By James Irwin
Larry Parnell wanted his students to understand the differences and connections between New York and Washington, D.C., public relations. So he took them to Manhattan to learn about it firsthand.
A veteran of the New York and Washington PR markets, Mr. Parnell and a group of 11 students met with leaders in different areas of public relations, public affairs and advocacy last week. It is the second year in a row he has organized the trip, which was funded this year by a grant from the Shenkman Career Services Fund.
“We did it last year on a trial basis, and it worked out so well we knew we wanted to go again,” said Mr. Parnell, strategic public relations program director and associate professor at the Graduate School of Political Management. “We wanted to have students meet agency, corporate and nonprofit public relations executives who work in New York to talk about the business.”
The group met with representatives from Hill and Knowlton and Peppercomm, discussed General Electric’s EcoMagination efforts with former GE communications boss Gary Sheffer and learned about advocacy communications at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which is working to address America’s long-term fiscal challenges related to the national debt. Students also toured the Museum of Public Relations at Baruch College.
“It was very instructive for them because our program at GSPM is an applied learning program, so in each case we wanted them to hear a recent example of applied public relations strategy,” Mr. Parnell said. “And then we did the museum because it was a cool addition to our day.”
The connections between Washington and New York—America’s PR hubs—are evident, Mr. Parnell said. New York is home to many of the nation’s major firms and corporations. Washington is where political decisions are made at a macro level. The goal of the trip, in addition to connecting students with prospective employers, was to help explore that association.
“There are commonalities between the two and a very direct connection,” Mr. Parnell said. “One of the things we talk about in our program is whether or not you want to go into politics, you have to understand how politics affects corporate reputation. By bringing them into New York, they can understand how important the Washington market is to companies and vice versa.”
