.

“It’s a really interesting perspective, going into corporate [PR], because I did my internships with PR firms,” Lapena said. Now, he drafts press releases “on the client side of the relationship.”

Nearly halfway through his first program rotation, Lapena is glad he took GE’s corporate public relations route. “It’s a really great company and we do really great things,” he said. ““It’s really challenging… I like it. It was a fun surprise.”

Raymond Lapena is a native of Orange, California and a 2010 graduate of Syracuse University, where he studied public relations and marketing. Before joining CLDP, he held internships at Clear Channel, Rubenstein Communications, McNeil Wilson Communications and DGuides.com. At Syracuse, he was involved in First Year Players, Groovestand A Cappella, University 100, Newhouse Ambassadors, and JERK Magazine. Ray received the PR Department Chair Award for Leadership and the Dean’s Service Award in 2010.•

Agency hopeful finds his calling in corporate PR

By: Elizabeth Holtan

Welcome to the new and returning PRSSA members at Syracuse University! The PRSA-CNY Chapter is excited about the approaching opportunities that we will have to meet and connect with you during your college careers.

The PRSA-CNY Chapter is tenacious, with members spanning all industries from government, to corporate and not-for-profit. We gladly encourage you to attend any of our events throughout the year to interact and connect with us. Many of these events are free or a reduced cost for members of PRSSA.

PRSA-CNY is hosting a networking mixer at The Oncenter Convention Center, November 2, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. This is free for you to attend and a great way to start networking with professionals in the public relations field in your area. Don’t forget to bring some business cards with you!

If you would like to connect with anyone from our chapter, please feel free to reach out at anytime. We are always willing to help.

Regards,

Message from PRSA-CNY

For more information:prssa@prsacny.comwww.prsacny.comFacebook: PRSA-CNY

Originally from Syracuse, Jaclyn Grosso started her career in communications as a DJ at a local radio station when she was a senior in high school. Today, she has over 12 years of public relations and corporate communications experience and has received honors such as the “40 under 40” and the “Women in Business” awards. Grosso participates in Public Relations Society of America and Leadership Greater Syracuse.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in 2003, where she was part of the inaugural class of the Roy H. Park School of Communications. Grosso had the opportunity to study abroad in England during her undergraduate career. She urges students to take advantage of such opportunities, which helped her progress in her career. If she had not taken advantage of the study abroad program in London, she would not have had the opportunity to intern at MTV. There was no official internship offered abroad, so she pushed the directors of the program to develop an internship there. “You can sit and let your career be stagnant or you can take control of it,” she said. Because she asserted herself, she gained invaluable experience as an intern while experiencing life in another country.

After graduating college and traveling throughout the country, Grosso returned to Syracuse to pursue a master’s degree

in business administration from Le Moyne College.

Grosso began her PR career in corporate communications; a path she says is unusual. “I had a backwards trajectory. Most people would start off at an agency then go to corporate.” She deviated from the norm.

She worked for ARAMARK, a privately held company, from 1994 until 1997. As a special events manager, she oversaw several VIP events at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Grosso then held a position in corporate communications for UTC/Carrier Corporation from 1997 until 2001. During this time, she met Rick Fedrizzi, who would later become her professional role model. Fedrizzi was Grosso’s boss as well as the Director of Communications for Carrier. She admires his management style, saying, “He is a great leader and a fair manager… He is also open to change, which a lot of people might not be.”

After leaving Carrier, Grosso continued her career at Welch Allyn, a global manufacturer of medical products. Grosso was named Manager of Public Relations and Internal Communications. She remained at Welch Allyn for roughly four years before undertaking her current position at Syracuse University.

According to Grosso, the pace of corporate PR is much faster than that

of her work at SU. “The best skills to have are project management and understanding priorities and production schedules,” Grosso commented.

Communications for the College of Law is more sporadic, in Grosso’s opinion, because of the changes in activity during the academic semesters. Her best advice for going into corporate public relations is to find an industry of interest that one can be passionate about. “Find an industry you really like whether it’s sports and entertainment, health care, automobiles, or travel and hospitality.” That way, she says, your job becomes that much more fun.

