ASU Students Receive Real-World Experience at Blue Ridge Electric
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Corporate Communications, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager:1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina (March 26, 2004) – As a part of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation’s commitment to education, the cooperative recently hosted a class of students from Appalachian State University’s communicationdepartment. The visit allowed the public relations students to witness, first-hand, what occurs on a daily basis at a corporate communications office.
Renee Whitener, director of corporate communications, and Grey Scheer, director of community relations, hosted the 21 Appalachian students and their instructors. Whitener and Scheer shared information about their current careers and answered questions about how to effectively pursue a career in public relations.
“I enjoyed the visit to Blue Ridge EMC,” senior Appalachian State student D.J. McCabe said. “I thought that Renee and Grey were very helpful in explaining what really goes on during a public relations campaign.”
“I found the most interesting part to be seeing how a public relations plan is thought up, the process of it happening and seeing the steps that were made to launch a new area of business for Blue Ridge Electric,” McCabe continued, referencing Whitener’s presentation on the cooperative’s announcement of its propane and heating fuels subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies. “You don't really think about all of the little details that must go into the project to make it work. In school, you learn about all the theories behind public relations, but this visit let me see those theories put into action.”
Dr. Janice Pope, associate professor of communication at Appalachian State, accompanied her class on the trip to Blue Ridge Electric, as did Joan McGregor and Heather Preston, instructors in the communication department.
“I wanted the students to have the opportunity to feel what it is like to be in a corporate office, see a board room and meet public relations professionals; I wanted them to put their lessons and coursework into a real-world perspective,” Pope said. “I know that Renee Whitener and Grey Scheer provided them with a valuable learning experience that will help them as they continue to find their own career path.”
Many of the students will be graduating from Appalachian in May of 2004 and are currently seeking employment in a communication-related field.
“With graduation rapidly approaching, it is necessary for us to be learning as much as possible about careers in communication,” Jennifer Cowan, Appalachian State student and intern at Blue Ridge Electric, said. “By providing opportunities to see real professionals in action through internships and office visits, Appalachian State University and Blue Ridge Electric are better preparing students like me for a future career in public relations.”
Blue Ridge Electric is a member-owned cooperative utility serving some 66,000 consumers in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes counties. Its subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, provides propane and heating fuels as well as gas fireplaces, logs, heaters, and stoves from offices in Lenoir, Boone, West Jefferson and Hickory.
