While I can appreciate any and all efforts to promote and improve the value of the APR, why would PRSA intentionally damage and likely destroy this iconic and important component of our brand and profession, whatever the reason?

My definition of APR in addition to meeting the requirements, is: A Personal Responsibility to constantly improve my knowledge, commitment to professional service, and giving back more than I receive through the benefits of membership.

Promote, explain, encourage and recognize achieving an APR more effectively, YES.

Expand opportunities to validate and certify additional areas of professional competence and expertise, YES.

Organize all APRs into a force to promote the professionalism of practitioners and the profession, YES.

Build APRs aspirational, personal validational, and success expectational value, YES.

APR is Public Relation’s most significant personal, public, and certified affirmation of personal leadership, commitment to PRSA, and lifelong personal professional development, YES.

APR Is, Until Now, The Gateway To The Highest Levels Of Public Relations Professional Leadership

The by-law amendments turn the specificity of APR and required levels of service and experience into mindless mush. These amendments permanently eviscerate the APR at every level of PRSA.

Who are these self-designated people who feel more undervalued, unrecognized, and underappreciated than the rest of us? What/who transforms them from an “under-served” status into Uber status?

I’ll bet you can put your undervalued, unrecognized, underappreciated, and under-served existence up against anybodys

Who are these people? And why are our leaders on their side against us?

Saving APR Is You Fight, PRSA Members

What makes these ignored individuals so valuable that they get a FREE PASS over the one independent, rigorous, impartial requirement that levels the playing field among all of us to achieve the leadership of PRSA and our profession?

The by-law amendments establish a “competency” exception to the APR requirement, everywhere an APR is now required.

Achieving APR status is the differentiator, the constant between boards and changing leadership, a guardrail against cronyism and politics. A recognized independent, impartial validation.

APR Is Your Standard Of Excellence

This attempt to degrade, devastate, debase, and eviscerate the personal accomplishment and dreams of thousands of APRs and those aspiring, inspired and hopeful of achieving this iconic status raises the question:

If APR Has No Value, What Value Does PRSA Have?

Bottom Line: If this idea of avoiding the APR succeeds, PRSA is creating an Uber Class of crony members whose Plumbing Certificate or Ph.D. or having a pal on the current board makes them better and more eligible than the rest of us who only have achieved an APR.

The only vote that matters here is to retain, reinforce and reaffirm the importance, necessity, rigor, and impartiality of the entire APR process. A Ph.D. will always be another amazing individual personal achievement. But you need more to become a leader in PRSA.

APR Is The Dream Of Thousands Of PRSA Members

To decimate the value of the APR essentially voids the principal value of having a PRSA. It breaks a promise made to Thousands of APRs and APR aspirers and will likely deter others from making a full unreserved commitment to PRSA. Yes, there is more devastating change on the way from this Board.

STOP the new UBER class of member and their mush credentials to lead our Society. degrade, devastate, and debase the personal accomplishments, satisfaction, and dreams of thousands of APRs and those aspiring, inspired, and hopeful of achieving this iconic status.

APR Is Your Professional Distinction, If You Can Keep It

Marching Orders

STOP Looking The Other Way.

Get Up, Get Angry, Get On The Phone.

Get To Your Assembly Representative.

Start Stopping This Action Today.

PRSA Assembly Members Need To Hear From Thousands of APRs.

Game On...Break's Over, APR Too If You Let It.