Without risk there is no brilliance, a prominent public relations practitioner said Thursday night.
Cheryl Procter-Rogers, a corporate affairs director at Home Box Office, addressed Ball State University students during the 27th Vernon C. Schranz Lectureship. Members of the audience of about 300 included Schranz and Ball family members.
Her speech, "How Risk, Ethics and Confirmation Bias Is Shaping the Public Relations Profession," emphasized the need for public relations students never to compromise their artistic vision for mainstream artistic approval.
"Don't start your project with grade in mind," Procter-Rogers said. "Start with passion. Grade is not what's driving you. It is the ability to step out and do what you know is right. Never compromise your values and beliefs."
She also asked students to take controversial topics that require risk because if a person does not take risks, they will not see rewards. When students asked her what she meant by taking strategic risks, she responded with her own story about how she started a P.R. agency with little experience in business.
"When speaking with students, I always ask what is their passion," she said. "I feel without question that finding your passion will bring success."
Procter-Rogers was the youngest member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in Los Angeles to earn accredited professional status and the first black woman to earn that honor there.
"Don't be interested in title, be interested in career," she said.
Svetlana Rybalko, a public relations graduate student, was most inspired by Procter-Rogers' perspective on public relations.
"Her perspective of P.R. is so personal," Rybalko said. "It's obvious she has a passion."
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