CHICAGO, Sept. 7, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cision, the leading provider of software, services and tools for the media and public relations industry, today announced a major enhancement to its College and University Program : "CisionPoint for Colleges and Universities," a free and comprehensive training, education and certification curriculum, designed especially for public relations students.
A video accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=200752
With the enhanced College and University Program, U.S. and Canadian PR students will be trained in CisionPoint, the world's fastest-growing public relations software solution, used by 90 percent of the top PR firms, and a multiple finalist and winner of prestigious software industry awards.
They'll understand how to leverage the power of CisionPoint to plan PR campaigns based on in-depth research on over a million media contacts and hundreds of thousands of media outlets; how to connect effectively with key audiences; how to monitor and analyze media coverage; how to optimize social media communications; and other key skills.
"Learning CisionPoint gives our PR students a competitive advantage in obtaining internships and employment," said Stephen Whyte, a member of the Communications Department faculty of Utah Valley University, which began using Cision's software solution in its classrooms in 2009. "We plan to continue to use CisionPoint as a strategic tool in our courses to prepare our students for a future PR career."
"In today's extremely competitive public relations job market, hands-on experience in best-in-class PR tools and technologies is critically important," said Vanessa Bugasch, Cision's Senior Vice President, Global Marketing and Product Marketing. "The CisionPoint-related curriculum is designed expressly to give graduates of college and university PR programs a strategic advantage in jumpstarting their careers by certifying their competence in CisionPoint, the world's leading PR software solution."
The Cision College and University Program is an established offering that is used by communications faculty and students of institutions of higher learning, including Brigham Young, Columbia, Harvard, NYU and Syracuse University.
The enhanced curriculum includes:
- Free Access to the CisionPoint on-demand PR workflow software solution.
- Teaching Aids and suggested lessons designed specifically for college and university public relations instructors and students.
- Free Tip Sheets, White Papers and Blog Posts for public relations professionals.
- Flexible Training Options, including online webinars and self-guided tutorials.
- CisionPoint Accreditation upon completing the curriculum, obtained through online tutorials and assignments.
Find out more about the CisionPoint College and University Program through this video.
About CisionPoint
Launched in the United States in October 2007, CisionPoint rapidly became the fastest growing on-demand PR software solution, with more than 7,000 customers signed in its first 30 months of sales.
Cision is currently rolling out CisionPoint as the standard on-demand platform for its customers worldwide, including Fortune 500 corporations, FTSE 250 companies, global public relations firms, non-profit organizations, universities, and small businesses.
Winner of the 2009 CODiE Award for Best Online News Service, CisionPoint has been a CODiE Award finalist five times out of a maximum of six possible selections in its two years of eligibility for the awards, sponsored by the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). It has been a finalist in four distinct award categories (Best Content Management Solution, Best Online News Service, Best Vertical Market Business Content and Best On-Demand Platform).
About Cision
Cision () empowers businesses to make better decisions and improve performance through its CisionPoint software solutions for corporate communication and PR professionals. Powered by local experts with global reach, Cision delivers relevant media information, targeted distribution, media monitoring, and precise media analysis. Cision has offices in Europe, North America and Asia, and has partners in 125 countries. Cision AB is quoted on the Nordic Exchange with revenue of SEK 1.5 billion in 2009.
CONTACT: Cision Andree Beckham, Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations +1 312 873 6434 andree.beckham@cision.com
