The PR Perspective

New Mexico and Teacher Trust 2017

New Mexico and Teacher Trust 2017

Over the next week and a half, public schools and universities will be starting the fall semester.

A critical component to student success are teachers and the trust parents/community have in the profession. In New Mexico, the profession has been under fire as a result of various discussions about ways to track student and teacher performance.

According to the 2017 Garrity Perception Survey, 70 percent of New Mexico residents trust teachers.

An Insiders Guide to CAPRSA’14

An Insiders Guide to CAPRSA’14

Cabo San Lucas was the location of my first Counselors Academy Spring Conference. During my brief tenure, I’ve had a chance to meet a number of top-notch professionals. People who have taught me so much, making me realize I have so much to learn!

Putting together this year’s program, with a strong co-chair and an engaged executive committee, I wanted to share a few quick inside tips on how you can get the most out of this year’s event in Key West.

A Butterfly, an Ostrich and Transparency?

A Butterfly, an Ostrich and Transparency?

The High Desert Investment Corporation (HDIC) and its parent the Albuquerque Academy (the academic leader for independent and public education), have a financial problem that has spiraled into a crisis that threatens the reputation of a trusted institution.

Out with the old…

Out with the old…

Recently, the University of New Mexico announced it was eliminating its traditional Public Relations and Advertising track, creating a merged “Strategic Communication” degree program. A UNM student, who was assigned to write a final paper on the topic asked for my thoughts on the creation of the new program. Here is what I had to say:

Eliminating traditional advertising and public relation degrees only to fold them into a strategic communication degree really illustrates how out of touch the University leadership is regarding the public relations industry, needs the business community and employability of its graduates. It is the equivalent of combining sociology and psychology or financial accounting and organizational management. It might look really good on paper but those moves are really out of touch with the specific disciplines.

While I cannot speak for the advertising community, eliminating a public relations degree program creates a ripple effect of negativity. For example, without a public relations degree program, the University of New Mexico no longer qualifies to host a Public Relations Student Society of America chapter. Having PRSSA helps students to make connections for internships. It also gets students out of textbooks and into reality, which makes them more employable.

What does “strategic communication” mean? By its name, it infers that some communication is not strategic? What it comes down to is how can the University of New Mexico prepare its students to help companies make connections with their target audiences? You can go the paid (advertising) or earned (public relations) path. Look at a television station, it has a sales department and a news department. Where the two collide is called advertorial, which has little credibility when compared to the respective traditional advertising and traditional public relation entities.

As an employer, I look specifically for public relation education and experience. Northwestern University, Syracuse, Pepperdine, University of Texas, University of Charleston and my alma mater Texas Christian University that have storied public relation programs. Those programs provide access to internships and real world experience. Will the new University of New Mexico approach provide that same kind of access? We will now be forced to wait and see.

I have no idea how prominent my comments were or even if the student passed his class.

Counselors Academy

Counselors Academy

Today’s Meet the Press provided a good backdrop for discussions that took place at the PRSA Counselors Academy in La Quinta California.

Back East, the “change” words that were prominent in the Meet The Press discussion from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange included investment, downsizing, competitiveness, opportunity and innovation.

Out here in the West, those words resonated throughout Steve McKee’s keynote address. Reflecting on themes from his successful book When Growth Stalls, McKee drove home the point that understanding the causes of failure is the key to eventual success. He identified ways to identify reasons why growth stalls, they include: Lack of Consensus, Loss of Focus, Loss of Nerve, and Lack of Consistency. He finished by encouraging CEOs and business owners to take a confidential self-assessment at http://www.whengrowthstalls.com. As a side note, The Garrity Group was (and still is) a proud sponsor of Steve McKee’s address to the Counselors Academy.