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AEJMC Public Relations Division Membership Newsletter

Vol. 35, No. 1, Winter 2000

In this issue:

Phoenix Convention Preview
• Revised Procedures: Calls for Public Relations Division Papers
• Call for Papers
• AEJMC Phoenix PRD Programs
• Memphis Merrymakers
• Preliminary PRD Convention Schedule
• Convention Features Faculty Placement Service

  Looking Good! Division Members Honored

• James Van Leuven Receives PRSA-Colorado Lifetime Achievement Award
• Don W. Stacks Honored with The Institute's Pathfinder Award
• Kathleen S. Kelly Wins Jackson, Jackson & Wagner Prize
• Raymond Simon Named Among PRWeek's Most Influential

  Other News

• Claussen Teaches Short Course on PR History
• PRD E-Mail: It's Important to Get the Address Right!
• PRD Key Contacts

Revised Procedures: Calls for Public Relations Dvision Papers

The categories for the 2000 AEJMC Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, will reflect the procedural changes voted in at the 1999 PRD Business Meeting in New Orleans. The changes were adopted to avoid the confusion about which research category faculty and student co-authored papers, in particular, should be included in.

The change collapses into one research category the former research category (intended primarily for faculty papers) and the student research category (intended primarily for graduate student papers). Whatever general research prize money is available for the Phoenix convention will be divided among top faculty and top student papers by the research paper committee headed by Dr. Kenneth Plowman, San Jose State University.

The Teaching Papers category will remain a separate category devoted to teaching-related topics and will retain its own prize money.

As always, judging for the papers will be conducted through a blind refereed process with judges scoring the papers on a numerical scale. And, as in the past, point totals earned by each type of paper will be the criteria for awarding first, second and third place paper honors and whatever prize money is available.

The main point for you as a PRD member to remember is to submit a paper. We were again awarded an extra research session during the mid-winter chip auction and planning session in Memphis, and we need good, solid research papers to feature in these sessions. Don't keep your good work to yourself - showcase it and win accolades.

Go to Calls for Papers

Barb DeSanto
Division Head
paradoc@cowboy.net

AEJMC Phoenix PRD Programs

PHOENIX 2000 took shape and arose beside the Mississippi River in Memphis in December 1999 at AEJMC's winter meeting.

You've likely heard tales about AEJMC's "chips" session during which participants representing each Division vie for co-sponsorships and time slots for the next conference. Rather than focusing on the fine art of finagling involving scheduling, rescheduling and renegotiating, consider instead that essentially 27 time slots were available from Thursday through Saturday to program 10 panels, four research sessions, one luncheon, and three Division board and/or business meetings. Add to that a pre-scheduled scholar-to-scholar session and an additional research session the PR Division received to help increase research paper acceptance rates.

The final equation for the PR Division is a 21-session and meeting program over three and a half days, and hopefully something of interest for all Division members. The convention theme of "Does Journalism and Mass Communication Research Really Matter?" provided a wonderful starting point for planning the public relations program with the "Does public relations research really matter?" pre-conference session for both practitioners and professors.

Cases and specialized public relations practices will be found in panels on school violence, Census 2000 as an IMC plan, and relationship management involved in the Grand Canyon. A variety of interests will also be explored in "Leveling the field" as participants discuss how disenfranchised groups find voices in the court of public opinion through public relations.

Those with interests in international, history and/or theory will want to meet Everett Rogers at the diffusion research panel. Balancing this retrospective look at 20th-century research will be a look into the future with an exploration of the legal and ethical ramifications of new technology in the panel, "Prying eyes, selling messages: database microsegmentation and privacy."

Practical information will also be available at a follow-up to and expansion of last year's examination of rogue web sites. Moreover, two sessions will offer insight into teaching issues - service learning and teaching ethics. And don't forget the top teaching papers session. Administrative concerns for student assessment and career placement will be covered in a session which will include practitioners and professors from public relations and advertising.

And so from the winter meeting in Memphis, a jam-packed program emerged which includes six research paper sessions that will hopefully reflect Division interests perhaps not covered in the panels. With 21 total sessions and meetings just within the PR Division, you might not notice that it's August in Phoenix 2000 - even without the humidity.

Pamela Bourland-Davis
Vice Head-Program Chair
Georgia Southern University
pamelagb@gvms2.cc.gasou.edu

Convention Features Faculty Placement Service

AEJMC members may use the service free of charge. Individuals who are not AEJMC members are charged $25 to use the service.

Although interviewing rooms will be available this year, AEJMC will assist interested parties in setting up interviews.

Applications are pre-numbered and designed to be used individually. In order to provide a more complete and useful service for our members, the placement service will limit applicants to 100. Applicants must receive an official application from the central office in order to participate in the service. There will be no on-site registration for individuals using the service.

Those interested in using the service will be mailed an application form which should be completed and mailed back to the AEJMC central office before June 30.