In addition, Grosso suggests using technology to manage your professional network effectively, saying, “It’s never been simpler to keep in contact with peers and professionals.” because, “You never know where life will take you.”

Grosso is currently the Director of Communications and Media Relations for SU’s College of Law where she takes pleasure in the incorporation of innovative technology. Grosso manages social media initiatives, edits the College of Law’s digital e-newsletter, and develops marketing materials. Recently, she has been promoting the dedication of the new law building and serving as editor-in-chief of the award-winning magazine, Syracuse Law. •

Connect with Us!PRSSA Syracuse University Chapter

SyracusePRSSA#SUPRSSARecap from 2010 National Conference - #SUinDC

Corporate Communications and Syracuse Law By: Brianna Quaglia

PRSSA Ehling chapter news

“Drop Your Jeans on the Quad” raises awareness about denim recycling at SU

Our student-run firm launched the “Cotton from Blue to Green” campaign with the event, “Drop your jeans on the quad” on Friday, October 8. From 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., the team collected denim from students and staff including jeans, jean jackets, jeggings, skirts and shorts. Participants received T-shirts, frisbees, and candy in exchange for their donation. Even Syracuse University Chancellor, Nancy Cantor, stopped by to personally drop off a pair of jeans!

“The denim drive embodies SU’s mission of “Scholarship In Action”--it gives students the opportunity to give back in a simple and effective way by donating old jeans. The Daily Orange’s front page coverage of our launch event is an encouraging sign that PRSSA can build a relationship with campus media to communicate with the student body,” mentioned Laura Foti, sophomore campaign leader, after her event received coverage in multiple campus media outlets.

70 jeans were collected during the launch event, which also helped raise awareness about the campaign on campus. Even students who did not participate took flyers and promised to look through their closets to find a pair of jeans to donate. Bins will be stationed in student centers and residence halls throughout campus encourage more donations.

If you are interested in helping with the denim drive, contact Laura Foti at Lefoti@syr.edu. •

By: Emily Kingston

On September 29, 2010, the William P. Ehling Chapter of PRSSA held its 2010 Induction Ceremony with Keynote speaker, Salvatore Foti. Sal Foti has spent nearly 30 years of his professional life in the field of communications beginning his career as a newspaper reporter in Connecticut in the early 1980s.

A graduate of Boston University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he later joined corporate America for nearly 13 years at Aetna, one of the largest health care, financial services and personal insurance companies in the world. While employed by Aetna, he worked in the areas of public relations, marketing, advertising and internal communications.

In 1997, he and his family moved to Pennsylvania so that Mr. Foti could assume the position of Vice President of Communications at Catholic Health East, a newly formed healthcare system comprised of 33 hospitals and nearly 100 long-term care facilities up and down the East Coast. In 2005, he left Catholic Health East to become Senior Director of Global Public Relations at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

His career is especially remarkable considering he was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 11. By the time he was 14 years old, the disease had spread throughout most of his major joints leaving him confined to a wheelchair for the next four years. The subsequent pain of various procedures has forced Mr. Foti to retire early. He plans on writing freelance articles and hopefully a novel now that he has time in retirement.

The PRSSA inductees also enjoyed a reception and are happy to become a part of such an esteemed professional organization•

Syracuse PRSSA Welcomes over 70 members

By: Emmelie De La Cruz

The two engaging recruiters encouraged questions about the Harold Burson Summer Internship (HBSI) Program against a rainy campus backdrop.

The program “is a ten week, paid internship at one of eight U.S. Burson-Marsteller offices,” open to juniors, seniors and graduate students. “Each intern is assigned to a client team or practice group. During the internship, students work closely with experienced industry professionals,” according to the 2011 HBSI Program brochure.

Participating U.S. HBSI offices include New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston, Dallas and Los Angeles. Each office has different areas of focus, from technology to healthcare to public affairs.

“I thought the luncheon was extremely beneficial,” said public relations graduate student Jess Leeds. “Not only did I learn about Burson-Marsteller’s [internship] program, but I got valuable advice from knowledgeable professionals.”

