MSU’s Brown earns PRSA outstanding educator award
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Karyn Brown is the recipient of the Alabama Public Relations Society of America’s Outstanding Educator Award, one of the organization’s highest honors recognizing excellence and influence in public relations education.
Alabama PRSA extends this award to educators whose impact reaches beyond state lines through professional service, mentorship and student engagement across the region, and serves as the local chapter for several Mississippi practitioners.
The award recognizes Brown’s decades-long impact on the profession through teaching, mentorship and leadership, as well as her commitment to preparing students to lead with integrity and strategic skill. An MSU faculty member for more than 30 years in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, Brown now serves as assistant dean.
“This award reflects the students and colleagues who make public relations education meaningful and impactful,” Brown said. “My goal has always been to prepare students to lead with integrity, curiosity and strategic purpose, and I’m grateful to be part of a profession that values mentorship and service.”
In 2024, Brown earned the Accredited in Public Relations credential, a distinction held by fewer than two percent of public relations practitioners worldwide. The APR designation signifies mastery of strategic public relations practice and a demonstrated commitment to ethics and lifelong professional development. Brown is one of only 4,500 active APR practitioners globally.
Brown was reelected in 2025 to a prestigious three-year term on the board of directors for the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the national association representing arts and sciences colleges across the country. She also serves on MSU’s Brand Education Steering Committee, helping guide the university’s public-facing communication.
A 2015 Grisham Master Teacher, Brown has taught courses in broadcasting, communication and public relations, previously coordinating the broadcasting and public relations concentrations and the department’s internship program.
She is a member of the Southern Public Relations Federation, the Public Relations Association of Mississippi and its Starkville/MSU chapter and the Public Relations Society of America.
MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences includes approximately 5,000 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments. Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences are available at www.cas.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.