Suzanne Lowery Mims
Suzanne Lowery Mims
Professor. Mentor. Accelerator
Department of Communication
George Mason University
Social media, writing & engagement PR
Director, Global PR in London Study Abroad
Fairfax, Virginia
@mimsPR
PR in today's social-mediated, participatory world is exciting, exploding and evolving. More than ever, effective public relations begins with having something to say.
Can you really say something substantive in 140 (or 280) characters or less? Yes, with the rightstrategy. Is an image really worth a thousand words? More like a million, if it is the right picture. Does PR actually do anything? Yes. PR messages have built coalitions, destroyed misconceptions, and saved lives. Teaching public relations is really about teaching students to embrace the disciplined approach espoused by PR scholars and practitioners: research, planning, execution, measurement. It starts with research, strategy and ...having something to say.
Why I teach
This photo is from 2017. In the center is the guest lecturer for the day, Kristen Dalton, a rising star in PR who has been promoted several times since then.
My purpose is to help students launch their careers. Mason Comm gives me the freedom and encouragement to craft the courses I teach to deliver hands-on experiences that build the skills students need in order to achieve confidence and competence.
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To be able to say: I can do this. And have something to show that proves it.
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I also have students practice synthesizing and analyzing information. Anyone can write a tweet or a press release. The job applicant who can review a brief and develop sound strategies and tactics? That's the one who will be hired.
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The classroom is a lab
PR & SOCIAL MEDIA
During the course, students experience social media as a social media scientist, social media manager, and in a final project, as a social media strategist. We examine content to learn how and why it "caught on." Next, student teams manage social media campaigns in support of our Mason Comm Fall Forum. After choosing an issue about which they passionate, student teams then tackle creating a research-based, objective driven Social Media for Social Good campaign.
GLOBAL PR IN LONDON
CAN 16 DAYS ACTUALLY CHANGE YOUR LIFE?
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Students tell me that our #UKPR study abroad program has profound effects. It's a whirlwind immersion into the world of professional communication. We visit global leaders and sit in their conference rooms to learn how and what they do: Ketchum, Edelman, Hill and Knowlton, the Telegraph, the U.S. Embassy, Wimbledon, and other impressive leaders in social media and marketing in sports, fashion and entertainment. Learn more?