Placement Application Deadline: June 30, 2000

Contact:
Felicia Brown
AEJMC Placement Service Coordinator
234 Outlet Pointe Blvd., Suite A
Columbia, SC 29210-5667
803/772-3508

Looking Good! Members Honored

James Van Leuven
Colorado State
PRSA-Colorado Lifetime Achievement Award

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY experienced a golden moment September 24 when James Van Leuven, chair of the Department of Journalism and Technical Communication, received the Swede Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gold Pick ceremonies of the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

"He has used his profession to serve effectively, with grace and generosity," said Robert Hoffert, acting dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

The Swede Johnson award, named in honor of the late Coors executive, is the most prestigious award given by PRSA's Colorado Chapter to honor people who set the highest standards of professionalism and who provide leadership and guidance to those pursuing careers in public relations, said Teri Grove, chapter president.

Van Leuven is credited with enhancing the nationwide stature of the journalism department and the public relations concentration during his 14-year career at the university. Colorado State is one of only two Colorado universities that have been accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and it is the only ACEJMC-accredited school in the state with a concentration in public relations.

Van Leuven is recognized by peers as a gifted administrator who ably balances the needs of 19 full-time faculty members and about 650 students enrolled on the Fort Collins campus in addition to Colorado State's Denver Center.

Van Leuven came to Colorado State in 1985 after teaching four years at Washington State University, where he earned a doctorate in sociology in 1977. He previously taught at the University of Idaho and Oregon State University, following a professional career that began with business and editorial positions with weekly newspapers in Oregon.

Professional activities include the chairmanship of the Educator's Advisory Committee, a 20-member board that advises the Institute for Public Relations. He also is a member of the national Commission on Public Relations Education.

Van Leuven has served PRSA as 19991-94 director of the Colorado Chapter, and he was a trainer for the national accreditation examination in 1985-89. He serves on the editorial boards of two leading public relations academic journals, the Journal of Public Relations Research and Public Relations View.

His recent academic interests have focused on international public relations. In 1993-94, he was selected for a Fulbright Teaching/Research Award and served as a visiting senior fellow at the National University of Singapore.

Van Leuven is the author of five book chapters and more than a dozen refereed research journal articles in a wide range of topics, including corporate organizing strategies; the role of public relations in marketing, public opinion processes and media coverage; the application of social science research to nonprofit organizations; and the measurement of values in public relations.

Looking Good! Members Honored

Don W. Stacks
University of Miami
The Institute of Public Relations Pathfinder Award

WINNER OF THE 1999 PATHFINDER AWARD, the highest award from The Institute for Public Relations, is Dr. Don W. Stacks, professor and director of the Program in Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Miami in Florida.

The coveted $2,000 Pathfinder Award is given in recognition of original scholarly research which "has made a significant contribution to the body of knowledge and practice of public relations." A select panel of educators and public relations practitioners chosen by the Institute served as judges for the nationwide competition. Stacks' program of research focused on "Perceptions of Public Relations Education."

"Many awards have recognized his outstanding abilities as a teacher," said Jack Felton, president and CEO of the Institute. "Now the Institute is pleased to present its national award to Don for his significant contributions to PR research."

The noted researcher and textbook author earned a B.A. in English from Northern Michigan, a master's in communication from Auburn and a Ph.D. in communications studies from the University of Florida.

The Institute for Public Relations is the only independent foundation in the field of public relations. The Institute sponsors research, competitions, awards, lectures and publications, all dedicated to improving the profession around the world.

Looking Good! Members Honored

Kathleen S. Kelly
University of Louisiana at LaFayette
PRSA Foundation Behavioral Science Prize

THE 1999 JACKSON JACKSON & WAGNER Behavioral Science Prize has been awarded by the Public Relations Society of America Foundation to Kathleen S. Kelly, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Funded by an endowed grant from the firm of Jackson Jackson & Wagner, the prize "recognizes individual behavioral science researchers whose scholarly work enhances the understanding of concepts and theories that contribute to the effectiveness of public relations practice."

Kelly also was reappointed by UL-Lafayette to the Hubert J. Bourgeois Research Professorship in Communication. Her e-mail is kskelly@usl.edu, and the website is www.CajunComm.com.

Looking Good! Members Honored

Raymond Simon
Utica College of Syracuse University
PRWeek's Most Influential PR People for the 20th Century

AMONG THE TOP 100 Most Influential People in Public Relations for the 20th century, PRWEEK has named Professor Raymond Simon, one of only four educators on the list.

Among the other 100 on the PRWEEK list were Howard Rubenstein, public relations consultant to the New York Yankees and Sarah Ferguson; Herb Klein, the first director of the White House Office of Communications; Mike McCurry, press secretary for President Bill Clinton; and Herb Schmertz, former head of public relations for Mobil Oil.

Simon was recently recognized for his 50 years of service to Utica College of Syracuse University. Simon, who established one of the nation's first undergraduate public relations programs, was nominated for this honor by those at Utica College because he "trained, nurtured and motivated people to do great things."

Among the more than 800 graduates of the public relations program at Utica over the past 50 years are David D. Alessandro, president and chief executive officer of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co.; Congressman Sherwood Boehlert; Nancy Patterini, president and owner of the Paige Group in Utica; and Michael McKeon, press secretary to New York Governor George Pataki.

