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L.E.A.P. Checklist

Leadership Experience Academics Professionalism

To gain the certification you must earn 60 points total. You must complete a minimum of 10 points in each category, for a total of 50. The final 10 points comes from your interview with an Advisory Board member.

Once you have completed 50 points, email Dr. Groover (mgroover@georgiasouthern.edu) who will help set up the interview.

If you have an item you believe fits into one of these categories, but it is not listed, contact Dr. Groover who will bring it before the committee.

Leadership and Teamwork and Relationship Building

Workshops
(1 point)
Include the name of the workshop and when it was held:
Leadership Workshop (Communication Arts Department Approved)
Leadership Expo or Similar Event
Team Building Exercise
Facilitator Training
Self-Assessment Tests
(1 point)
Include the date the assessment was taken:
Myers Briggs Test
Leadership Skills Test (e.g., Acumen)
Campbell Inventory Test
Leader Service
(3 points)
  List the role you held, how long you held it, and what you gained from the experience:
Peer Leader ( FYE 1210)
Career Center Ambassador
Southern Ambassador
SOAR Leader
Lead a Workshop
Communication Arts Peer Advisor
Presentations (1 point when required in a course)
(3 points when completed outside of course requirements)
Include the name of the presentation, when it was held, and for what organization or course you gave the presentation. These presentations can be either:
Team presentation
Individual
Readings
(1 point, maximum
of 6 points)
Discuss which book(s) you read, providing a brief summary, and what lessons you can take from it.
“Thank You for Smoking” by Christopher Buckley
“Airframe” by Michael Crichton
“The Distracted Mind” by Adam Gazzaley
“Distracted” by Maggie Jackson
“Building a Story Brand ” by Donald Miller
“Pitch Perfect” by Bill McGowan
“Pandora’s Clock” by John Nance
“Little Green Men” by Christopher Buckley
Note: Continue to check the Web site as new books may be added
Networking
(1 point)
Maintaining and Updating a Linked In (or similar professional networking site) page for a minimum of 6 months (This can be done as a part of a Course, but not an account maintained for this L.E.A.P. Certification)
For attendance at any of the following: Job Fairs, Conferences, PR Advisory Board Meetings and Events, Comm Arts INC, PRSSA Meetings Hosting a Guest Speaker, and PRSSA Networking Events (including Resume’ Writing Workshops and Portfolio Workshops)
National PRSSA Networking Events
Volunteer Experience
(1 point earned per three hours of work)
Leadership
  List the role you held, how long you held it, and what you gained from the experience:
Serving as a leader in a professional association.  Include the name of the organization and the position held (3 points)
Serving in a PR leader role for another organization (e.g. alumni relations, membership recruitment, promotions, fundraising).  Include the name of the organization and the position held (2 points)
Actively serving as a executive board member for the Georgia Southern PRSSA Chapter
Actively serving in a leadership role with PRestige

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Experience in Communication

(to include written, oral, visual, intercultural contexts within an ethical frame)

Workshops
(1 point)
Writing, editing, plagiarism corrections, etc.  Include the name of the workshop and when it was held.
Publications
Provide a link to a PDF copy of the work on your blog
Include the name of the publication or site, and date it was published.
Feature/Magazine Articles (3 points)
News Stories (2 points)
Articles for Departmental Newsletter, Catchwords (2 points)
Article for PRSSA blog (2 points)
Maintaining a Blog for 6 months with weekly updates (2 points)
Writing Web site Content (2 points)
Event Management
(3 points)
Plan (or significantly aid in the planning of) an Event to help reach communication goals for a specific client (To earn full credit, details must be recorded regarding the goal of the event, its objectives, and the evaluation of the event’s success in this area)
Digital/Social Media
Social media portfolio (3 points)
Editor
Reflector (3 points)
George-Anne (3 points)
Inkwell (3 points)
DJ
WVGS (3 points)
Other Radio Stations (2 points)

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Academics – Creative & Critical Thinking

Publication/Presentation
(3 points)
Include the name of the conference where you presented, date of the presentation, and the title of your presentation.
Present a conference paper at:
Undergraduate Honors Conference,
Southern States Communication Association (SSCA),
Phi Kappa Phi Symposium,
Center for Undergraduate Research and Intellectual Opportunities (CURIO),
Georgia Communication Association (GCA),
Poster Papers @ Wildgame Supper
Photography
(1 point)
Speeches
(3 points)
Contest Entries
(1 point for entry, 2 additional points for winning entry.
Maximum points – 6 in this category)
Logo, theme, any in publication/presentation category above
PR Advisory Board Awards
Communication Arts Departmental Scholarship Awards
Workshops
(1 point)
Include the name of the workshop and when it was held.
Creative Thinking / Writing
Critical Thinking
Brainstorming
Web Design
Design – InDesign, Photoshop, Canva, Quark, etc.
Honor Society / International Studies
(2 points with a maximum of 5 points in this category)
Group / Club Membership
Study Abroad Program (with a minimum of 3 weeks spent studying abroad).  Include the location of the program, length of time spent, and classes completed. (3 points)

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Professionalism and Career Development

Career Center
(1 point)
Mock Interviews
Relevant Workshops (resumes, etiquette, dress, etc.)
Career Development Testing
Having your resume reviewed by a member of the Office of Career & Professional Development
Professional Associations
(5 points with demonstrated active membership)
PRSSA
PRestige
Society for Professional Journalists
Marketing Society
Webinars on professional/career development
(3 points, maximum
of 6 points)
  Include the name of the webinar, when it was held, and what you learned from the webinar.
 
 
Workshops
(1 point)
Include the name of the workshop and when it was held:
Ethics
Time Management
Relevant Volunteering for Events
(1 point)
CLEC (hosting)
Departmental
College of Arts & Humanities
Attending PR-related Events/Meetings
(1 point each)
Include the date and location in your listing.
PR Advisory Board Events
PRSA Luncheons
Shadowing Experiences
Include the name and location of the experience.
20-hours (1 point)
40-hours (3 points)
Public Relations Internships Completed
Include the name and location of the experience, as well as the work completed at the site.
Not earning academic credit and lasting a minimum of four weeks
(5 points)
A for-credit internship where you completed a minimum of 200 hours of work (4 points)
Portfolio Review by a PR Professional
(1 point)
Business Skills Development
(1 point)
Demonstrated work in budgeting, creating annual reports, etc.
Certification
(10 points)
  Certificate in Principles of Public Relations

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Last updated: 5/4/2023