Almost every major and department in colleges around the country have their own honor societies and leadership organizations. At The University of Alabama, the department of public relations recognizes exceptional students through a program known as the Plank Center.

The center was founded in 2005 and named after Betsy Plank, a UA graduate known as the “first lady” of public relations.

Karla Gower, executive director of the Plank Center, said the mission of the program is to recognize and develop leaders in public relations and to bridge the gap between education and practice. The primary goal is to bring educators, practitioners and students together in order to benefit one another.

“Mentorship is really important to building leadership skills and developing future leaders, which is what the Plank Center is all about,” she said.

Gower said the program had its Milestones and Mentoring Gala in Chicago Nov. 14, where more than 300 public relations professionals, educators and students came together to honor five mentors in five different categories.

That day, the program also hosted the Plank Center Summit for the second time, in which professionals, educators and students presented results from three different global studies in leadership.

Gillian Richard, an undergraduate majoring in public relations, said the Summit was an incredible experience. Three research presentations were given at the Summit, and, once the event ended, the Plank Center hosted a dinner to honor mentors and leaders in the field.

“The dinner was a wonderful opportunity to meet people in the industry and to build relationships,” Richard said. “I got to meet so many leaders in the public relations field, and they were all so nice. They all want to see the next generation of PR leaders succeed and are willing to help. I was lucky enough to meet several people who I will look up to as mentors throughout my career. The whole experience was one I am grateful I got to be a part of.”

Ashton Morrow, a master’s candidate in the adevertising and public relations program, said she also benefited a great deal from the leadership summit.

“The evening was better than I possibly could have expected,” Morrow said. “Cocktail hour proved to be an amazing opportunity to network with industry professionals from powerhouse PR agencies, national and international corporations and private consulting firms. I have emailed many of these professionals to follow up and have been most impressed by their desire and commitment to engage, inspire and mentor my generation of professionals.”

Tracy Frazier, a marketing student, became involved with the Plank Center because of Morrow’s involvement.

“The leadership summit was an incredible experience, and I’m so thankful I had the chance to attend as a marketing student,” Frazier said. “I would gladly participate in future Plank Center events and hope to maintain a relationship with both the Plank Center and Dr. Gower.”

The Plank Center will host another Summit event in Chicago next October, and the board of directors will meet on campus in February. The Center also hosts webinars from time to time. Visit plankcenter.ua.edu for more information and to view the webinars.