PAN Communications, a leading integrated marketing and PR firm for B2B tech and healthcare brands, today announced a new BIPOC fellowship program in partnership with its existing historically black college or university (HBCU) relationships to offer students a deeper understanding into the profession of IM and PR in the B2B technology and healthcare industries. 

The initiative, titled PAN P.R.E.P. (Public Relations Experience Program), is an expansion of PAN’s existing PAN Portal Program and creates opportunities for undergraduate senior students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Communications or Journalism to receive hands-on work experience in a fast-paced agency setting.  

“We continue to navigate the lack of diversity in the technology and healthcare communications industries, so it was important to our leadership and employees that we found a meaningful way to provide access to students of color who are interested in learning more about our areas of expertise,” said Brandon Thomas, Vice President, and Head of DEI, PAN. “As our agency grows in its DEI journey, thinking critically about where we can be a value-add externally is a key objective. We hope this fellowship program will serve as one key example of our larger DEI commitment.” 

The PAN Portal network was originally launched in 2016 with the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Communications where CEO Phil Nardone has served as an adjunct professor for more than 20 years. In 2020, the Portal network was expanded to a four-part guest lecture series offered to four additional schools including two HBCUs, North Carolina A&T University and North Carolina Central University. This year, PAN Portal and the four-part guest lecture series will also partner with HBCU Dillard University and begin offering the fellowship to its students in 2023.  

“As our agency grows in its DEI journey, thinking critically about where we can be a value-add externally is a key objective.”

“Teaching has been such an important piece of my life’s work and having the privilege to work with students from all backgrounds has been such a rewarding experience over the years,” said Phil Nardone, CEO, PAN. “My hope is that through this new Fellowship, we continue expanding our capacity to create even more opportunities for the next generation of PR professionals.” 

The official launch of PAN P.R.E.P. comes after two pilot semesters in which PAN collaborated internally on the fellowship experience and refined the program to its current state. Participating students will be partnered with PAN account team members who will serve as a dedicated career coach and a peer mentor for a 12-week, paid internship designed to introduce them to agency work through authentic client relations. Student fellows will work 12-15 hours per week across two different PAN client programs, with responsibilities that include team collaboration, attending client meetings and completing weekly project assignments that cover a range of PR objectives: conducting news scans, identifying media targets, drafting pitches, writing industry-specific content, organizing social calendars, and more.  

The fellowship program begins on Monday, September 12, 2022, and will conclude on December 2, 2022. The application process was closed on August 2 to allow time for the Fellowship Panel to review applications and make their offers.  

This release originally appeared on AccessWire