National Recognition, University Grants Just the Beginning for Mary Sterenberg

Mary Sterenberg, Drake institute affiliate and assistant professor won the Public Relations Student Society of America Faculty Advisor of the Year award, presented by the national Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA) organization. Sterenberg received this award at the PRSSA International Conference in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 14.

This award is based on student nominations and goes through a rigorous judging process.

"It was extra special because Ohio State alum Linda Thomas-Brooks is currently CEO of the parent PRSSA organization and was able to congratulate me in person," Sterenberg says. Linda Thomas-Brooks serves on the Dean's Advisory Council representing the College of Arts and Sciences and on the Board of Advisors for the Buckeye Leadership Fellows Program.

In addition to this national recognition, Sterenberg was recently awarded a second grant through the Affordable Learning Exchange at Ohio State. "Through this grant, I will be updating an open-source textbook I created in 2017 through my initial grant with the program. This textbook has saved students thousands of dollars in textbook costs, and the class it supports is now a core requirement for the largest major in the School of Communication with new sections being added to accommodate the growing enrollment."