eChaser: November 2010 / p2

Dr. Melissa Schroeder, associate dean of the TCU College of Communication, will present a program on “Giving Good Gifts” at the TCU Guild luncheon Thursday, Nov. 18, at the home of Beverly and Dudley Griffith, 3800 Winslow Drive in Fort Worth. Cost is $15. Guild nonmembers are welcome. RSVP to Lois Powers, 817-249-7409 or tcuguild@gmail.com. The Guild funds eight scholarships in the TCU Colleges of Fine Arts and Communication. ...

UTA professors Andrew Clark, Tom Christie and Julian Rodriguez will explore “Global Media & Information Freedom,” the role that new technology, community radio stations and international broadcasters play in the continuing battle to ensure a free flow of information, Thursday, Nov. 18, 7-8:30 p.m. at the George W. Hawkes Central Library in Arlington, 101 E. Abram St. Friends of the Arlington Public Library will provide refreshments. ...

Two items this month from the Writers’ Guild of Texas. • “Playing God: Creating Worlds” with Suzanne Frank, Saturday, Nov. 6, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Spiritual Fitness Center, Richardson. Frank, director of the SMU CAPE Creative Writing Program and a lauded murder mystery writer under the name Chloe Green, has created entire worlds readers can experience, filled with characters, tension and dramatic structure. Her seminar will teach how to create a believable, inhabitable 3-D world, whatever world it may be. • “The Art of the Short Story: Neglected or Merely Forgotten?” with Clay Reynolds, Monday, Nov. 15, 7-8:30 p.m., Richardson Public Library. Reynolds, a native Texan novelist, essayist, scholar and literary critic, is the author of more than 900 publications ranging from scholarly studies to short fiction and more than a dozen published volumes. He is a professor of arts and humanities at UT Dallas. More at writersguildoftexas.org/joomla/.

IABC local update: Jerry Stevenson, frontman for his own solo practice, Stevenson Consulting, and a former IABC Dallas Communicator of the Year, will offer secrets to building a successful social media policy — how to calm executive fears, foster innovation and avoid embarrassing scandals — at the IABC Dallas luncheon meeting Tuesday, Nov. 9. Info here.

PRSA national update: Selected webinar. “Making the Business Case for Public Relations: Measuring Results Demonstrates the Value of PR”; 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30. PR has the ability to provide the big picture on issues that senior managers worry about, issues like reputation, trust and employee engagement. Louis Capozzi, APR, Fellow PRSA, New York University; Helen Ostrowski, APR, NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies; and Katie Paine, KDPaine & Partners, will discuss public relations’ role in building, maintaining and evaluating an organization’s reputation. Register here.

PRSA local update: The Independent Practitioners SIG will share a BYOB (bring your own breakfast) discussion with Star-Telegram editorial director J.R. Labbe on Thursday, Nov. 18, 8:30-9:30 a.m., at the Balcom Agency, 1500 Ballinger St., on the shifting newspaper landscape and how communications pros can best work with the S-T editorial board in this new era. The event is free for PRSA members, $10 for nonmembers (which must be paid through Cvent prior to the meeting). Coffee will be provided. RSVP by Nov. 16 to Paul Sturiale at the Paolo Group, 817-319-2852, paul@thepaologroup.com.

PRSA local update II: UTA public relations senior lecturer Mindia Whittier and Kristin Wallach, organizer of Concussion’s internship program, will examine internships from all sides — distinguish between the great ones and the not so great, the interview process, placements and projects — at a mini-seminar Tuesday, Nov. 9, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Girl Scouts regional office, 4901 Briarhaven Road. The information session, organized by Kendal Smith Lake and Dustin Van Orne and hosted by the Girl Scouts’ Shelly Thompson, will look at successful internship programs and how nonprofits can make them a win-win for the student and the organization. Lunch will be ordered from The Lunch Box; RSVP to info@themodern.org or 817-840-2167, and a menu with prices will magically appear in your inbox.

PRSA local update III: Chapter members Margaret Ritsch, APR; Gigi Westerman, APR; and Sandra Brodnicki, APR, have been selected as Southwest District APR scholarship winners. They are among 10 district members to receive the honor. In 2009 a scholarship was established for members who earn the APR. Each winner is required to write an essay on “what APR means to you”; to read the essays, visit prsasw.org/index.php/apr.

PRSA local update IV: The UT Arlington PRSSA chapter sent seven students to the national conference in Washington, D.C., and raised $1,000 to finance the trip. The students will host a fund-raiser Thursday, Nov. 18, at Pluckers in the Arlington Highlands to begin raising money to send members to National Assembly in the spring, and also in November they will tour the American Airlines communications department. In December, UTA PRSSA will host a speed meet where professionals give résumé and portfolio advice. To help at this event contact Emily Suied at emilysuied@gmail.com.

PRSA local update V: Join PRSA in November and receive a free professional interest section one-year membership, a $60 value. Info here.

PRSA local update VI: TCU’s PRSSA chapter is now officially the Doug Newsom PRSSA chapter. The announcement was made at a dinner inducting Dr. Newsom into the Schieffer School Hall of Excellence. Dr. Amiso George, PRSSA adviser, recommended the move.

PRSA local update VII: After a tumultuous 2009, Chevrolet is winning new customers through social networking and consumer outreach. Mark Harland, the automaker’s regional marketing manager, will discuss the use of social media in marketing and PR plans, including product launches like the Volt and the economical Cruze, at the Dallas PRSA luncheon meeting Thursday, Nov. 11. Register here.