John D. Graham Scholarship

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The scholarship check will be payable to the winner’s university for use on their behalf, and can only be used to directly fund the winner’s educational pursuits.

Eligibility:
*You must be enrolled in a journalism program, public relations studies or courses preparing for a career in public relations, and entering your senior year of undergraduate studies in fall after the application deadline to apply for this scholarship.

Judges will be looking for the following qualities:
*Academic achievement in public relations and overall studies.
*Demonstrated leadership.
*Practical experience in internships, other work/service.
*Commitment to public relations, particularly as expressed in the candidate’s statements in the application form.
*Writing skills demonstrated throughout the application form.

Application:
*The completed online application form.
*A letter of recommendation, no more than two pages, from either a faculty member or PRSSA Adviser.
*No more than two additional letters of recommendation from internship employers, educators or others.
*A one page résumé.

About John D. Graham:
John D. Graham, APR, Fellow PRSA, joined FleishmanHillard in 1966, became the firm’s president and CEO in 1974, and was named chairman in 1988. Under his leadership, FleishmanHillard has grown from a single office to a global team of more than 2,600 professionals that serves clients from offices in 29 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, South Africa, and Latin America. Under Graham’s direction, the firm has built a strong reputation for excellent client service and a strong company culture founded on teamwork, integrity, and personal commitment.

Graham’s industry leadership has been widely recognized over the years. In 1994, he was selected as PR Professional of the Year by the readers of PR News. In 2000, Graham became only the third agency PR executive to be inducted into the Arthur W. Page Society Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was named PR Professional of the Year by PRWeek, and in 2002, the University of Missouri-Columbia awarded him the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism. In 2003, Graham received PRSA’s prestigious Gold Anvil award for his personal achievements during his career and he also was given the SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Public Relations from one of the industry’s most influential publications, The Holmes Report.

In addition to his decades of active involvement in PRSA, Graham is a founder and past chairman of the Council of Public Relations Firms and a member of various other public relations organizations, including The Seminar, the Arthur W. Page Society, the Wisemen, the PRSA College of Fellows and the International Public Relations Association.

He attended the University of Missouri on both an athletic and a curator’s scholarship and graduated from the School of Journalism.

Application Deadline: April 30, 2023