News
June 6, 2013
NEWS RELEASE
Saron Fanel: Brock University’s 2013 Lou Cahill Scholarship Winner
TORONTO - Saron Fanel, London, Ontario is the 2013 winner of the Lou Cahill Scholarship in Communications awarded by Brock University, St. Catharines. The Scholarship is awarded to a communications student in the final year of study for academic excellence, community involvement and participation in charitable activities.
The Scholarship was established to honour Lou Cahill, the founder of Enterprise Canada, the country’s longest-operating public relations firm. An icon of the Canadian public relations industry, Lou Cahill died in November 2008 at the age of 94. He held an honorary doctoral degree from Brock.
"We are delighted that Saron has received the Lou Cahill Scholarship in Communications", said Barbara Fox, Enterprise Canada President and Chief Executive Officer. “Lou Cahill would have been proud of her community involvement and commitment to volunteer service."
During her third year of study, she participated in an exchange program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she was on the Dean's list for outstanding academics.
Fanel has been a volunteer with ROOTS: African Caribbean Society, where, she learned and shared an appreciation for the cultures expressed by African and Caribbean students at Brock by discovering, celebrating and building awareness about their rich heritage. In addition, she volunteered with the Brock University Student Alumni Association building relationships between students and alumni supporting interaction and a successful student transition. She helped with events such as Move in Day, Career Expo, Health Fair and the Touch of Home program to allow students to feel at home and learn more about living at Brock.
"Saron has been an active leader within the St.Catharines community. Through her involvement with Brock University's Students' Union, she showed a dedication and passion that was admired by both staff and fellow students. Her success in both academics and community involvement can be attributed to her consistent ability to go above and beyond," said Karlie Fitzgerald, Marketing Co-Ordinator, Brock University Student Union.
Fanel has also been involved with Free the Children Action Group, Brock Chapter, to work on projects that eliminate child poverty and exploitation and to empower and inspire youth to make positive change in the world. She raised awareness on campus of the issue and was involved in organizing a 5 km run where all proceeds went to a village in Kenya.
The Lou Cahill Scholarship is managed by the Communications + Public Relations Foundation. The Foundation promotes the advancement of communications and public relations as vital functions in society, is dedicated to the public interest, and is committed to increasing public knowledge and awareness of the role of communications and public relations in daily life. The Foundation accepts individual and corporate contributions towards research and educational initiatives nationwide.
Applications for the annual Lou Cahill Scholarship in Communications, valued at $1,250 for eligible graduating students from the Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University are available from the University’s Student Awards and Financial Aid Office.
For more information about the Foundation and its public relations educational initiatives, contact Barbara Sheffield, Executive Director, Communications + Public Relations Foundation, at
foundation@prmediaconnection.com.
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June 6, 2013
NEWS RELEASE
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND PR VETERAN TO ADDRESS NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONALS
Terry Fallis will speak with Canadian Public Relations Society members about essential skills of successful professionals
OTTAWA - Despite rapid changes impacting the industry, public-relations professionals will continue to need essential skills to ensure a successful career. This is one of the key messages bestselling Canadian author and veteran public-relations consultant, Terry Fallis, will deliver to the annual gathering of Canada’s public-relations practitioners.
Mr. Fallis, whose book, Best Laid Plans, was named the essential Canadian novel of the decade by CBC Canada Reads, will deliver the annual Diana and Charles Tisdall Lecture in Communications at the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) national conference in Ottawa, June 10, 2013. The theme of his lecture is 25 Years of Storytelling: Perspectives on the short trip from PR to Novels.
The Tisdall lecture is considered a highlight of the CPRS conference. It is presented in partnership with the Communications + Public Relations Foundation. Past speakers represent a who’s who of Canadian communications professionals and business leaders who traditionally share insights and provocative reflections about the value of communications.
In his address, Mr. Fallis will share his perspective on the changing world of public relations, how his PR career helped him break through as a novelist, the future of the PR profession, and his views on what continue to be the bedrock skills of the successful PR professional.
Following a successful career as a political advisor, Mr. Fallis became a respected government affairs and communications consultant with the international PR firm, Hill and Knowlton. In 1995, he co-founded Thornley Fallis where he has counselled corporate and government clients on various fronts including crisis communications, media relations, issues management, and stakeholder relations.
In 2007, he became an author and published his first book Best Laid Plans which won the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. He followed that with two more, High Road, and most recently Up and Down in 2012. In November 2011, CBC-Television announced that Best Laid Plans is in development as a six-part TV miniseries.
Established by the Tisdall family through the Communications + Public Relations Foundation, and in partnership with the Canadian Public Relations Society, the Diana and Charles Tisdall Lecture in Communications aims to demonstrate the societal power and value of public relations and communications thinking.
