Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The head of Mississippi State University's department of communication has been elected to a Fellowship appointment by the world's largest public relations organization for professionals.
Associate professor John Forde has been selected to the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America, making him one of 14 public relations professionals nationwide with this distinction.
Forde will formally be inducted into the PRSA College of Fellows during an Oct. 16 ceremony at the organization's 2010 international conference in Washington, D.C.
Forde is the first to receive this national recognition among the 600 members of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi.
The PRSA College of Fellows was founded in 1990 to recognize individuals demonstrating superior capabilities as public relations practitioners or educators. Candidates for the designation must have 20 years or more experience in the public relations industry and exhibit exceptional personal and professional qualities, while advancing the profession. Fewer than 2 percent of 22,000 PRSA members hold this status.
Chartered in 1947, PRSA provides professional development, sets standards of excellence and upholds principles of ethics for its members and the multibillion dollar global public relations profession.
Forde holds the designation of accreditation in public relations, commonly known as APR, from PRSA, the only national post-graduate certification program for the field of public relations. He now represents the Southern Public Relations Federation on the national Universal Accreditation Board, which oversees the credentialing process for APR designations.
"Induction into the PRSA College of Fellows is one of the highest individual honors in our profession," said Judy Phair, 2010 College of Fellows chair for the organization. "We are proud to welcome these talented men and women into the College. Through their accomplishments, they have left a footprint on their profession, their organizations, their communities and PRSA."
Serving in many leadership roles and receiving top honors from the organization's state association and specific state chapters, Forde has been a faculty member at MSU since 1987. He earned a master's degree and a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi, bachelor's degree in communication from MSU, and an associate's degree from Jones County Junior College.
Founding president of the PRAM Starkville/Mississippi State chapter, Forde served as president of the statewide organization in 1992-93.
For more information, contact Dr. Forde at 662-325-8033 or jforde@comm.msstate.edu.