Public Relations & Events Coordinator

Public Relations & Events Coordinator Job Application

This application is for students attending The University of Southern Mississippi who are seeking a paid position or an internship for class credit with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center. If you are a non-USM student, please refer to our jobs page.

Public relations and events coordinators help showcase the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s work by building meaningful relationships with students, faculty and communities across Southeast Mississippi. They plan and promote events — including workshops, panels, and the monthly Media Mentors program — while also developing outreach strategies aimed at growing the center’s audience and increasing participation in educational initiatives.

Coordinators create and distribute promotional materials such as press releases, flyers, newsletters, graphics and social media content. They collaborate with reporters, website coordinators and the social media team to ensure consistent branding and messaging. They also monitor public engagement and media coverage for center projects.

This is hands-on newsroom work that offers experience in public relations, event planning and strategic communications while building a professional portfolio. Coordinators are expected to work 20 hours per week during the semester.

• Pitch one (1) original story idea by 12:00 p.m. each Thursday, including primary and secondary sourcing.
• Attend weekly editorial meetings, held at 9:00 a.m. each Friday both virtually and in person at College Hall on USM’s Hattiesburg campus.
• Plan and promote events - including workshops, panels and the monthly Media Mentors program.
• Assist the Community Engagement Specialist with planning, promoting and networking during RHCJC participation in community events, speaking engagements and conference tabling.
• Create and distribute promotional materials such as press releases, flyers, newsletters, graphics and social content.
• Lead outreach efforts to engage students, faculty and the broader community with the center’s work.
• Work with the Community Engagement Specialist & Engagement Team Lead to develop and implement marketing campaigns across email, social media and digital platforms.
• Collaborate with visual content producers, reporters and website coordinators to ensure consistent branding, context and messaging.
• Monitor public engagement and track media coverage of center initiatives.
• Other tasks as assigned.

The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center is a student-powered newsroom at The University of Southern Mississippi, dedicated to reporting what matters in Southeast Mississippi’s underserved communities. We produce high-impact, professional journalism that’s published across the state — and train students to do the kind of work that are top stories in real-world newsrooms.

This role is ideal for junior or senior students with an interest in public relations, event planning and strategic communication who want hands-on experience connecting communities with local journalism. As a public relations and events coordinator, you’ll plan and promote workshops, panels and media literacy programs; craft and distribute press releases, newsletters and graphics; and lead outreach that highlights the center’s reporting and educational initiatives.

Your efforts will help strengthen the center’s relationships with students, faculty, partners and residents across ten counties — giving you professional credits and portfolio pieces that showcase your creativity, organizational skills and ability to build meaningful community engagement.