Our mission is to prepare students for a career in the ever-changing career of public relations/communications and to support the life-long learning and professional growth of practitioners in the state of Florida. Our goal is to ensure public relations and communications professionals serve the organizations they represent as well as the needs of the public, with the utmost professionalism and ethical standards.
Student Scholarships Professional Grants
Student Scholarships
To support the professional development of college students studying to enter the public relations or communications profession, the Florida Public Relations Education Foundation (FPREF) awards two student scholarships annually.
Eligibility
Candidates must be incoming seniors who have currently enrolled and been accepted in an upper-division public relations, communications or related track at an accredited college or university within the state of Florida and slated for graduation not earlier than the following fall semester. Candidates must be full- or part-time students (minimum of six credits per semester), with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Application
Students must submit the FPREF application along with an unofficial transcript from their school, and an approximately 800-word essay in response to one of the essay topics outlined in the application. Applicants are encouraged to also submit links to their LinkedIn page and online portfolios.
Selection Process
Recipients will be chosen by a Scholarship Selection Committee comprised of public relations and communications professionals. Applicants will be evaluated based on the content of their application and the quality of their essay. Strict adherence to AP standards is highly encouraged. All written work must be 100% original, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to write this assignment will result in automatic disqualification.
Awards
FPREF will award scholarships based on the availability of funds. A minimum of two $1,500 scholarships will be awarded annually. The awardees also will receive a certificate in recognition of their achievement and will be honored during the PR & Comms Summit. In addition, the honorees and/or selected essays may be published in FPRA’s statewide electronic newsletter and on social media.
Key Dates
Application Deadline: March 1, 2025
Winners Notified: Week of April 21, 2025
PR & Comms Summit: August 3-6, 2025
About the Dr. Bob Davis, APR, CPRC Student Scholarship
Established by the FPREF in 2001, the Dr. Bob Davis, APR, CPRC Foundation Scholarship Award honors long-time Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) member, Dr. Bob Davis, APR, CPRC.
Dr. Davis began teaching at the University of Central Florida in 1977 when the university was still known as the Florida Technological University. Dr. Davis was promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure at UCF in 1984 and to full professor in 1987. He is credited with creating the Advertising-Public Relations program that is now known as the Nicholson School of Communication.
Over his 30-year tenure, Dr. Davis influenced the careers of thousands of future communication professionals as a professor, internship coordinator for more than 3,000 students, and as the faculty advisor for the UCF student chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, called “Quotes.”
Dr. Davis served as the FPRA State president in 1988. He received FPRA’s highest honor, the John W. Dillin Award in 1995 and was later named FPRA Member of the Year in 2000. Dr. Davis earned the Accredited Business Communicator credential from the International Association of Business Communicators, the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) from FPRA/Universal Accreditation Board in 1981 and the Certified Public Relations Counselor credential from FPRA in 1992. Dr. Davis passed away in 2013.
About the Dr. Jay Rayburn, APR, CPRC Student Scholarship
The Dr. Jay Rayburn, APR, CPRC Scholarship is a tribute to the exceptional contributions of the late Dr. Jay Rayburn, who dedicated his life to advancing the public relations field in Florida and beyond. The scholarship was established after Dr. Rayburn’s passing in 2021.
Dr. Rayburn devoted his career to helping both students and professionals achieve excellence in public relations/communications. He worked as a faculty member teaching public relations and integrated marketing at the Florida State University (FSU) College of Communication and Information from 1985 until his retirement in 2020. Dr. Rayburn also held various leadership positions with the FSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors, the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) and the Public Relations Society of America. In 1994, Dr. Rayburn served as FPRA state president and later was the founding chair of the FPRA Counselors’ Network.
Among his many achievements, Dr. Rayburn was named FPRA Member of the Year in 1991 and earned FPRA’s highest honor, the John W. Dillin Award in 1996. A staunch advocate for professional Accreditation and Certification, he also represented FPRA on the Universal Accreditation Board from 2002 – 2014.
Professional Development Grants
In addition to awarding student scholarships, the Foundation also supports professionals in the advancement of their public relations and communications careers through grants that support continuing education.
Credentialing Support
FPREF awards grants to support professionals who have successfully earned the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation from the Universal Accreditation Board or the Certified Public Relations Counselor (CPRC) designation from FPRA. The grants reimburse a portion of the testing fees.
Professional Development Support
FPREF supports programs to further the public relations and communications industry and, ultimately, help practitioners do their jobs better. This includes sponsorship of the annual Dillin Keynote Speaker at the PR & Comms Summit, assistance with programs related to leadership development, scholarships for the Joe Curley Rising Leader Award and scholarships for the LeadershipFPRA program.