Reflections of non-PR student on Sports PR Seminar

Posting a guest blog for PRSSA is Katie Rihn, senior Communication (Sports Information/Sports Broadcasting) major at Waynesburg University. She was one of six students who attended PRSA Pittsburgh's PR Efforts for Pittsburgh's New Consol Energy Center. Below is a photo of the group with Tom McMillan:

Even though my major is not Public Relations, listening to the seminar with Tom McMillan, Vice President of Communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was a very rewarding experience. In the field I wish to pursue, sports information, what it boils down to is the promotion and public relations aspects of university athletic programs. Similar concepts can be applied to professional teams as well. It goes along with professional teams as well.

McMillan talked a great deal about the promotions the Penguins are currently using and the success of those promotions. He stressed that even with a successful operation you still can never be satisfied with that. You never know when something that appears to be going so well can start to plummet and you have to be ready with the next great idea to bring that greatness back. In talking with McMillan after the presentation, he mentioned a common misconception about how people perceive his job. The average fan is under the impression that he does his work during the day and gets to relax and watch the games at night. As he informed our group this is not the case. He gave the example of game seven when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. McMillan was extremely busy with outside work in preparing for events after the game that he was only able to see five minutes of the game.

I felt like I could relate to this because when I started this major I just thought I would get paid to watch sports. After experiencing the job first hand I see all of the work involved and like McMillan said, you have to really enjoy what you are doing. McMillan discussed his time as a sports writer and used the quote, “The moment you become a sports writer is the moment you stop being a fan.” The reason I found this to be so profound is because Professor Krause has told us this in my sports writing class this semester and puts emphasis on it frequently. This shows me that we are being taught the same things the professionals know and I look forward to applying my other skills out in the work force.

Katie Rihn

Senior Communication (sports information/sports broadcasting) major

Vice President of Communication for the Pittsburgh Penguins Reinforces Classroom Concepts

As a member of Waynesburg University PRSSA, we are privileged with opportunities to see professionals at conferences speak their minds and give advice regarding public relations. On Tuesday, we were given the chance to see Vice President of Communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins Tom McMillan speak about PR Efforts for Pittsburgh’s New Consol Energy Center at Point Park University. The event was hosted by the PRSA Pittsburgh. McMillan was very enthusiastic about his speech which ended up not being a speech after all. Instead he turned to the crowd, especially college students, for questions; he wanted to know what we were wondering and thinking. This is an incredible advantage for college students to be able to ask high-level professionals that for their advice and concerns.


When asked about how social media affects his job, McMillan said that social media is “everything.” It has to do with your job more than people realize. He explained that there are jobs for the Penguins that strictly to deal with the social media aspect, and these jobs did not exist five years ago. It has been challenging for the Penguins, but they have used it to their advantage. For example, the Penguins text message program has also been a success. “We are our own media outlet,” McMillan said. “We break out on our own social media”.


This relates to nearly every class you have in the Department of Communication at Waynesburg. It is increasingly important to keep up with technology and be aware of the news at all times. The Penguins are constantly posting on facebook and trying to keep their audience focused on them and not another media outlet. “It’s a changing world,” McMillan explained. “You have your own way to tell your own story.” You learn early in your COM classes at Waynesburg the history of the media and how everything evolved. Relating to PR, in the past organizations had to send their information through media outlets. They wrote a press release and faxed it to the media but not anymore. Now, as the Penguins demonstrate, you are your own media outlet. The mass media comes to you for their news.


Another topic McMillan discussed was the source of publicity and the importance of producing good ideas even when you are successful. It doesn’t matter if you are successful or not, you always need to come up with ideas. Sometimes the smallest idea turns into the biggest success or vice versa. “Some of the biggest publicity is not hard news,” McMillan said. He told stories of the staff pushing a bus after getting stuck in snow in Buffalo, N.Y. and the managers handing out donuts and coffee to students waiting for Student Rush tickets. The Student Rush program was implemented in 1996 to simply fill seats in the arena. Today, it is one of the biggest promotions the Penguins are known for. McMillan commented, “You experiment with things and see what happens.”


He encouraged being unique because people pickup on things that are different. This is also a major concept I’ve learned in my classes at Waynesburg. Uniqueness is something that everyone is attracted to.
With younger demographics than most NHL teams, and now a new arena to take advantage of, the Pittsburgh Penguins organization is always trying to be innovative. McMillan was inspiring in how he handled himself and his explanations of the team, organization, and the new arena. We, as students of Waynesburg, are extremely fortunate to have these tools within our grasp. The classes we take help us understand and utilize our knowledge of the media world and everything around it. McMillan is a great example of the opportunities we are able to encounter as being part of the Waynesburg University PRSSA. I can only hope that there are more to come before I graduate.


Marsha Opacic
Senior Communication (Public Relations/Sport Information and Sport Broadcasting) Major
Waynesburg University PRSSA, Member

Student Applying Public Relations Principles to improve campus organization

Last year when I was elected to be the secretary of Student Senate, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Fortunately, most of the unknowns turned out to be positives.

Besides all of my regular duties, I serve as the head of the Publicity Task Force. I was extremely excited about this prospect because as a public relations major, I am able to gain experience out of the Department of Communication and in an entirely different setting.

On campus, Student Senate does not have the prestige that it should. Most people don’t even really care about it. One of my major goals was to create exposure for Senate and show the student body how important it really is.

The first major accomplishment of my task force was the creation of our Twitter, @WUStudentSenate. Continuing our use of social media, we hope to create a Facebook page next. Although a Facebook reaches a larger audience, it involves more work.

Currently, I am applying concepts that I have learned from all three of the semesters I have been in the Department of Communication. In particular my Principles of Design class has been by far the most beneficial to current projects. I did not realize just how valuable it would be both designing on and off the computer.

Senate’s first major event is on Wednesday, Oct. 20, and my group is in charge of creating the fliers. Without Principles of Design, the fliers would probably be disorganized and lack cohesiveness. I know that having Professor Schiffbauer teach me all those concepts has helped become a better designer and have a better eye for designs.

We are also currently tackling designing a logo for Senate and updating the board we use at events such as the activities fair and visitation days. A logo would help create a brand for Senate. For example, the board currently in use does not follow design elements such as alignment and proximity, and therefore, doesn’t do justice for the organization.

Overall, I still have a lot of work to do in promoting Student Senate, but it’s a challenge I take in stride because I know not only will benefit Senate, but it will also benefit me.

-Chelsea Cummins (@ChelseaCummins) 

Sophmore Public Relations Major

Waynesburg University PRSSA, Secretary