Bulldog PRism Awards celebrate ݮƵpublic relations excellence, honor longtime PR Professor John Forde
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss.—The recent Bulldog PRism Awards honored local and Mississippi State communications professionals in a big way this past month.
Hosted by the Starkville-ݮƵChapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, or PRAM, the event included the announcement of the inaugural John E. Forde Mentorship and Service Award. The first recognition honors the award’s namesake and was presented to John E. Forde, longtime professor and former head of MSU’s Department of Communication. The award includes a $250 donation to the Dr. John Forde Communication Fund for Excellence in the Department of Communication at the university.
The 2024 board of the local chapter, led by past president James Carskadon, spearheaded the award’s creation. Carskadon said Forde stands apart as a major contributor advancing public relations in Mississippi.
“Dr. Forde has served PR organizations at every level while preparing thousands of ݮƵstudents for successful careers. Anyone who knows Dr. Forde can appreciate his constant encouragement and his willingness to use an unrivaled network of connections to help his students and alumni. We wanted to create this award to recognize those that, like Dr. Forde, go above and beyond to grow the field of public relations and support the next generation of PR professionals,” he said.
Forde cofounded the Starkville-ݮƵChapter of PRAM in the early 1990s, serving as the chapter’s charter president and again in 2017. An Accredited Public Relations professional, he is a highly honored educator and leader, recognized with numerous regional, state and national awards, including induction into the PRSA College of Fellows and the USM School of Mass Communication and Journalism Hall of Fame. A longtime board member and past president of the Southern Public Relations Federation, he also has served on the Universal Accreditation Board for both SPRF and PRSA. Forde holds degrees from Jones College, Mississippi State and the University of Southern Mississippi.
“I was so honored to have the award named after me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. It was also special to have so many students and colleagues in attendance,” said Forde, who emphasized the importance of professional involvement in organizations like PRAM. “I tell students how important it is to be involved in PRAM and SPRF at the local, state and regional level. I’ve made some of the best friends in the world through these organizations. You learn something at every meeting and get to know people from all walks of life, and it’s been a huge networking opportunity that has helped connect countless students with meaningful jobs.”
JoLee Clark, current president of the Starkville-ݮƵPRAM Chapter, said it was an honor to work with the board to streamline the awards process and recognize excellence.
“It was wonderful to see so many colleagues recognized for their work over the past year, and introduce a new award in honor of Dr. John Forde, who has been a mentor to so many of us in the room. I’m grateful for our board and the work that went into making the award ceremony special, to celebrate the PR work being done in the Starkville-ݮƵcommunity,” she said.
In addition to the new mentorship award, communicators from Mississippi State and the greater Starkville area were recognized for excellence in public relations strategy and execution.
This year’s honorees include:
Professional winners
—ݮƵCollege of Arts and Sciences General Education Course Booklet and Poster
Kelli Anthony, Karyn Brown, Sarah Nicholas, Melanie Loehwing
ݮƵCollege of Arts and Sciences
Award of Excellence—Advertising and Marketing
—ݮƵGraduate School Recruitment Rack Cards and Direct Admit Initiative
Eric Abbott, Lauren Benton, Robbie Salters, Lindsey Shelton
ݮƵGraduate School
Bulldog PRism—Advertising and Marketing
—Faculty Housing Welcome Home Packets
Jada Johnson, Haley Rountree
ݮƵCampus Services
Bulldog PRism—Advertising and Marketing
—Caught in the Act: Maroon Friday’s Most Wanted
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs, ݮƵAthletics
Award of Excellence—Audio/Visual
—Storming Social Media: How ݮƵMeteorologists Drove Engagement
Sarah Triplett, Sarah Kirk, Jordan Ables
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Award of Excellence—Audio/Visual
—Can You Say That Again? Mississippi’s Trickiest Town Names
Sarah Triplett, Jordan Ables, Sarah Kirk
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Award of Excellence—Audio/Visual
—The Power of Belief: Mississippi State’s 2024 National Commercial
Thomas Broadus, David Garraway, Hal Teasler
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs and ݮƵUniversity Television Center
Bulldog PRism—Audio/Visual
—Move-In Day: TikTok Dads
Sarah Triplett, Jordan Ables, Sarah Kirk
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Bulldog PRism—Audio/Visual
—Turning on the Lights: A Starkville Christmas Story
Sarah Kirk, Sarah Triplett
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Bulldog PRism—Audio/Visual
