FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2012
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

Roberts named Educator of the Year at PRAM state conference

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Dr. Van Roberts, associate professor of communication at Mississippi University for Women, was named Educator of the Year at the 2012 Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) state conference recently held in Columbus.

Roberts was nominated by members of the Golden Triangle PRAM chapter. In order to qualify, Roberts had to be a full-time faculty member teaching in a public relations/journalism/communication curriculum at any rank and a member of PRAM.

He was chosen from a panel of five senior public relations practitioners in the Northwest Arkansas Public Relations Society of America.

Roberts said, “This is a high honor for me to be recognized as the PRAM Educator of the Year. It means a great deal for me because it means that I have made a difference in the lives of others.”

Since 1988, Roberts has taught at MUW. He started as a broadcast writing instructor and has moved up the ranks most recently being promoted to associate professor of communication with tenure.

He grew up reading novels, watching television and going to the movies where his love of fiction prompted him to major in English literature with a minor in communication.

Classes at Mississippi State University nurtured his desire to tell stories and since then he has never stopped writing.

Roberts has held many positions within the communications fields, including reporter for many Mississippi newspapers, a film critic, a radio news director, a public relations assistant, a television news reporter and a photographer.

The PRAM state conference was held April 12-13. It was the first time ever that the conference was held in Columbus with many events hosted on the MUW campus.

PRAM's membership consists of approximately 600 public relations professionals from advertising and public relations agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, government, education, industries and others.