The author of six textbooks, Simon's work has been used throughout the world in several hundred colleges and universities. His most recent text, Public Relations Writing Worktext, was completed in 1995, co-authored with Joseph Zappala, associate professor of public relations at Utica College.

Simon is also an acredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and was the recipient of the 1975 national Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award. He is the only Utica College professor to have received the Utica College Distinguished Teaching Award two times.

After his retirement in 1985, Simon was made executive director of the Raymond Simon Institute, which provides students with scholarships and awards, as well as contacts in the public relations field.

A native of Union City, New Jersey, Simon received his bachelor's degree in advertising from the University of North Carolina and his master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He has two daughters and currently resides with his wife, Lyn, in New Hartford, New York.

Claussen Teaches Short Course on History of Public Relations

Other references included books by Scott M. Cutlip and The Voice of Business: Hill & Knowlton and Postwar Public Relations by Karen S. Miller (1999). Claussen earned his May 1999 doctorate at the University of Georgia, where Cutlip is dean emeritus and Miller sat on his dissertation committee. His dissertation was about the media's role in American anti-intellectualism, using popular magazine coverage of higher education since World War II as a case study.

With Dr. Alan Fried, University of South Carolina, Claussen also is researching a book on the history of the U.S. newspaper industry's marketing, public relations and promotions practices from 1920 to 1970. Southwest Missouri State recently awarded Claussen a research grant of more than $6,000 to facilitate his work on the book during the current calendar year. When published, the book will be the first comprehensive work on the subject since a 1964 master's thesis at Pennsylvania State University.

Claussen recently published two interdisciplinary anthologies: The Promise Keepers: Essays on Masculinity and Christianity (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., Inc., Publishers) and Standing on the Promises: The Promise Keepers and the Revival of Manhood (Cleveland: Pilgrim Press). He is working on two other books: a newspaper management textbook and another anthology, tentatively titled Sex/Religion/Mass Media. Claussen is a newspaper management consultant; editor of Industrial Marketing Practitioner, a monthly newsletter; and former editor and publisher of daily, weekly, biweekly and monthly newspapers. He joined the Southwest faculty in August 1999.

During the May 2000 intersession, Claussen will offer a one-week intensive course on the history of advertising.

PRD E-Mail
It's Important to Get the Address Right!

To submit articles to PRUpdate, send a text-only e-mail to SGonders@semovm.semo.edu. Hard copy and photographs can be sent to Susan Gonders, Department of Mass Communication, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701-2750, 573/651-5967 (fax). Submissions for Teaching Public Relations should be sent to Gay Wakefield, Center for Productive Communication, M.J. Neeley School of Business, TCU Box 298530, Fort Worth, TX 76219, g.wakefield@tcu.edu.

PRD Key Contacts

PRD DIVISION HEAD
Barbara J. DeSanto Ed.D., APR
Oklahoma State University
School of Journalism & Broadcasting
206 Paul Miller Building
Stillwater, OK 74078
405/744-8276 (office) * 743-2396 (fax)
405/743-2386 (home)
paradoc@cowboy.net

IMMEDIATE PAST HEAD
Susan L. Dimmick Ph.D.
University of Tennessee
College of Communication
s.dimmick@worldnet.att.net

VICE-HEAD
Pamela Bourland-Davis Ph.D.
Georgia Southern University
Communication Arts Department
P.O. Box 8091
Statesboro, GA 30460
912/681-0027 (office)
912/764-4322 (home)
pamelagb@gsvms2.cc.gasou.edu

VICE-HEAD ELECT
William Thompson Ph.D.
University of Louisville
Department of Communication
310 Strickler Hall
Louisville, KY 40292
502/852-6976 (office)
502/584-1932 (home)
LocusMedia@aol.com

RESEARCH CHAIR
Kenneth Plowman Ph.D.
San Jose State University
School of Journalism and Mass Communications
San Jose, CA 95192-0055
408/924-3247 (office) * 924-3220 (fax)
plowman@jmc.sjsu.edu

TEACHING CHAIR
Shannon Bowen
University of Maryland
Department of Communication
2130 Skinner Building
College Park, MD 20742-7634
301/405-2399 (office) * 314-9166 (fax)
ProfBowen@yahoo.com

PF&R CHAIR
Rochelle Tillery Larkin Ph.D.
Howard University
Department of Journalism
525 Bryant Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20059
r_tillery_larkin@hotmail.com

TEACHING PUBLIC RELATIONS EDITOR
Gay Wakefield Ph.D.
Texas Christian University
Center for Productive Comunication
M.J. Neeley School of Business
TCU Box 298530
Fort Worth, TX 76129
817/257-7430 (office) * 257-7995 (fax)
g.wakefield@tcu.edu

PR UPDATE NEWS JOURNAL EDITOR
Susan Gonders Ed.D.
Southeast Missouri State University
Department of Mass Communication
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701-2750
573/651-2486 (office) * 651-5967 (fax)
573/339-0774 (home)
SGonders@semovm.semo.edu