The School of Communication and Media provides career-oriented and scholarly opportunities to students through internship programs, student honor societies and professional/industry affiliations. Follow the links below to learn more:
Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society (LPH)
Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
Professional Organization Affiliations
School Internship Program
The School Internship Program maintains strong connections with industry-partners which in turn provide meaningful internship opportunities to our students. Working hand-in-hand with the College’s Career Services unit, School faculty advise students toward deriving optimum benefits from their field experiences. Opportunities are available in a wide range of professional settings including:
- Public relations firms
- Organizational consulting agencies
- Human Resources management
- Mass media production (television, radio, film, print)
- Event planning organizations
- Museums, arts and talent agencies
- Fashion industries
- Fortune-500 corporations
- Government and nonprofit organizations
- Film Festivals
- Companies that produce feature and documentary programming, commercials and industrial projects
- Plus major network, film and entertainment organizations including:
- ABC Network
- NBC Universal Network
- CNBC
- MSNBC
- ESPN Radio
- The Colbert Report
- Saturday Night Live
- CBS Radio/Westwood One/Dial Global
- The People’s Court
- My9
- NJTV
- Long Shot Productions
- SportsNet New York
Grants from organizations such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sometimes provide stipends to students to do internships on both independent and studio feature films. Students also intern with NJTV, New Jersey’s new public television network station, which resides on the University campus. They gain hands-on experience researching and developing news stories as well as taping and post-production-packaging interviews and news segments. They also work with show principals to contribute to the NJ Today news program which is broadcast nightly on public television throughout the Tri-state area.
For more information about College of the Arts internships and career development resources, go to: College of the Arts Career Services.
Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society (LPH)
Overview
Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is the National Communication Association’s official student honor society, based at four-year colleges and universities across the country, including Montclair State University.
With more than 400 chapters nationally, LPH embraces goals to:
- Recognize, foster and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in communication studies
- Stimulate interest in the field of communication
- Promote and encourage professional development among communication majors
- Provide opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas in the field of communication
- Establish and maintain closer relationships among faculty and students
- Explore options for graduate education in communication studies
To learn more about LPH at the national level, go to: National Communication Association – Lambda Pi Eta
At Montclair State University, the Zeta Chapter of LPH works hard to promote interaction and camaraderie among students in the Communication programs. LPH activities include fundraising efforts to raise money for scholarships; organizing students to attend professional conferences; giving support to the academic programs; and providing opportunities for students to share their scholarship with the broader community.
Guidelines and applications for LPH membership are available in the School’s main office.
Scholarships
LPH offers two scholarships each spring semester: (1) Lambda Pi Eta Zeta Chapter Academic Scholarship and (2) Thomas Veenendall Memorial Scholarship. To be considered for a scholarship, communication studies majors must complete an application form available in the School’s main office.
Montclair State University Chapter – LPH Contact:
Dr. Joel Penney
973-655-4261
Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the foremost organization designed to serve students interested in public relations and communications – with more than 300 university chapters and 10,000 participants nationwide. It is a professional-development organization for students, under the umbrella of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals.
In 2008, Montclair State University became the fifth university in New Jersey to be granted a PRSSA chapter. Students enjoy many benefits from their PRSSA membership including access to internship and job board listings, PR competitions, scholarships and chapter and national leadership opportunities.
In addition, the Montclair PRSSA provides hands-on opportunities for students to provide PR functions for actual clients in the nonprofit world. Since its inception, PRSSA students have developed partnerships and projects for:
- Metropolitan Opera Guild
- Opera New Jersey
- Autism NJ
- Hackensack University Medical Center
- Alliance for Art and Health New Jersey
- Lorena Ochoa
- Andy Kaufman Award
For more information on the national, parent organizations, go to:
Montclair State University Chapter – PRSSA Contact:
Prof. Larry Weiner
Coordinator of Public Relations
973-655-3472
Professional Organization Affiliations
School of Communication and Media students participate in a number of professional organizations through which they have opportunities to attend conferences, present papers and network with professionals and student colleagues. The School maintains active affiliations with:
- The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences – an organization created to advance the arts and sciences of television, headquartered in New York with chapters around the country.
- Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) – an organization that promotes the impact of women in electronic media and allied fields by educating, advocating for and acting as a resource to its members and the industry. (Our students have attended leadership conferences that the AWM holds annually.)
- New York Women in Communications (NYWICI) – the premier organization for female communications professionals in the New York area, offering networking, mentoring and volunteer opportunities to students.
For resource links to these and other organizations which serve the professions of Communication and Media, go to Professional Development.