Tania Rosas-Moreno, Ph.D., professor of communication at Loyola University Maryland, was named a co-winner of the Outstanding Educator of the Year award by PRNews’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Diversity Awards.
The Outstanding Educator of the Year award honors teaching professionals that teach subjects in the area of communications, media, and PR. Winners of this award inspire and have positive impacts on the lives of their students.
“This recognition highlights the courage and efforts of so many Loyola PR students who have worked compassionately to make a difference here in our beloved Baltimore,” said Rosas-Moreno. “I am humbled and honored beyond words to have served with and mentored many teams and incredible young adults, and I feel more compelled now than ever to work toward a more equitable future for all. I feel I work in harmony with my departmental colleagues to challenge my own personal assumptions, to make myself uncomfortable and vulnerable, to question how I can do more to be more inclusive, just, and equitable.”
The award has a thorough application process, and each entry must include a case study and supplemental materials, which include scholarly, course-related materials, and three recommendation letters.
“It is no surprise that Dr. Rosas-Moreno received this award for her work with diversity, equity, and inclusion in her Public Relations Capstone, International Communication, and general Public Relations courses is well-documented by her students, community, and fellow faculty,” said Sara Magee, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of communication.
The PR Capstone focuses on training students to become ethical public relations practitioners through developing and enacting public relations plans. In a given semester, Rosas-Moreno oversees on average four campaigns for local non-profits.
“In my PR course, my students work specifically with nonprofit organizations to assist marginalized communities and to give a voice to those who are often voiceless,” Rosas-Moreno said. “At the semester’s end, we recognize that our work is not complete, but we hope we have made a positive change in the local community.”
Rosas-Moreno asks her students to reflect on and discern several questions over the entirety of the semester: “For whom am I working? Am I delivering a good product? How am I impacting society? What change am I making?” In asking her students to think about these questions, she pushes them to work well for the greater good of the community. To date, Rosas-Moreno has overseen more than 70 campaigns in her course and numerous PRSSA endeavors, including at least 10 anti-human trafficking campaigns, with some receiving national recognition.
Kaye Sweetser, Ph.D., professor of public relations at San Diego State University was also named a co-winner of the Outstanding Educator of the Year award. View a full list of the award recipients on the PRNews website.