—ݮƵCollege of Arts and Sciences Communication Plan, 2025
Karyn Brown, Kelli Anthony, Sam Kealhofer, Sarah Nicholas
ݮƵCollege of Arts and Sciences
Bulldog PRism—Campaigns
—Transforming ݮƵSocial
Thomas Broadus, Sarah Triplett, Jordan Ables, Sarah Kirk
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Certificate of Merit—Campaigns
—Campus Services Website
Lana Bentley, Navin Solomon
ݮƵCampus Services
Bulldog PRism—Digital
—One Voice, One Brand: Aligning 160+ Marketers for MSU’s Success
Chris Bryant, Jordan Ables, Susan Lassetter, Heather Rowe, Harriet Laird, Allison Matthews
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Bulldog PRism—Digital
—A Website Makeover for MSU's College of Education
Bethany Shipp and Will Anderson
ݮƵCollege of Education and ݮƵInformation Technology Services
Bulldog PRism—Digital
—ݮƵStudents Serve as Volunteer Firefighters
David Ammon
ݮƵAgriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Award of Excellence—Graphics
—CAVS Annual Report
Kelli Anthony, Sara Fuller
ݮƵCenter for Advanced Vehicular Systems
Bulldog PRism—Publications
—Dividends Magazine
Emily Daniels, Suzi Morales, Kathy Kenne, Kirsten Shaw, David Doleac
ݮƵCollege of Business and Tellōs Creative
Bulldog PRism—Publications
—The Graduate School Newsletter
Eric Abbott, Lauren Benton, Lindsey Shelton
ݮƵGraduate School
Bulldog PRism—Publications
—Social Media: Transformation Tuesday
Lana Bentley
ݮƵCampus Services
Certificate of Merit—Social Media
—ݮƵGraduate Ambassador Program
Lauren Benton, Emily Grace McCall, Lindsey Shelton
ݮƵGraduate School
Award of Excellence—Special Events
—Doctoral student overcomes high school hardships, finds home at Mississippi State
Mary Politz
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Award of Excellence—Writing
—ݮƵveterinarians save puppy’s legs after Arkansas couple spends wedding funds for surgery
Mary Politz
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Award of Excellence—Writing
—Magnolia State’s ‘innovation ecosystem’ includes vital role played by MSU’s Office of Technology Management
Carl Smith
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Award of Excellence—Writing
—‘Bigger than all of us’: Network debut set for ݮƵFilms’ documentary ‘9/20’ on first post-Sept. 11 football game
Carl Smith
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Award of Excellence—Writing
—Unearthing a Legacy: The Story of Dr. J. William Rush
Allison Matthews
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Award of Excellence—Writing
—A Bird’s-Eye View: Banding Bald Eagles for Conservation
Meg Henderson
ݮƵAgriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Award of Excellence—Writing
—A Fresh Perspective: Student-led farm cultivates learning, builds community
Vanessa Beeson
ݮƵAgriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Award of Excellence—Writing
—Moving On Up: Mississippi State invests in meeting the needs of tomorrow
Susan Lassetter
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs and Campus Services
Certificate of Merit—Writing
—Our People “Jacob Uithoven”
Sarah Nicholas
ݮƵCollege of Arts and Sciences
Certificate of Merit—Writing
—New Grant Library collection offers insight into former Secretary of War Rawlins, president’s ‘conscience’
Carl Smith
ݮƵOffice of Public Affairs
Certificate of Merit—Writing
Student winners
—Designers' Gallery Campaign
Rylee Jones, Mallory Morrow, Sydni Patrick, Juliann Pugh, Jessica Shelton
ݮƵDepartment of Communication CO:4813 Public Relations in Organizations course
Award of Excellence—Campaigns
—Brewing Influence
Caroline Flint
Umble Coffee Co.
Bulldog PRism—Social
—English Expo
Emma Grace Crook, Elizabeth King, William Simmons, Elisa Stocking
Department of English—Special Events
Certificate of Merit
—Umble Coffee Co. Fall Festival
Caroline Flint and Dabney Cunningham
Umble Coffee Co.
Award of Excellence—Special Events
—Summer research internship at ݮƵadvances entomology work for East Coast teen
Erin Buckley
ݮƵAgriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Certificate of Merit—Writing
—ݮƵagronomy researcher secures major funding to address rice crisis using Heat MAGIC
Chloe Madison
ݮƵAgriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
Certificate of Merit—Writing
—ݮƵDepartment of Communication Annual Report
Greta Allen
ݮƵDepartment of Communication
Certificate of Merit—Publications
—Golden Triangle Kennel Club Awareness Campaign
Rileigh Campbell, Caroline Flint, Belle Fulkerson
ݮƵDepartment of Communication
Bulldog PRism—Campaigns
—Eupora Awareness Campaign
Anica Hankey, Rebekah Brown, Makenzie Stone, Presley White
ݮƵDepartment of Communication
Award of Excellence—Campaigns
—True Rest Float Spa Awareness Campaign
Erin Buckley, Mary Grace Black, Alice Ann Haab, Abby Rutherford
ݮƵDepartment of Communication
Award of Excellence—Campaigns
In addition to Carskadon and Clark, the Starkville-ݮƵPRAM board includes Kelli Anthony; vice president of programming, Vanessa Beeson, vice president of communication; Sarah Moody, secretary/treasurer; Brittany Greer, vice president of membership and Terri Hernandez and Allison Matthews, both members-at-large.
For more information about the Starkville-ݮƵPRAM chapter, visit .