The 2009 Best of Silver Anvil Award was presented by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Office of Public Affairs for successfully managing all aspects of crisis communication within minutes, hours and days following a campus shooting in February 2008. The announcement was made last night during PRSA’s annual Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony, held at the Equitable Tower in New York City. On hand to accept the award were NIU President John Peters and Melanie Magara, assistant vice president for public affairs.
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The Northern Illinois University Office of Public Affairs received the 2009 Best of Silver Award at PRSA's Silver Anvil Ceremony in New York City on June 4. From left: NIU President John Peters; NIU Office of Public Affairs Assistant Vice President Melanie Magara; PRSA Chair & CEO Michael Cherenson, APR.
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The winning campaign was selected as the best of the 126 public relations programs nominated for a Silver Anvil Award, the icon of public relations practice. There were 893 entries total.
“A tragedy was met with the best of human nature and the best in public relations practices at Northern Illinois University,” said PRSA Chair and CEO Michael Cherenson, APR. “The Northern Illinois Public Affairs office shared information, inspiration and compassion as quickly and completely as possible. Their amazing work is what the Best of Silver Anvil was created to recognize, and I salute their efforts.”
Shortly after 3 p.m. on February 14, 2008, a gunman burst onto the stage of a large lecture hall at NIU and began firing into an audience of nearly 150 undergraduate students. When his rampage was over, six people lay dead and 19 others were injured. The NIU Office of Public Affairs immediately went into crisis mode, handling everything from emergency alerts, news conferences and message development, to media relations, event management and speechwriting.
“Last year’s tragedy was the darkest day in our university’s history, yet it brought out the best in so many members of our campus community,” said NIU President John Peters. “The tireless efforts and outstanding skills of our public affairs office were nothing short of inspiring, and it is tremendously gratifying to see their work acknowledged with this award.”
“The preparedness and response to this tragic occurrence reflect the highest level of performance in our profession,” said James J. Roop, APR, Fellow PRSA, Silver Anvil Committee chair, and president of Roop & Co., Cleveland, Ohio. “We’re proud to recognize the team at NIU with our Best of Silver Anvil Award.”
When the eyes of the world were focused on DeKalb, Ill., NIU’s public relations department consistently provided a story of preparedness, transparency, compassion, courage and healing. One year later, campus, community, media, government and professional audiences call NIU’s response exemplary, and they single out the university’s communication practices for special praise. More importantly, NIU has emerged from crisis with its reputation as a safe and caring institution intact, and inspired by an increase in applications from prospective students.
“From the beginning, we committed ourselves to sharing everything we knew as quickly and completely as possible,” said Melanie Magara, assistant vice president for public affairs. “We approached the news media as partners rather than adversaries, and took advantage of their platforms to send messages of hope and healing. But most of all, we were prepared. We had a plan, we had practiced that plan, and we had learned from the experiences and generous advice of others.”
About the Silver Anvil Awards
The Silver Anvil Awards program has grown in scope and stature since its inception in 1946, and awards are now given in 59 categories and subcategories. To date, more than 1,200 organizations have received Silver Anvil Awards for excellence in strategic public relations planning and implementation. For a complete list of 2009 Silver Anvil winners, click here.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and 10 Districts nationwide, and 20 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 302 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.
