About Us
The Beginning:
The idea of a hands-on event to provide students an opportunity to employ social media tactics in their communication strategies was born at the UGA Connect conference in October 2007 in Athens, Ga. During the educators roundtable at Connect, noted thought-leaders in PR social media said they didn’t think PR curricula needed entire classes devoted social media alone. Beyond integrating specific assignments into traditional classes, the idea was born that a “bootcamp” could help teach students the ins and outs of ethical social media practice in PR. That idea percolated until UGA’s Dr. Kaye Sweetser met with Edelman senior account executive Erin Caldwell in Washington, D.C., in December 2007. Dr. Sweetser mentioned the idea to Ms. Caldwell, who promptly started thinking of ways for Edelman to get involved as a sponsor.
Within a month both were on board to begin planning the first Edelman Digital Bootcamp. A team from Dr. Sweetser’s PR Campaigns spring 2008 class at UGA worked on the project to plan the event and write a strategic plan for the bootcamp program. The inaugural event is to be held March 1, 2008, on the UGA campus, and Edelman hopes to expand the event to other campuses across the United States.
The Result:
As a pioneer in the realm of social media, Edelman recognizes the opportunity and responsibility to take its expertise of this growing medium to college campuses around the nation. Its goal is simple: to educate young professionals about the uses of social media to further their understanding as they enter the workforce in public relations.
For the first Edelman Digital Bootcamp, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia was selected to host the event. Their facilities will be used on Saturday, March 1 to host representatives of Edelman, as well as students and educators from around the southeast to come together for a day of discussion and growth in the ever-expanding world of social media.
Who We Are:
Edelman is the world’s largest independent public relations firm, with 3,000 employees in 51 offices worldwide. Edelman was named a top-10 firm in Advertising Age’s “2007 Agency A-List,” the first and only PR firm to receive this recognition, and CEO Richard Edelman was honored as “2007 Agency Executive of the Year” by both Advertising Age and PRWeek. PRWeek named Edelman Large Agency of the Year in 2006 and awarded the firm its “Editor’s Choice” distinction. For more information, visit www.edelman.com.
Established in 1915, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication offers seven undergraduate majors including advertising, broadcast news, magazines, newspapers, public relations, publication management and telecommunication arts. The college offers two graduate degrees, and is home to the Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism and the Peabody Awards, internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious prizes for excellence in electronic media. For more information, visit www.grady.uga.edu.
