The Public Relations Society of America’s new MBA Initiative was created to provide business students with a better foundation in public relations strategy and corporate reputation management. The initiative was developed in response to a 2011 survey of more than 200 business leaders that asked how well they felt business students were prepared to deal with these issues. Among the data gathered, 59 percent of respondents said they had hired recent MBA graduates and only 4 in 10 found the skill sets of these graduates to be extremely strong in building and protecting their company’s reputation. Nine in 10 of the business leaders surveyed said executives at their companies need greater training in communication disciplines, and 98 percent believe C-suite executives must know basic PR.

“Nearly every business leader we surveyed agrees that reputation management and communication strategy are important skills for businesses success,” says PRSA Chair and CEO, Rosanna M. Fiske, APR. “The next generation of executives must understand not only public relations’ business value and ROI, but recognize their own roles as stewards of corporate reputation.”

PRSA, along with the Institute for Public Relations and the Arthur W. Page Society, have worked together to compile curriculum guidelines and will engage four business schools to pilot the course, with plans for the program to officially launch in the 2012-2013 school year.

Anglin team members had these thoughts about the new initiative and how it will impact both professions long term:

As an undergraduate student, one of the first things I learned was the importance of making the value of public relations known to my future employer. Public relations belongs in the management function of a company, but is often not recognized as part of the round table. What better way to help future senior executives understand the value and importance of our practice than learning about our industry while pursuing their master’s degree? Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mocking Bird” said, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” I think this theory applies to the relationship between public relations professionals and the senior executives who hire them, which is exactly why PRSA’s MBA initiative is right on point.

-Lauren

It’s about time business leaders recognize the importance of public relations in their business practices! I’ve always believed public relations is paramount to a successful business. Merging PR courses into MBA programs will only benefit the future business leaders ofAmerica. They will have a better understanding of how to strategically communicate internally to their employees, externally to their target publics, handle potential crises, work with the media and manage their companies’ reputations. I plan to get my MBA within the next few years and hope by that time public relations courses are a cornerstone in MBA programs.

-Kelsie

Business and communications professionals must have a mutually beneficial understanding of the importance of having knowledge in both fields. I’m currently pursuing my MBA, because I didn’t have a background in business and see the benefit in having more business knowledge to back up communications efforts. I think the initiative encourages a better understanding of how and why to incorporate communications personnel in executive business decisions. Surely business leaders want to also feel confident and comfortable being the voice and face of a company, something they might learn in an MBA PR class.

-Mindy

I have relied on my business training time and again, in both agency and non-profit settings, to explain to clients, bosses and board members how public relations impacts an organization from a business standpoint. I realized early in my career that I had to speak these business leaders’ language, focusing on ROI and how my actions would impact the organization financially. I think it’s not only important that business students understand the value of public relations but equally important that public relations students understand how to communicate their worth to leadership. I think the MBA Initiative is a great step in the right direction toward helping professionals in each arena work together more efficiently and effectively.

-Erin

Mindy writes:

Imagine having recently lost your job, which included health insurance and a dental benefits plan. You were born with troublesome teeth and live in distracting, excruciating pain from a tooth that has abscessed from lack of treatment.

Even if you did have dental insurance, what if the severity of the problem forced you to see a specialist, and that specialist was only available in a city 90 miles away? You’d have to spend the money on gas and lose a day of work to have the treatment done and might also have to pay $1,000 out of pocket to cover the deductible.

For so many Oklahomans, this is reality. Oklahoma ranked worst (51^st) in the U.S. for the lowest percentage of adults visiting a dentist – many because they simply cannot afford even basic care. Some see dental visits as a luxury, not a necessity, but the more you skip biannual dental visits, the greater your risk becomes for tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer.

That’s why it is such a blessing to have the opportunity to work on publicizing an event that helps thousands of people in these kinds of situations for FREE, no strings attached.

The third-annual Oklahoma Mission of Mercy two-day free dental clinic will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4, inMcAlester,Okla., at the Southeast Expo Center. With an expected 1,400 volunteers, including dental professionals and lay volunteers, the event is designed to treat the uninsured, underinsured or those who would otherwise not be able to seek dental care.

A variety of services will be offered at the event, including: cleanings, fillings, extractions and a limited number of anterior root canals. There will be no eligibility or income requirements to be treated, and event organizers expect to serve 2,000 children and adults. Doors open each day at 5 a.m.; appointments will not be accepted.

The 2012 event is funded by a grant from the Delta Dental of Oklahoma Oral Health Foundation, the event’s co-sponsor, as well as contributions and in-kind donations from numerous individuals and businesses.

I want to leave you with a few oral health facts and statistics that quickly prove why such a generous event is necessary in Oklahoma and across the nation. (Yes, I hope this scares you into making a dental appointment.)

• 33.3 million Americans reside in areas where there aren’t enough dental health professionals to meet the population’s needs.
• In 2008, 4.6 million children went without needed dental care in the U.S. because their families lacked the financial means to pay for it.
• Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 years and half of those aged 12–15 years.
• Advanced gum disease affects 4–12 percent of U.S. adults. Half of the cases of severe gum disease in the United States are the result of cigarette smoking.
• One-fourth of U.S. adults aged 65 or older have lost all their teeth.
• More than 7,800 people, mostly older Americans, die from oral and pharyngeal cancers each year. This year, about 36,500 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed.

For more information about Oklahoma Mission of Mercy visit http://www.okmom.org/.