Two West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism students have been selected for the prestigious GolinHarris Mountaineer in D.C. Internship program.

Cara Lynn Slider of Middlebourne and Bonnie Jean Thomas of Bridgeport will each receive a $2,500 stipend and a weekly salary to work at GolinHarris, one of the worlds leading public relations firms, during the 2008 summer and fall sessions, respectively.

GolinHarrisunique internship program, which began in summer 2004, provides two PR students the opportunity to work in Washington, D.C., and receive valuable public relations and marketing experience.

The Mountaineer in D.C. program provides our top students with the opportunity to gain professional skills, make important connections and build their resumes with real-world experiences,said Maryanne Reed, dean of the School of Journalism.We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with GolinHarris, one of the top public relations firms in the nation.

Slider, the daughter of Frank and Barb Slider, graduated cum laude from WVU in 2006 with a bachelors degree in public relations. She is currently pursuing her masters degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations and marketing. Slider works as a graduate assistant to Elizabeth Quilliam, Harrison/Omnicom Professor of Advertising. Previously, she interned with AmeriCorps and the United Way.

Thomas, a public relations senior, is the daughter of George and Catherine Thomas. She is a member of the WVU Honors College, Kiwanis and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She has participated in the Boys and Girls Club and Campus Crusade for Christ. Thomas has also been an intern at Make-A-Wish of Northern West Virginia for two and a half years, and she participated in Walt Disney Worlds College Internship Program in spring 2007.

Nurturing the communicators of tomorrow is an important mission of GolinHarris, and we are blessed to have a strong partnership with West Virginia University,said Lane Bailey, regional managing director of the GolinHarris Washington, D.C., office and global director of public affairs.We currently have six WVU graduates working in our office, including one of our former Mountaineer in D.C. interns, plus we just extended an offer to a second WVU intern who is graduating this May.

Bailey, a Princeton native, and Michael Fulton, a 1979 journalism graduate and GolinHarrisexecutive vice president, worked with the School of Journalism to develop and fund the internship.

GolinHarris is a public relations agency offering a distinctive combination of global resources and personalized service in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Clients include Dow Chemical Co., McDonalds Corp., Nintendo of America Inc., Orange, Texas Instruments and Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.

GolinHarris celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. It was selected as 2007 Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report, 2007 Large PR Agency of the Year by the PRWeek Awards and PRWeek Magazines 2007 EditorsChoice. The agency is headquartered in Chicago and is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies.

For more information, visitwww.golinharris.com.