In an effort to continue growth within the mass media department, a track in public relations is being looked at as a possible addition to the department in the 2010-2011 school year.

“It is something the department has seriously been looking into,” Joe Watson, assistant professor of mass media and communication, said. “We had an external reviewer come in 2007 and gave us feedback that we should try and expand to include public relations.”

With students expressing interest in this particular field, the decision was made to include public relations in the mass media curriculum. An introduction to public relations and a public relations writing course will be available next fall for students interested in this field.

“The skills used in mass media are similar to skills needed in public relations,” Watson said. “They have to be a strong writer and have strong oral communication skills. Public relations is the other side of that coin. Instead, they are working for a business to improve relations with the public.”

After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism and working for 20 years as a news journalist, Baker University’s Public Relations Director Steve Rottinghaus made the shift into public relations.

“I find public relations exciting and journalism is closely related, so it seemed like a natural transition,” Rottinghaus said. “It is evolving more and more with social messaging and networks.”

Working at a Hallmark store during high school, sophomore Marlee Johnson considered the future possibility of working as a public relations representative for a big corporation.

“I have always wanted to do something like public relations, but I did not know how to get there,” Johnson said. “I started off as an elementary education major and switched this semester to mass media.”

Enjoying the current media classes she is enrolled in, Johnson said she is having fun being creative.

Since there is currently not a specific major in the public relations field, Johnson is working with her adviser to take sufficient course work with mass media classes this spring.

Jumping between different majors, something always seemed to bring Johnson back to her original choice.

"I did think about a communications major because I love talking, people and I am a people pleaser," Johnson said. "It was a mix of a lot of things I liked or am interested in that led me back to [public relations]."<br/>