2003 Ruth Hammond Scholarship winner announced

Toronto, Ontario - Nancy Ferguson, a native of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, is the 2003 winner of the Ruth Hammond Scholarship awarded to a public relations student in the final year of the Bachelor of Public Relations program at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Nancy Ferguson is in the top one percent of her class and has won the MSVU Library Award for Research Excellence. She plans to graduate in Fall, 2004. She has been a provincial legislative page and a public relations representative for Girl Guides of Canada. In her co-op term with Petroleum Research Atlantic Canada (PRAC), she conducted a communications audit and aided in PRAC's first communications strategy as well as having written a feature article for publication in a trade magazine. In addition, she was involved in organizing a re-branding launch and played an integral role in the development of a new web site.

MSVU is recognized for its academic excellence and creative learning approaches. With approximately 4,400 students from across Canada and around the globe, it offers 35 undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, sciences and an array of professional programs.

The Ruth Hammond Scholarship was established by Ruth's friends and colleagues in the Canadian Public Relations Society (Toronto) to honour her lifetime commitment to public relations education in Canada. The scholarship, currently awarded by MSVU, acknowledges a student who has completed at least two public relations co-op work terms and who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership abilities and dedication to establishing a career in the public relations field.

Ruth Hammond, APR, is a life member of the Canadian Public Relations Society, Inc., and Honourary Fellow of CPRS and holds an Honourary Doctorate from Mount Saint Vincent University.

The Ruth Hammond Scholarship Fund is managed by the Communications and 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.

For more information about the Foundation and its public relations educational initiatives, contact Barbara Sheffield, Chair, Communications and Public Relations Foundation, Suite 1515, 73 Widdicombe Hill Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, M9R 4B3, or phone 416 242-7009 or e-mail b.sheffield@prmediaconnection.com