Ohio Northern University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter received individual and chapter awards at the annual national PRSSA Conference in Atlanta from Nov. 6-10.

Ohio Northern’s PRSSA chapter was awarded the Star Chapter Award and is one of only two schools to receive the award since its inception in 2009. The award was created to recognize PRSSA chapters that have outstanding programming and relationship-building opportunities for students.

Hannah Peterson, the ONU PRSSA chapter president, said, “I’m incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication my chapter members showed as they worked to accomplish the national initiatives to earn Star Chapter yet again this year. This award has become somewhat of a tradition for our chapter, and I am proud to uphold it!”

The Star Chapter Award recognizes a chapter that meets eight of 10 requirements set by PRSSA, which are: initiate and complete at least one community service project; strengthen your relationship with your PRSA sponsor chapter; give attention to ethics in at least one chapter meeting; confirm that at least one chapter member applies for an individual national PRSSA scholarship or award; confirm that your chapter applied for at least one national PRSSA award; implement at least one national initiative; confirm attendance by at least one chapter member at National Conference, National Assembly, a regional activity or leadership rally; gain positive attention for your chapter in at least one campus or community publication or media; extend an invitation to students/faculty from other disciplines to attend at least one chapter meeting; and confirm that at least 10 percent of your graduating seniors applied for PRSA associate membership.

Five 2015 ONU graduates, Anna Hoard, Brittany Holland, Katee Johnson, Alexandra Reese and Kelsi Rupersberg, received the National Gold Key award, an individual accolade that acknowledges outstanding PRSSA members. It is the highest individual honor bestowed upon members of PRSSA and recognizes students who display outstanding academic excellence in public relations and leadership qualities. Twenty-eight members of the Ohio Northern University chapter of PRSSA have received the National Gold Key in the past eight years.

The Public Relations Student Society of America is made up of more than 11,000 students and advisers organized into more than 300 chapters in the United States, Argentina and Columbia. PRSSA is the foremost organization for students interested in public relations and communications, seeking to advance the public relations profession by nurturing generations of future professionals. PRSSA advocates rigorous academic standards for public relations education, the highest ethical principles and diversity in the profession.