A Report of an Internship in Public Relations at Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-1978 A Report of an Internship in Public Relations at Western Michigan University John G. Dezek Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons Recommended Citation Dezek, John G., "A Report of an Internship in Public Relations at Western Michigan University" (1978). Master's Theses. 2107. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/2107 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A REPORT OF AN INTERNSHIP IN PUBLIC RELATIONS AT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY by Dohn G» Oszek A Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Specialist in Education Degree Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1978 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I uish to express my gratitude to the entire staff of the Information Services division of Western Michigan University* Special thanks to Martin R. "Doe" Gagie, assistant to the president and director of information services, for arranging the variety of experiences I enjoyed during my six weeks at Western* Special thanks also to Patricia Coyle, associate director of information services, and to Robert Rubom, director of news services. Without their guidance and candor, my internship would not have been the enlightening experience that it was. Very special thanks must also be given to my advisor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Qr. Richard Munsterman. John G. Dezek Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1312339 OfcZ lK * JHHW GtDKGfc A Rfc p UR I UF PHFRNiHlP TM PUBLIC RELATI HNS A1 NFSTERM MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY. Wfc 5TE k'J MiC-ilO** UNlVLRSIIYf E.O.S., 1973 University Microfilms International 300 n z l e b h o a u . a n n a r b o r , m i 48<og Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I A RATIONALE FOR THE EXPERIENCE....................... 1 II THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE INTERNSHIP, ........ 2 III ACHIEVEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES DURING THE INTERNSHIP ••••••«••••« 3 IV PUBLIC RELATIONS PRINCIPLES LEARNED DURING THE INTERNSHIP..................................... 8 V DAILY LOG OF A C T I V I T I E S .............................11 APPENDICES........................................... 2 3 * ^Because the material in the appendices does net conform to the size specifications for binding and microfilming, only the original appendices are on file uith the original copy of this reports There fore, a separate Table of Contents is included uith those appendices, on page 24* iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A RATIONALE FOR THE EXPERIENCE In an era of budget cuts and tax revolts, as uiell as public disenchantment uith the educational system in this country, the need for school administrators to be striving for good public relations is paramount. Colleges and universities, as uiell as public elementary and secondary schools, depend on the public for support, both vocal and financial. Common principles for effective strategies can be learned through experience at any educational level. The wide range of public relations activities at any level indicates the breadth of its scope. At Western Michigan University, a number of offices under the leadership of flartin R. ,,Jaen Gagie, assistant to the president and director of information services, strive to establish and maintain good public relations, fly experience in each of these offices provided me uith an overview of the public relations activities in a large educational system. The need for good public relations, and for trained and effective public relations personnel, is growing. Hopefully, this internship project has better preparad me for a career in this emerging field. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE INTERNSHIP Uith the concurrence of my field supervisor and university advisor, I established the following objectives for my intern ship program: Conceptual Objectives 1S To gain an overview of 'he public ralatiuns activities of a large university 2. To gain specific experience in particular aspects of a public relations program 3* To examine the interplay between various segments of the public relations program 4# To study the role of the director as an educational leader Human Objectives 1, To gain an overview of the direction of a good public relations program in terms of intended audiences 2. To gain an insight into public relations strategy in terms of organizationt activities, etc* 3* To gain an insight into techniques for effective human relations, internal and external Technical Objectives 1, To improve skills in: a) writing b) editing c) layout and design d) telephone conversation e) listening 2, To gain experience in a variety of public relations tasks 2 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACHIEVEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES DURING THE INTERNSHIP I feel I achieved all of my objectives during my six-week internship experience. Analysis of each objective and how it was achieved follows. Conceptual Objectives 1. T o g a i n an overview of the public relations activities of a large university By working at Western Michigan University under Martin R. "Joe" Gagie, assistant to the president and director of informa tion services, I was given the ideal position from which to accom plish this objective. Under Mr. Gagie*s leadership, I worked in the following offices; Information Services News Services University Publications Sports Information Information Center and Switchboard I have learned how Mr. Gagie coordinates these offices, from staff meetings to budgeting to sanding directive memos. From the point of view of the administration building, one sees the thrust of the public relations program in terms of its concepts. Foremost among them is the promotion of the image of the university and the solicitation, however subtly, of contribu tions. Every aspect of the program is orchestrated for the achieve ment of those goals. 3 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 2. To Pain specific experience in particular aspects of a public relations program In order to accomplish this objective, it uas necessary for me to leave the confines of the administration building and uork in various other offices, listed above. Fly specific tasks are item ized in my log. At the nuts-and-bolts level, it is sometimes difficult to see "the big picture," but individual assignments all contributed to the efforts of the larger organization. 3. To examine the interplay betuean various segments of the public relations prooram This objective uas accomplished through my attendance at jtaff meetings and my informal conversations uith personnel. At Western, the inter-departmental interplay is minimal; some personnel in one office know nothing of the activities of employees in another. That is the vieu from the bottom, of course. From the top, as I said earlier, the interplay is choreographed quite uell. 4. To study the role of the director as an educational leader fir. Gagie, as assistant to the president, is an important and effective administrator of the University. His duties are uide—ranging, and his choreographing of various offices under his jurisdiction is complex. I observed his style, and I heard candid reaction to that style from University employees. Line organiza tion uas analyzed and discussed. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Human Objectives 1. To aain an overview of the direction of a good public relations program in terms of intended audiences <- In order to achieve this objective} I observed and analyzed the groups uith whom the various information services offices have contact* It became clear to me that the public relations efforts are aimed primarily at alumnit uith the hope that financial con tributions uill follow. Another audience is prospective students who, it is hoped, will choose to attend Western. A third audience is the general publict whose favorable attitude toward UmU is cultivated* 2. To gain an insioht into public relations strategy in terms of organization, activities, etc* The strategy requires personal attention to members of the intended audiences listed above* By observing the objectives of various activities and publications} I gained an appreciation for the effectiveness of one-to-one contact, whether it be in person or through the mail* Personal letters are sent to all alumni who have accomplished something of significance (a "clip file" is utilized to keep track of those accomplishments)* Nuch is also done to maintain good relations uith the media, from congratulatory lettars for newly-named editors to luncheon meetings and cocktail hours with reporters* Press passes to athletic events are utilized to assure good media coverage of games* But despite

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