Introduction
Public relations officer is a person in charge of managing reputation. His/her work involves gaining understanding and support for his/ her clients as well as influencing opinion and behaviour. Most organizations have public relations officer for the sake of maintaining good rapport and ties with both internal and external one. Public relations officers relays on forms of media and communications in order to build maintain and manage the reputations of their clients.
In the educational sector, just like other organizations, public relations officers are required. For the sake of day to day activities and smooth running of the institutions, public relations officer ought to be there in each institution. The officer performs different important roles to aid in the smooth progress of the institution.
The officers’ duty mainly aims at managing the public perception of the institution. He/ she creates a favorable image of an institution through doing the following:
1. Maintaining community relations
Public relations officer has the duty of creating good relationship between the institution and the community around. This mainly aims at maintaining harmony and peace with the neighborhood. The officer has to up hold the image of the institution or maintain it and promote understanding and favorable relation with the public at large.
2. Improving internal relations
Internal public relations are the activities done within the institution to maintain good rapport and smoothen communication. The officer does the following:
• Improves sense of cohesion among employees
• Circulate adequate task related information
• Provide positive information regarding an organizational ability to provide challenging and meaningful tasks.
• Give clear communication about organizers intentions
• Gives out faculty or staff handbook and faculty meeting awareness.
• He also gives out faculty luncheons and new releases.
3. Positive relations with the alumni
Nowadays, an institute maintains special alumni relations and ties. They have relations cell through which they keep in constant contact with their students who have passed out and are doing marvelous in the industry. This is done mainly for the purpose of better brand name to ensure decent placements to the upcoming batches through their contact. Also alumni play crucial role as they have their own interests in their Alma matter.
4. Expanding the number of applicants in an institution.
In educational institution, the public relation officer has the duty of advertising the institution in order to increase the number of applicants hence growing of the institution. The officer does this through use of social media sites, blogs, and podcast among others. He/she can also advertise on radios and television and help in making the institution better known hence expanding its population as it will attract more applicants.
5. Educational public assistance
Educational public relations officers also assist students and work with the parents and various groups with the institution to improve the progress of the school. The officer distributes news letters containing information about campus events, built and maintains ties with the alumni, lecturers, staff and students.
6. Crisis management
Just like any other organization, the education institutes also have their ups and downs which they need to cover up. This is done by the public relations officer through crisis management hence maintaining good image of the institution.
7. Helping the institution to become better known.
Higher education institutions are becoming increasingly aggressive in their marketing activities to convey an image that is favorable and all in all aspects beneficial to the public, prospective students, employers funders among others. It is therefore the responsibility of the public relations officer in that institution to advertise positively and make the institution known worldwide.
8. Organizing large scale events and holding public meetings.
The public relations department in the institutions holds large scale meetings with different positive objectives. During the meetings, achievements of the institutions are made clear to the public. For example, nowadays institutions believe in trend of branding and therefore the public relations officer takes the responsibility of designing logos that conveys the mission and vision of the institutions. This attracts the public’s hence making the institution widely known. These events may include: cultural events, donation drives, meetings, launches, fashion shows, sport events etc.
9. Creating and maintaining positive image
Public relations officer plays a crucial role in maintaining positive image of the institution. The officer does this through: press conferences regarding any new developments in the institution, press release concerning the activities, branding of the institutes, maintaining contacts with the people who benefits the institution in any way, for example: the media people and the alumni.
10. Advertising institutions
People usually trust public relation agency more than the advertising agency as they know the latter has been paid to glorify a client. The role of a public relations officer therefore includes highlighting the positive about the institution, including the background of the institute, courses offered, achievements of the students and the faculty.
11. Building marketing strategies
Public relations officers in higher educational sectors have also taken advantage of social media for the sake of marketing. Having customers on social media public relation has now become part of an integrated marketing program.
CONCLUSION
There is need for all public relation officers in educational institutions for they will help in smoothening progress of the school, good relation, advertising the institution as well as managing reputations.
Therefore public relations officers ought to be regarded as a pre-requisite for the effective functioning of educational institutions.
REFERENCES
1. Kaydo, chad. “How to hire a public relation firm.” Sales and marketing management, April 2000
2. LBJ Journal of public Affairs, Vol. 12, 2000
3. LBJ Journal of public Affair, vol.14, 2002
4. Aitufe, T.A “Public relations in academic libraries,” Library Review, vol. 42, No. 2, Pp. 33-45.1993
5. Chai, Y. (1996), “Review of library public relations studies, no.2.1996.
ELVIS123 answered the question on November 15, 2017 at 03:31