![Black PRs_CCNY Partnership [from l.] Tracey Wood Mendelsohn, Lynne Scott Jackson & Alicia Evans](/sites/default/files/styles/600px_wide/public/2024-02/Blac%20PRs_CCNY%20Partnership%20Cropped.jpg?itok=Hudu1R4L)
Black PRS & CCNY partnership: (from left) Tracey Wood Mendelsohn, pres. & CEO, BPRS-NY; Lynne Scott Jackson, CCNY Ad/PR director; and Alicia Evans, pres., Total Image Communications.
The Black Public Relations Society of New York (BPRS-NY) and The City College of New York Advertising and Public Relations Program announce the launch of Generation ALL IN (Gen ALL IN), a multi-year initiative to empower the next generation of communications leaders. Gen ALL IN will provide training and mentorship to Ad/PR scholars, preparing them for early career positions in today's evolving media landscape.
The mentoring component is open to the 200 Ad/PR students in CCNY's Media & Communication Arts (MCA) Department, as well as undergraduates specializing in journalism and film. Gen ALL IN offers leadership training through panels, workshops, and webinars, enhancing skills for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and American Advertising Federation (AAF) campus chapters.
“CCNY is grateful to BPRS-NY for their support over the years,” said Lynne Scott Jackson, director, Internships, Industry Relations, and Professional Development for CCNY Ad/PR.
“Gen ALL IN expresses the association’s commitment to our students - who represent virtually every multicultural audience in the NYC mosaic, including immigrant families and first-generation college graduates - with mentors and fresh, professional development solutions. Well-equipped graduates can command compensation and benefits aligned with industry standards, and ensure robust social impact programs are adequately funded to improve society. BPRS-NY leaders will keep our students razor-sharp and at the cutting edge of digital transformation.”
Gen ALL IN establishes vital connections between tri-state professionals and Ad/PR students, with a focus on supporting men of color, traditionally underrepresented in various communication sectors.
The initiative seeks:
- Increase the number of Black male communication professionals;
- Offer scholarships;
- Provide internship opportunities; and
- Serve as a premier mentoring association during CCNY's annual Building Bridges Career Fair and Networking Mixer.
The program's impact will be showcased at the early Fall '24 PR Summit for PR-Preneurs™, featuring keynote speakers and highlighting success stories. BPRS-NY President and Trill Media Group Founder Tracey Wood Mendelsohn emphasized the program's goals during the society’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day leadership brunch.
“We want to help independent practitioners develop the capacity to compete for business at the highest levels. It takes more than talent to run a successful consultancy or agency, you have to possess concrete business and negotiation skills,” said Wood Mendelsohn.
Gen ALL IN aims to place a percentage of communications talent in entry-level positions by 2025 and support ambitious freelancers in starting or scaling consultancies. BPRS-NY members, working with faculty, will enhance the Ad/PR Program's practical approach, reinforcing business etiquette, interpersonal skills, and integrated marketing communication techniques for the digital age.
The initiative encourages an "each one - teach one" philosophy, encouraging students to join professional associations and understand the role of vital networks like the CCNY Communications Alumni Group. BPRS-NY members will extend opportunities for students to volunteer, intern, and serve as Gen ALL IN Fellows at NYC leadership events, fostering strategic campaign development and project management skills.
About the Black Public Relations Society of New York
BPRS-NY is a knowledge, resource and opportunity network for African American communications professionals, entrepreneurs and students. Founded in 1991, BPRS-NY is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, affiliated with the National Black Public Relations Society established in 1987 by Pat Tobin of Los Angeles. BPRS-NY is the first and foremost advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion for African Americans in public relations and related communications disciplines in the media capital of New York.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi (now Lightcast) puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. This year, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
p: 917.892.0374
e:
jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu