Bulldog PRism Awards celebrate 酴圖弝け public relations excellence, honor longtime PR Professor John Forde
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss.The recent Bulldog PRism Awards honored local and Mississippi State communications professionals in a big way this past month.
Hosted by the Starkville-酴圖弝け Chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, or PRAM, the event included the announcement of the inaugural John E. Forde Mentorship and Service Award. The first recognition honors the awards namesake and was presented to John E. Forde, longtime professor and former head of 酴圖弝けs Department of Communication. The award includes a $250 donation to the Dr. John Forde Communication Fund for Excellence in the Department of Communication at the university.
The 2024 board of the local chapter, led by past president James Carskadon, spearheaded the awards creation. Carskadon said Forde stands apart as a major contributor advancing public relations in Mississippi.
Dr. Forde has served PR organizations at every level while preparing thousands of 酴圖弝け students for successful careers. Anyone who knows Dr. Forde can appreciate his constant encouragement and his willingness to use an unrivaled network of connections to help his students and alumni. We wanted to create this award to recognize those that, like Dr. Forde, go above and beyond to grow the field of public relations and support the next generation of PR professionals, he said.
Forde cofounded the Starkville-酴圖弝け Chapter of PRAM in the early 1990s, serving as the chapters charter president and again in 2017. An Accredited Public Relations professional, he is a highly honored educator and leader, recognized with numerous regional, state and national awards, including induction into the PRSA College of Fellows and the USM School of Mass Communication and Journalism Hall of Fame. A longtime board member and past president of the Southern Public Relations Federation, he also has served on the Universal Accreditation Board for both SPRF and PRSA. Forde holds degrees from Jones College, Mississippi State and the University of Southern Mississippi.
I was so honored to have the award named after me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. It was also special to have so many students and colleagues in attendance, said Forde, who emphasized the importance of professional involvement in organizations like PRAM. I tell students how important it is to be involved in PRAM and SPRF at the local, state and regional level. Ive made some of the best friends in the world through these organizations. You learn something at every meeting and get to know people from all walks of life, and its been a huge networking opportunity that has helped connect countless students with meaningful jobs.
JoLee Clark, current president of the Starkville-酴圖弝け PRAM Chapter, said it was an honor to work with the board to streamline the awards process and recognize excellence.
It was wonderful to see so many colleagues recognized for their work over the past year, and introduce a new award in honor of Dr. John Forde, who has been a mentor to so many of us in the room. Im grateful for our board and the work that went into making the award ceremony special, to celebrate the PR work being done in the Starkville-酴圖弝け community, she said.
In addition to the new mentorship award, communicators from Mississippi State and the greater Starkville area were recognized for excellence in public relations strategy and execution.
This years honorees include:
Professional winners
酴圖弝け College of Arts and Sciences General Education Course Booklet and Poster
Kelli Anthony, Karyn Brown, Sarah Nicholas, Melanie Loehwing
酴圖弝け College of Arts and Sciences
Award of ExcellenceAdvertising and Marketing
酴圖弝け Graduate School Recruitment Rack Cards and Direct Admit Initiative
Eric Abbott, Lauren Benton, Robbie Salters, Lindsey Shelton
酴圖弝け Graduate School
Bulldog PRismAdvertising and Marketing
Faculty Housing Welcome Home Packets
Jada Johnson, Haley Rountree
酴圖弝け Campus Services
Bulldog PRismAdvertising and Marketing
Caught in the Act: Maroon Fridays Most Wanted
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs, 酴圖弝け Athletics
Award of ExcellenceAudio/Visual
Storming Social Media: How 酴圖弝け Meteorologists Drove Engagement
Sarah Triplett, Sarah Kirk, Jordan Ables
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Award of ExcellenceAudio/Visual
Can You Say That Again? Mississippis Trickiest Town Names
Sarah Triplett, Jordan Ables, Sarah Kirk
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Award of ExcellenceAudio/Visual
The Power of Belief: Mississippi States 2024 National Commercial
Thomas Broadus, David Garraway, Hal Teasler
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs and 酴圖弝け University Television Center
Bulldog PRismAudio/Visual
Move-In Day: TikTok Dads
Sarah Triplett, Jordan Ables, Sarah Kirk
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Bulldog PRismAudio/Visual
Turning on the Lights: A Starkville Christmas Story
Sarah Kirk, Sarah Triplett
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Bulldog PRismAudio/Visual
酴圖弝け College of Arts and Sciences Communication Plan, 2025
Karyn Brown, Kelli Anthony, Sam Kealhofer, Sarah Nicholas
酴圖弝け College of Arts and Sciences
Bulldog PRismCampaigns
Transforming 酴圖弝け Social
Thomas Broadus, Sarah Triplett, Jordan Ables, Sarah Kirk
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Certificate of MeritCampaigns
Campus Services Website
Lana Bentley, Navin Solomon
酴圖弝け Campus Services
Bulldog PRismDigital
One Voice, One Brand: Aligning 160+ Marketers for 酴圖弝けs Success
Chris Bryant, Jordan Ables, Susan Lassetter, Heather Rowe, Harriet Laird, Allison Matthews
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Bulldog PRismDigital
A Website Makeover for 酴圖弝け's College of Education
Bethany Shipp and Will Anderson
酴圖弝け College of Education and 酴圖弝け Information Technology Services
Bulldog PRismDigital
酴圖弝け Students Serve as Volunteer Firefighters
David Ammon
酴圖弝け Agriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Award of ExcellenceGraphics
CAVS Annual Report
Kelli Anthony, Sara Fuller
酴圖弝け Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems
Bulldog PRismPublications
Dividends Magazine
Emily Daniels, Suzi Morales, Kathy Kenne, Kirsten Shaw, David Doleac
酴圖弝け College of Business and Tells Creative
Bulldog PRismPublications
The Graduate School Newsletter
Eric Abbott, Lauren Benton, Lindsey Shelton
酴圖弝け Graduate School
Bulldog PRismPublications
Social Media: Transformation Tuesday
Lana Bentley
酴圖弝け Campus Services
Certificate of MeritSocial Media
酴圖弝け Graduate Ambassador Program
Lauren Benton, Emily Grace McCall, Lindsey Shelton
酴圖弝け Graduate School
Award of ExcellenceSpecial Events
Doctoral student overcomes high school hardships, finds home at Mississippi State
Mary Politz
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Award of ExcellenceWriting
酴圖弝け veterinarians save puppys legs after Arkansas couple spends wedding funds for surgery
Mary Politz
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Award of ExcellenceWriting
Magnolia States innovation ecosystem includes vital role played by 酴圖弝けs Office of Technology Management
Carl Smith
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Award of ExcellenceWriting
Bigger than all of us: Network debut set for 酴圖弝け Films documentary 9/20 on first post-Sept. 11 football game
Carl Smith
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Award of ExcellenceWriting
Unearthing a Legacy: The Story of Dr. J. William Rush
Allison Matthews
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Award of ExcellenceWriting
A Birds-Eye View: Banding Bald Eagles for Conservation
Meg Henderson
酴圖弝け Agriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Award of ExcellenceWriting
A Fresh Perspective: Student-led farm cultivates learning, builds community
Vanessa Beeson
酴圖弝け Agriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Award of ExcellenceWriting
Moving On Up: Mississippi State invests in meeting the needs of tomorrow
Susan Lassetter
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs and Campus Services
Certificate of MeritWriting
Our People Jacob Uithoven
Sarah Nicholas
酴圖弝け College of Arts and Sciences
Certificate of MeritWriting
New Grant Library collection offers insight into former Secretary of War Rawlins, presidents conscience
Carl Smith
酴圖弝け Office of Public Affairs
Certificate of MeritWriting
Student winners
Designers' Gallery Campaign
Rylee Jones, Mallory Morrow, Sydni Patrick, Juliann Pugh, Jessica Shelton
酴圖弝け Department of Communication CO:4813 Public Relations in Organizations course
Award of ExcellenceCampaigns
Brewing Influence
Caroline Flint
Umble Coffee Co.
Bulldog PRismSocial
English Expo
Emma Grace Crook, Elizabeth King, William Simmons, Elisa Stocking
Department of EnglishSpecial Events
Certificate of Merit
Umble Coffee Co. Fall Festival
Caroline Flint and Dabney Cunningham
Umble Coffee Co.
Award of ExcellenceSpecial Events
Summer research internship at 酴圖弝け advances entomology work for East Coast teen
Erin Buckley
酴圖弝け Agriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Certificate of MeritWriting
酴圖弝け agronomy researcher secures major funding to address rice crisis using Heat MAGIC
Chloe Madison
酴圖弝け Agriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Certificate of MeritWriting
酴圖弝け Department of Communication Annual Report
Greta Allen
酴圖弝け Department of Communication
Certificate of MeritPublications
Golden Triangle Kennel Club Awareness Campaign
Rileigh Campbell, Caroline Flint, Belle Fulkerson
酴圖弝け Department of Communication
Bulldog PRismCampaigns
Eupora Awareness Campaign
Anica Hankey, Rebekah Brown, Makenzie Stone, Presley White
酴圖弝け Department of Communication
Award of ExcellenceCampaigns
True Rest Float Spa Awareness Campaign
Erin Buckley, Mary Grace Black, Alice Ann Haab, Abby Rutherford
酴圖弝け Department of Communication
Award of ExcellenceCampaigns
In addition to Carskadon and Clark, the Starkville-酴圖弝け PRAM board includes Kelli Anthony; vice president of programming, Vanessa Beeson, vice president of communication; Sarah Moody, secretary/treasurer; Brittany Greer, vice president of membership and Terri Hernandez and Allison Matthews, both members-at-large.
For more information about the Starkville-酴圖弝け PRAM chapter, visit .