Loyalist PR celebrates a memorable year at the 4th Annual PRISM Awards

It's been a year of a thousand memories, and it all came down to this: the 4th Annual PRISM Awards, held at the Bohemian Penguin here in Belleville.

First, a huge thanks to the PRISM planning team: Sara Hamil (project manager), Jeremy MacLaine (MC), Michelle Pomeroy (uber decoratrice) and Rachel Fehr (gift bag queen).

Also, thanks to our special guests: Maureen Piercy, President of Loyalist College, Geoff Cudmore, Acting VP of Academics, Jane Harrison, Acting Dean of Media Studies, Doug Mepham, Chair of the Post-Grad PR Advisory Committee, as well as the advisory committee members, Loyalist staff and faculty who joined in the celebration.

And the winners are...

2009 PRISM Service Award – Sarah Tummon
Honourable Mention – Bryna Jones

2009 PRISM Leadership Award – Amy Hoskin
Honourable Mention – Sara Hamil

2009 PRISM Innovation Award – Kyle MacKenzie
Honourable Mention – Sara Hamil

2009 PRISM Teamwork Award – Jeff Lauritsen
Honourable Mention – Jeannie Maidens

2009 PRISM Spirit Award – Sara Hamil
Honourable Mentions – Jeff Lauritsen and Dan Truman

2009 PRISM New Media Award – Kyle MacKenzie
Honourable Mention - Jeremy MacLaine

2009 PRISM Professionalism Award – Bryna Jones
Honourable Mention – Shannon Brant

2009 PRISM Mentorship Award – Lisa Kirbie, Loyalist PR Alumnus and Senate Liaison and Stakeholder Relations Officer for the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition, Parliament Hill (Ottawa)

2009 PRISM Student Excellence Award – Jeannie Maidens
Honourable Mention - Shannon Brant

Campaign of the Year Award - "The Grass is Greener in Prince Edward County" for the Prince Edward County Economic Development Office (Shannon Brant, Rachel Fehr, Dan Truman, Stacey Hawkins)

2009 Kay Staib Memorial Scholarship ($500) - Kyle MacKenzie

When the speeches had been made and the songs sung, I think we all realized this is not so much an end as a beginning.

I am so proud of each and every one of you.

Cheers!

Loyalist PR students recognized at Athletics Banquet

Congratulations to Loyalist PR students Amy Hoskin and Kyle MacKenzie who were recognized at last night's Loyalist Athletics Banquet.

Amy was MVP for the Women's Volleyball Team which she captained in 2008/09. She was also the recipient of last night's Arthur McFarlane Award, which is presented annually to a graduating student who has made an outstanding contribution to athletics at Loyalist College.

Kyle was the recipient of the Bob McKendrick Award for his contributions to campus recreation and outdoor recreation. In the fall of 2008, Kyle founded the college's first-ever Ultimate Frisbee League.

We're all proud of you, Amy and Kyle!

Give big or go home!

Throughout the past school year, Loyalist PR students have been actively involved in raising funds and awareness for a number of local non-profit organizations.

This month alone, students planned and held special events resulting in more than $2,000 in donations for the following charities:Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Belleville, Streams of Hope, Quinte Humane Society, Gleaners Food Bank and the Quinte Adult Day School.

Loyalist PR students also played a major role in the success of the recent campus United Way campaign which raised more than $12,000 for locally funded agencies.

Way to go, guys!

Loyalist PR in action

One of the coolest things about my job as professor and co-ordinator for the Post-Grad PR program here at Loyalist is getting to know some of the world's most amazing students.

By the time spring rolls around each year, I've taught eight of the program's 12 courses, and needless to say, my students and I have gotten to know a thing or two about each other.

One of the things that continues to impress me is the multiple talents my students possess, whether on the rugby field, on the stage, on the volleyball court, in the hockey arena, on the big screen or elsewhere.

Last night I got the opportunity to see one of our students, Kyle MacKenzie, in action as he played the lead role in "The Pact", a student-written and produced film that was screened at the Empire Theatre here in Belleville.

What never fails to impress me is not only the talent of students like Kyle, but the time management skills and professional dedication it takes to create a project like The Pact, or take on a campus leadership role, or simply raise a family while juggling all the demands of a post-graduate program.

As we make the transition from students and teachers to colleagues and friends in the very near future, I look forward to the new and exciting opportunities that await us all.

Thanks for the inspiration, everyone.

Local non-profits applaud Loyalist PR community media workshops

More than 100 participants from 40+ non-profit agencies took part in this year’s “Can You Hear Us Now?” community media workshops presented by the Post-Graduate Public Relations students of Loyalist College.

In total, six workshops were presented, ranging in topics from measuring PR success to getting to know Twitter.

Here’s what participants had to say about the workshops:

Well done! The students were knowledgeable, personable, helpful and poised.

The facilitators were excellent speakers.

These workshops were just what our organization needed.

The presenters knew their material well. This led to a clear, persuasive and interesting presentation.

I enjoyed the workshops immensely. Thank you for doing them!

What a great opportunity for non-profits! The length of the sessions fit nicely into my workday.

I appreciate the care and individual attention and support of all the facilitators

I found the students did an excellent job of explaining this workshop. They were great with helping and answering questions.

The time went by so quickly – I learned a lot!

Well-organized speakers, useful data. Plain language teaching appreciated.

Excellent speakers, well-planned and delivered. Great resource sharing!

Wonderful presenters, well-organized and worthwhile.

Great demonstrations – it made it easier to really grasp the concept of what a wiki is and how it can be created.

I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the presenters!

Great intro to Twitter.

Thanks to everyone who attended this year's "Can You Hear Us Now?" community media workshops. We hope to see you again next spring!

Loyalist PR students in Second Life

Loyalist PR students recently toured various virtual spaces in Second Life (SL) as part of an online client project.

Here's a class picture featuring our SL avatars - an other-worldly experience, to be sure!

Loyalist PR students win campus leadership awards

This week two Loyalist PR students were recognized for outstanding campus leadership.

Congrats to Sara Hamil, winner of the Loyalist College Leadership Award for 2009. Sara is this year's campus President of the Rotaract Club at Loyalist College .

Also, a round of applause to Amy Hoskin, winner of the Fred Pollit Leadership Award for Campus Recreation. Amy was Team Captain for the Lancers Women's Volleyball Team which made the provincial play-offs in 2008/09.

We're proud of you, ladies!

Social media brand man visits Loyalist PR

Today, Loyalist PR enjoyed a flyby visit by Rene Dick of Scout Design.

Rene is a major user of social media, applying various tools to launch his own professional brand, and to reinforce the brands of clients across North America.

Rene's presentation left us feeling inspired and motivated to explore more fully the networking capabilities of social media.

Thanks for the visit, Rene. You're a social media rock star.

Time to get a (Second) Life?

Award-winning social media expert Ken Hudson (see avatar image at right) is overseeing a client project being completed by Post-Grad Public Relations students at Loyalist over the next two weeks.

Today the project kicked off with an interactive session on Second Life, followed by an overview of the campaign project.

The workshop provided students and faculty with a great opportunity to discuss the impact of Second Life and social media on both human communication and public relations, as well the implications of branding in the virtual world.

A world leader in online applications of Second Life, Loyalist was the first Canadian college campus to bring students into a social networking simulation classroom in the virtual world.

The Second Life client project continues throughout the month of March.