University Of North Alabama Professor Earns Accreditation In Public Relations
Mar. 16, 2018
Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033
Bryan Rachal
University Communications
FLORENCE, Ala.- Dr. Beth Garfrerick, assistant professor in the Communications Department at the University of North Alabama, is the latest member of the campus to earn her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).
The announcement was made recently by the Universal Accreditation Board, a consortium of nine professional communication organizations that directs this competency certification program.
"As a public relations instructor, I believe it is important to lead by example," said Garfrerick. "EarningAPR certification demonstratesthe importance of seeking the highest standards in one's profession. In addition to my 20 years as a PR practitioner,accreditationassuresour students that I can share a thorough knowledge base of the public relations process in whatever career path they may choose, "she said.
Garfrerick also mentioned that obtaining the APR designation was a personal goal she set for her PR practitioner/teaching career.
The Accreditation program aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the profession. The examination is designed for public relations professionals with at least five to seven years of job experience and/or a bachelor's degree in a communication field. Candidates who successfully complete the rigorous process, including presenting his/her portfolio to a panel presentation of three peers and sitting for a computer-based examination, are granted the APR.
Garfrerick is the third member of UNA's faculty/staff to obtain the APR designation.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programsthrough the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business,Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing.Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. UNA also operates arenownedcollegiate athletic program in NCAA Division II's Gulf South Conference.The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age or national origin.