Van der Leeuw and Troutman explained how Burson-Marsteller employees examine over 800 U.S. applications a year by hand.

The applications, due February 25, must pass five steps. First, every application is reviewed; if spelling errors are present, it’s out of the running. The applications are then sent to their prospective account teams, who then decide which candidates are eligible for phone interviews.

After the first phone interview, the offices narrow down the applicants to final candidates, who are then given a second phone interview. Those who have successfully completed all five steps of the interview process are offered an internship position.

HBSI featured 13 interns in New York, 15 in DC and one in Boston, this past summer. After the 10 weeks, Burson-Marsteller frequently hires interns on a permanent basis. “Last year, we hired all but one intern,” said van der Leeuw, of the New York office.

Public relations Master’s candidate Rachel Laber enjoyed the hour-long experience. “The luncheon was a wonderful introduction to a promising internship program and a company that is one of the most recognized and respected among all PR firms,” Laber said.

Van der Leeuw and Troutman’s visit also included private resume and portfolio review sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, and attendance at the campus-wide career fair in the Carrier Dome.

“The Ehling Chapter was honored to host the luncheon for the two wonderful recruiters.” expressed PRSSA Vice President of Communications, Emmelie De La Cruz. “We hope to continue to be a reliable student base for future internships and entry-level positions.”•

PRSSA AbroadBy: Calvin Iverson

Michelle Wong, junior public relations major, is currently studying abroad in foggy London in the company of Big Ben. She shared a little about why she chose public relations, what PR is like in the United Kingdom, and what she hopes to do when she returns to campus.

Wong says she chose public relations on a whim and has grown to love it since. She explained that the public relations industry in London is not specifically unique to PR in the United States. She mentioned that two of the largest public relations firms in London are Edelman and Financial Dynamics (FD), which are firms based in New York City.

Once she is back on campus, Wong would like to become more involved in PRSSA and Hill Communications, as well as University Union. She writes for A-Line Magazine, the Asian interest magazine at SU. She will also return to fulfill Newhouse and Whitman Ambassador duties.

After graduation, Wong would like to work for a firm like Edelman or FD. In the future, she would like to get involved in crisis management, media relations for a financial firm, or become the head of communications of a major bank.

If all else fails, Wong says she’ll be a flight attendant – “because they make bank and get to travel the world.” That’s not a bad idea! We are all excited to welcome Michelle back to campus in the spring! •

(Lunch Date Continuation)

October Report StaffEditor-In-Chief

Emmelie De La Cruz

Contributing WritersLaura Foti

Elizabeth HoltanCalvin IversonEmily KingstonBrianna Quaglia

The 2010 National Conference in the Washington, D.C. took place at the Wardman Park Marriot Hotel. This five-day conference was an invaluable experience for all who attended. Chapter development sessions, speakers across various PR sectors, and round-table discussions, all contributed to the advancement of PRSSA chapters, students and professionals alike.

Throughout the conference, there was a huge emphasis on the importance of social media use and branding. Various speakers endorsed the use of Twitter and other social networks to effectively network with peers and professionals. Frequent exchange of business cards, LinkedIn networks, and twitter handles occurred. Newhouse alum and social media powerhouse Sarah Evans was in attendance at the PRSA International Conference taking place simultaneously at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Having the opportunity to attend general PRSA sessions and network with industry leaders and professionals was an added benefit to the national conference experience. Overall, the insight gained during the PRSSA conference was priceless. Plans for the 2011 national conference in Orlando next year are already under way!

Stay tuned for recaps on specific sessions and speakers in upcoming Ehling Report editions!

Save the Dates! Tues., Nov. 2ndPRSA Networking Event5:30-7:30 pm

Fri., Nov. 5thWelch-Allyn Tour with Eric Allyn1:00-2:30 pm

Thur., Nov. 11thMedia TrainingNewhouse 1, Rm. 101 6:30-9:00 pm

Thurs., Nov. 18thSarah Evans of Sevans StrategyNewhouse 3, Rm. 2507:00-8:00 pm

Thurs., Dec. 9thHoliday Gala(time and location TBA)