Charles Tisdall was a recognized leader in public relations in Canada and the United States having established Tisdall Clark in the early 1950s. He died in 2007. During his career, he was named one of the world’s 40 outstanding public-relations professionals by Public Relations News.
The Communications + Public Relations Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization that is committed to increasing public knowledge and awareness of the role of communications and public relations by providing support to educational initiatives that advance the profession. It promotes an advancement of communications and public relations as a vital function in society and is dedicated to the public interest.
Founded in 1948, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is a not-for-profit organization whose members are engaged in the practice, management or teaching of public relations. Members work to maintain the highest standards and to share a uniquely Canadian experience in public relations. CPRS is a federation of more than 1,800 members across 14 Member Societies based in major cities or organized province-wide.
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April 4, 2013
NEWS RELEASE
Ryan Ferguson wins 2013 Calgary Legacy Scholarship
TORONTO - Ryan Ferguson, Mount Royal University, is the second winner of the Calgary Legacy Scholarship awarded by the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Calgary in partnership with the Communications + Public Relations Foundation. This $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a second year student studying public relations/communications in a recognized program in one of Mount Royal University, University of Calgary or SAIT.
The winner must demonstrate an overall understanding of public relations and communications, its theoretical and practical elements, including values and principles through submission of a two-page essay on a specified topic. The 2013 topic focused on a two-way symmetrical communication model considered to be the ideal approach for effective and strategic public relations.
Ferguson focused on the benefits of this approach to both parties—those who send and those who receive—pointing out that this model gives the audience more empowerment, creates a sense of community, and develops trust between the organization and its audience. He addressed the use of social media, mass emails, town halls, surveys, forms and advertising campaigns.
"Education, training and career development are cornerstones of our organization. This scholarship is another way that CPRS can support future public relations practitioners as they prepare to enter the profession," said Janice Robertson, President of CPRS Calgary.
In 2012, Ferguson received two honours—he was appointed to the Dean's Honour Role for significant academic achievement and received the Jason Lang Scholarship for exceptional academic achievement, both from Mount Royal University.
In addition to his course work, Ferguson is committed to community where he has taken on a number of projects in Calgary—volunteering with the Stephen Ames Golf tournament and the Spruce Meadows World Equestrian Centre as well as with Shaw Communications and the CUPS, One World Child Development Centre.
"Ryan is a determined and very creative individual", said Janet Hamnett, Assistant Professor, public relations program at Mount Royal University. "His work reflects strategic thinking that will serve him well as he prepares for a career in public relations."
In addition to the scholarship, the winner receives a complimentary membership in CPRS (Calgary) and a complimentary registration for a CPRS (Calgary) event.
The Canadian Public Relations Society is a national public relations
membership organization with 16 member societies in major cities
organized province-wide. It establishes and encourages high levels
of professional standards, ethics and studies in public relations.
The Calgary Legacy Scholarship funds and competition are managed
by the Communications + Public Relations Foundation on behalf of
CPRS (Calgary). The Foundation promotes the advancement of communications and public relations as vital functions in society, is dedicated to the public interest, and is committed to increasing public knowledge and awareness of the role of communications and public relations in daily life. The Foundation accepts individual and corporate contributions towards research and educational initiatives nationwide.
For more information about the Foundation and its public relations educational initiatives, contact Barbara Sheffield, Executive Director, Communications + Public Relations Foundation, at
foundation@prmediaconnection.com.
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CPRS Remembers David McAsey
David McAsey APR, FCPRS(H) L.M
November 18, 1935 - February 6, 2013
David McAsey will be long remembered for his active role in the Canadian Public Relations Society and his community. Two short years after joining the Society in Montreal in 1965, McAsey would become a member of the CPRS National Council. He was also one of the first practitioners to be accredited in public relations after receiving his APR in 1971 — a year after the program was launched.
McAsey relocated to Alberta and held the position of president of CPRS Calgary between 1976 and 1977. He continued his leadership role within CPRS as National President from 1980 to 1981. Over the past decade McAsey was involved with CPRS Accreditation, acting as an exam grader and then serving as a regional examiner until 2011.
His volunteerism extended beyond the CPRS community as several Alberta associations and organizations benefited from his public relations expertise. McAsey also found the time to help the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Calgary Drop-In Centre.
McAsey was an honorary member of the CPRS College of Fellows and a Life Member of the Society. In 2011 he was presented with the CPRS Areté Award of Attainment in Alberta for his four decades of service to the public relations community.
David McAsey—husband, brother, father and grandfather—will be remembered for his selfless dedication to his work and community.