About Me

My name is Nicholas Peter Campbell. I am 21 years old, and I am studying public relations at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

I hadn't made a fully informed decision when I decided to devote myself to the study of public relations. I was nearing the end of my sophomore year, and I had to make a decision on a major. I thought I wanted to become a professional journalist, but then I realized I didn't enjoy writing for writing's sake. Plus, who wants to enter the dying profession of print journalism in an age when everyone is a journalist?

I did some research and quickly decided to pursue public relations. I didn't understand everything public relations entailed or even what the term meant, but I had figured I would gain broad communications skills that could be applied in a variety of professional environments. As I began to take more specific course work in public relations, I started to notice that many of my professors didn't seem to completely comprehend the meaning of public relations either. There were even contradictory definitions in the textbooks and articles we read. If you search "public relations" on Google, you can easily pick out ten very different definitions.

I don't know what the right definition is for public relations, but I don't think anyone really does. Whatever the right definition is, one thing is certain: it is an extremely powerful tool for change. This blog is going to be a place for me to share with the world my journey to discover the true meaning and power of public relations.

My hope is that by gaining a more complete understanding of the public relations field, I will be able to better serve the local and global community in which we all live. I believe public relations can be used for good, and I believe it can be used for bad. Unfortunately, from my perspective it is used for bad all too often. However, public relations can be, and is, used to change the world for the better, and I want to be part of that change.