By: Kasia Naessens
Earning the Star Chapter Award is an accomplishment for PRSSA chapters throughout the world. Every year, Central Michigan University’s chapter of PRSSA works hard to fulfill the requirements and has received the award every year since 2017.
The Star Chapter Award is one of the most prestigious a PRSSA chapter can receive. The purpose of this award is to motivate chapters to build relationships and provide hands-on learning opportunities for their members.
For CMU, Star Chapter is a goal we set for ourselves each year. We know we are doing something meaningful as we work hard to acquire the award. This is especially positive for our seniors, as they strive to make the chapter as successful as it can be and leave behind a positive legacy. The bar is set high, which means every year our members continue raising it.
The members of CMU’s chapter want to make this as reputable as we can. Our chapter is motivated to reach our maximum potential and has already begun working on several of the qualifying elements for the Star Chapter Award for the 2019-2020 year. Chapters must meet at least eight requirements, some of which include conducting a high school outreach session, performing a community service project and confirming a PRSSA student-run firm. These requirements help guide our chapter as we plan programs for the year and seek to create beneficial experiences for our members.
At CMU, earning this award shows how dedicated our members and executive board are to making our chapter successful. We use this as motivation to engage with other students on our campus and the national organization. The stronger our relationship is with our community, the more opportunities and benefits our members are provided. It is an honor to gain recognition we work hard to achieve.
Being a Star Chapter is more than just a certificate documenting hard work. It proves we can attain the goals we set and build on them, especially when we work together.