Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ

Award Honors Mid-Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ’s Top Communicator

(COLUMBIA, Mo.) -- The Mid-Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) today presented University of Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ President Elson S. Floyd with the 2005 Communicator of the Year Award.

The award is designed to recognize an individual who works outside the field of public relations, but has most effectively succeeded in communicating the message and mission of his or her organization in 2005.

“In addition to being poised in the public eye, President Floyd has a philosophy of candidness,” said Scott Holste, president of Mid-Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ PRSA. “He has taken the approach that we all know Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬans rightly expect: he speaks openly, honestly and publicly.”

Holste noted that in recent weeks, Floyd has traveled throughout the state to get feedback about a new tuition plan. He visited communities across Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ to hear feedback on the concept of guaranteed tuition. “This effort deserves applause. President Floyd’s tuition forums, which he personally led, are the very essence of a good communicator’s most important action: listening.”

The award was announced at the Mid-Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ PRSA Annual Conference in Columbia.

“I am delighted to have been chosen for this honor,” President Floyd said today. “It affirms the importance of making every effort to hear what Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬans have to say when considering major policy decisions.”

Other finalists for this year’s award were Marie Gonzalez, a Westminster College student who became a national spokesperson for young undocumented immigrants facing deportation; Pat Rowe Kerr, state veterans ombudsman, Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ Veterans Commission; and Harry Wilding, event chairman, Boy Scouts of America.

Based in New York City, PRSA () is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The Society has more than 28,000 professional and student members. The Mid-Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ Chapter, organized in 1984, has 60 participating professionals from throughout central Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ.