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AEJMC Public Relations Division Membership Newsletter

Vol. 36, No. 4, Fall 2001

In this issue:

• In Situ Research
• PRD Highlights--By the Numbers
• Business Meeting Minutes
• Teaching Public Relations Matures
• How to Use the PRD Listserv
• 21 Honorees "So Cited" at "Meet Your Citations" Social
• Many Thanks -- Sponsors and Donors
• Membership 560
• Tours Bridge Principles and Practice
• Edelman Deaver Tips
• PSA/slogan contest for students
• Faculty Vacancies
• Call for Proposals
• PR Division Deadlines
• PR Division Leadership 2001-2002

In Situ Research

Among the rewards of attending the AEJMC conference are the serendipitous conversations with colleagues after sessions, when you hear what research they haven't done, but are thinking about doing.

The talk is speculative, yet stimulating, and directed me to a vital hole in our publishing framework. It's easy to discover what our colleagues were thinking about two years ago. The best of it is published and accessible through a literature search. But it's more difficult to find what people are thinking about researching. That's valuable knowledge, allowing us to share and refine ideas and to discover collaborators.

One of my initiatives while I am head of the division is to re-create some of the intellectual value of the conference the whole year. To that end, I asked PR Update newsletter editor Susan Gonders to devote a column each issue to what I'm calling in situ research, an informal note by members on their impending research, or just a stimulating idea. I envision it as a kind of op-ed on public relations research.

While I plan that future editions of this column will be written by division members and perhaps be followed by a live Internet discussion session, the tight time frame before this first issue made it necessary for me to contribute this first offering. At right is an adaptation of my response to a series of papers on postmodernism from the conference. This may serve as a preliminary model of what we could develop.

I'd welcome your comments on my research note or on the in situ research initiative. And if you'd like to create a research note of 300-500 words on your own in situ research, I know Susan would welcome your contributions. I think it would help your own research. I'm quite certain your colleagues and the discipline would profit from it.

______

In my AEJMC session, Elizabeth Toth confronted postmodernist philosophy in public relations with an abrupt, but quite appropriate question. "Modernist PR research has proved itself. But what is the cash value of research using postmodernist methods?"

Stated simplistically, research using modernist theory assumes there is a rational truth that we can discover, that it is socially possible for all of us to know the same things at the same time. While critical theorists would dismiss that idea of a universalist truth, they instead assert that women, or Eastern cultures, or perhaps African-American men 25-34, have generalizable viewpoints that researchers and practitioners can discover.

Postmodernist public relations operates without a fixed star of universal, discoverable truths applicable to all humanity, or even belief patterns that can be ascribed to gender, political, national, ethnic, age or income groups. It believes that those labels are imposed from the outside by power structures eager to unify, categorize and control social meaning that they then can exploit.

Instead, postmodernism argues that truths are relevant and enforceable only from the perspective of the individual enmeshed in a power structure. For all of its Foucaultian obscurity, postmodernism can be simplified to assert that the unit of research analysis has to be the individual, and a study of individual decisions to join or not join particular coalitions. Thus, categorizations imposed by biology or geography or political structures should rank as less important than these voluntary associations.

That seems to vastly complicate our research mission. If hundreds of billions of decisions by individuals are the only valid research parameters, how can we manage or even afford research?

I believe that question, asserting our necessary reliance upon crude demographic categorizations, is a relic of the limits of 20th-century communication technology. Mass media ownership, and with it, the ability to control the message and coerce normative societal interpretations of the meaning of the symbolism that dominated society, used to be a rich man's game.

That's no longer the case. The rise of niche media since the 1960s dramatically lowered the cost of message creation and multiplied alternative voices. Now, with the Web, an individual can choose and even create his or her own media outlook almost free of charge, and almost completely enforce the meaning of his or her co-culture's society and symbols.

This democratization of communication has also let us identify a vastly larger set of individual preferences than ever before. Data-driven marketing shows us the way for postmodernist research practices, even if it doesn't necessarily provide optimum ethical models for its practice. Using those techniques, we can discover the subscribers to specialty magazines, or determine who is signing Internet petitions, donating to environmental groups, joining the ACLU or buying low-fat products at their grocery stores.

The unit of analysis can be the individual, as postmodernism says it should be. The researcher can see how billions of individuals continually reconstitute themselves within millions of voluntarily composed coteries. Rather than research deterministic destiny, as I believe modernistic demographic categorizations do, postmodern research lets us research motivation and revalidate market segmentations as individuals coalesce with new groups and separate from previous groups.

There are ethics and privacy issues that accompany this power. But research constructed from a postmodern perspective is both possible, and quite frankly, may be more easily undertaken and completed with greater accuracy than can modernist research.

______

Background: Holtzhausen, D.R. (2000) Postmodern values in public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 12(1): 93-114.

PRD Highlights

• 49 members attend business meeting
• PRD up by 100 to 560 members, third largest division in AEJMC
• 77 listserv subscribers online
• PRD has highest pre-convention attendance
• 18 convention events sponsored by PRD
• Thompson announces four-point plan
• 21 honorees "so cited"
• Oct. 15 deadline for 2002 panel proposals
• April 1 deadline for 2002 papers
• WorldCom and PRSA sponsor paper prizes
• 34-percent research papers acceptance rate
• 50-percent teaching papers acceptance rate
• 50-percent TPR monographs acceptance rate
• 25-percent journal articles acceptance rate
• Electronic journal access free to print subscribers
• 20 Kaiser grants awarded

PRD Annual Business Meeting Minutes

Shannon Bowen
Secretary
University of Houston

1. CALL TO ORDER/MINUTES

Division Head Pamela Bourland-Davis called the meeting to order at 9:47 p.m. with 49 PRD members present. The minutes of the 2000 business meeting in Phoenix were distributed and approved by a vote of the membership.

2. OFFICER AND COMMITTEE REPORTS

Division Vice Head and Program Chair William Thompson thanked the session chairs and division officers for their service. At the Washington, D.C., conference, the division held 18 events and was the primary sponsor of nine panels and the secondary sponsor of one panel. PRD had the most attendees at the pre-convention. All sessions were well attended.

Vice Head-Elect Ken Plowman distributed a call for panel proposals for the 2002 Miami conference, with a deadline of Oct. 15. The goal is to have a minimum of 10 panel proposals for consideration at the mid-winter meeting, and the division encourages co-sponsorship with other divisions. The AEJMC paper deadline was confirmed as April 1.

Treasurer Patricia Curtin cautioned that treasury totals are approximate due to recent spending. General income of the division was $8,020 and expenses were noted. Journal of Public Relations Research and PR Update printing and mailing: $7,720. The Journal of Public Relations Research account held approximately $6,690 last year and incurred expenses of $7,400; $2,500 remains in the Roschwalb travel grants fund.

Research Chair Lou Falk reported that the division received 50 papers distributed among 40 judges. We accepted 17 papers for an acceptance rate of 34 percent. Falk thanked the reviewers for their service and noted the strong quality of this year's submissions.

Teaching Chair Andi Stein reported that the division received 12 teaching papers and accepted six, for a rate of 50 percent.

Bourland-Davis noted the lower acceptance rate of 34 percent among research papers means we will likely have an additional research panel next year.

PF&R Chair Derina Holtzhausen reported that the PRD did exceptionally well on coverage of PF&R themes and collaboration with other divisions. We had two ethics panels, two freedom panels, and a preconvention session on diversity and public service. We worked well with professionals and were deemed outstanding in our PF&R focus.

Journal of Public Relations Research Editor Linda Hon announced that it was a good but busy year with 65 articles submitted (16 accepted and 27 rejected, for an acceptance rate of 25 percent). Another 17 articles were passed on from former editor Elizabeth Toth. Hon thanked Toth for her service as editor. Vol. 13 will come out on time with 340 pages. Thanks to Lawrence Erlbaum for contributing to the new cover design. Vol. 14 will have 352 pages, and there will be no increase in subscription rates. Thanks to the publishers, acquisitions, business managers, and production editors, as well as to the University of Florida for its sponsorship of the journal. Hon distributed a written annual report of the journal.

Erlbaum representative Linda Bathgate noted the exceptionally smooth editorship transition from Toth to Hon. The journal is now available electronically, and electronic access is free to print subscribers. There was a tremendous jump in institutional subscriptions of 20, for a total of 228. There are also 100 international subscribers. There will be a call for papers to solicit new contributions, and recommendations for new markets are welcome.

Dean Kruckeberg asked if we could tell how many subscribers are schools of business. Bathgate said it was possible to do, and that she would research that information.

Teaching Public Relations Editor Linda Morton reported that two papers were accepted, one suggested for revision and resubmission, and one rejected, for a 50-percent acceptance rate. Morton explained that all top teaching papers can be accepted for publication without further review; other submissions go out for review.

PR Update Editor Susan Gonders provided copies of the last two issues. Submissions should be in plain text rather than by attachments. Adjusted deadlines will be posted on the listserv.

Webmaster Kirk Hallahan encouraged members to use the website as a resource, noting that it has 34 monographs available and the last three years of convention information.

Membership Chair Alan Freitag commended the division for attracting 100 new members, making total membership 560. Now PRD is the third largest AEJMC division, thanks to all division members and to recruitment efforts such as the "Meet Your Citations" social. Remember to be welcoming to people, especially graduate students, to make their first experience with PRD a positive one. Please join the listserv, which currently has 77 subscribers, as it is a valuable way to disseminate information. Attendees were provided a signup sheet and instructions to subscribe.

Professional Liaison Lisa Fall reported success at the "Meet Your Citations" social, with PRSA and graduate student attendees. Thanks to the 22 special honorees for attending, and to Daradirek Ekachai and Maria Len-Rios for helping plan and for inviting graduate students. Similar events are being planned for Miami.

Students awards committee members Katherine Kinnick, Lisa Lyons and Teresa Mastin noted that the $250 Roschwald Award is for travel for a graduate or undergraduate student with an interest in international public relations. The Inez Kaiser Graduate Student of Color Award provides PRD dues for one year; 20 were awarded last year. Please encourage students of color to apply.

Nominating Committee members Barbara DeSanto, Linda Aldoory and Meta Carstarphen were thanked for their service. Aldoory provided maps to the Edelman Luncheon the next morning at the Hay-Adams Hotel.

Bourland-Davis delivered the annual report. The standing committee on research has not reported, but we have done well in all other conference areas. Race and ethnicity of officers could have been stronger, and it was suggested to tap Inez Kaiser winners for future leadership. We had outstanding use of the convention site with off-site activities and the use of 14 professionals. We are a leader in strong conference planning. Panel topics, website and the preconference panel on transition were commended. The previous year's division officers were recognized with certificates of appreciation and applause.

3. OLD BUSINESS

Ad-Hoc Task Force on Paper Competition - DeSanto reported that Worldcom Public Relations Group is sponsoring a $1,000 award for the best faculty-student co-authored research, effective this year. Bourland-Davis thanked DeSanto for her effort in getting the WorldCom sponsorship, adding that IABC and the Page Society chose not to sponsor awards this year. [Subsequent to the convention, PRSA provided $500 for the student research competition.]

4. NEW BUSINESS

Bourland-Davis brought the request for $100 PRD sponsorship of the publication, Where to Study Advertising and Public Relations, to the attention of the members. Kruckeberg pointed out that this is a for-profit venture by private individuals. After discussion, the membership voted not to sponsor the publication.

Gifts - Outgoing Head Bourland-Davis presented incoming Head Thompson with an in-laid burled wood box gift of appreciation. William presented Pam with a silver "PRD" charm as a token of appreciation for her service to the division.

5. 2001-02 OFFICERS AND GOALS

Thompson introduced new officers and articulated goals of the division: Continue with current plan and increase visibility of the division through informal networks and promotional tactics, such as "PRD" stickers, "I'm so cited" social, off-site tours, and higher levels of interpersonal contact. He announced a four-point plan to enhance value-added membership:

• Engage more professionals.
• Increase networks among members.
• Increase recruiting.
• Enhance the academic reputation of the division and the research orientation of the field.

6. ANNOUNCEMENTS

Richard Alan Nelson, editor of the Journal of Promotion Management, announced that his journal is seeking manuscripts on public relations, marketing and IMC. He also said that positions on the editorial board are available. He distributed an information sheet about the journal.

Job openings in public relations at Kennesaw State, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma and MTSU were announced.

7. ADJOURNMENT

Bourland-Davis adjourned the meeting at 10:59 p.m.

TPR Matures

Linda Morton
University of Oklahoma

Teaching Public Relations was founded in 1988 with the mission of providing "research and commentary on instruction, curriculum, and educational leadership" to encourage excellence in public relations education.

As a contributor, reviewer, and now submissions editor of Teaching Public Relations, I've witnessed considerable maturing of the monograph through the years.

I published my first article in it during 1993. That article discussed a teaching method that I used in my writing class. Although it included a review of pedagogy literature to ground the activity, it was primarly a how-to piece that provided no primary research. This type of article was the rule rather than the exception in early editions.

By the time that I started to review for Teaching Public Relations in 1995-96, this rule was beginning to change. Some submissions dealt with more formal research, particularly primary research on learning. As the number of such submissions increased, the number of published how-to articles decreased.

Since I became editor last fall, all submissions have provided primary research, indicating to me that more public relations educators are systematically evaluating how effectively they teach and students learn. This speaks well for the monographs, the field, and the educators who prepare students for the field. It says to me that the monograph is meeting its mission. All of us in public relations education have cause to be proud of this accomplishment for we have done it together.

I look forward to working with more of you through the years. I encourage you to contact me with ideas for articles and suggestions for the improving of Teaching Public Relations.

During my editorship, Teaching Public Relations has had a 50-percent acceptance rate with two issues published.

Submissions to Teaching Public Relations must focus on enhancement of public relations education, and are accepted based upon editorial board evaluations of relevance to public relations education, importance to public relations teaching, quality of writing, manuscript organization, appropriateness of conclusions and teaching suggestions, and adequacy of the information, evidence or data presented. Papers selected for the Public Relations Division's top teaching session at AEJMC's national convention and meeting TPR's publication guidelines can be published without further review if edited to about 3,000 words. Authors of teaching papers selected for other Public Relations Division sessions are also encouraged to submit their papers. However, these papers will undergo the regular review process.

Each issue of the monograph carries details about submissions specifications. Upon final acceptance of a manuscript, the author is expected to provide a plain text e-mail version to the PR Update editor. Back issues of Teaching Public Relations are available on the PRD website:

http://lamar.colostate.edu/~aejmcpr.

How to Use the PRD Listserv

To join, address an e-mail to
listserv@email.uncc.edu.

Leave the subject block blank. In the message block, type "subscribe aejmcprd" followed by your name. You will then be able to receive and distribute messages.

New subscribers were recently given incorrect instructions for distributing messages. The correct address is: aejmcprd@email.uncc.edu.

A message sent to this address is automatically distributed to all subscribers. Messages can include attachments and hotlinks to websites.

21 Honorees "So Cited" at "Meet Your Citations" Social

Bill Adams, Florida International

Glen Broom, San Diego State

Glen Cameron, Missouri

Pam Creedon, Kent State

James Grunig, Maryland

Kirk Hallahan, Colorado State

Linda Hon, Florida

Dean Kruckeberg, Northern Iowa

Dan Lattimore, Memphis

Chuck Lubbers, Kansas State

Mark McElreath, Towson State

Linda Morton, Oklahoma

Bonita Neff, Valparaiso

Richard Alan Nelson, Louisiana State

Doug Newsom, Texas Christian

Shirley Ramsey, Oklahoma

Lynne Sallot, Georgia

Don Stacks, Miami

Gerald Stone, Southern Illinois

Elizabeth Toth, Syracuse

Dennis Wilcox, San Jose State

I'm so cited,
And I just can't hide it.
I know, I know, I know
You quote me.

I'm so cited,
And I just can't hide it.
I'm goin' into your footnotes,
And I like it, I like it.

Lyrics by William Thompson
(with apologies to the Pointer Sisters)

Many Thanks -- Sponsors and Donors

• Edelman Worldwide for the Edelman PRD Luncheon
• Worldcom Public Relations Group for $1,000 sponsorship of faculty-student co-authored research
• Public Relations Society of America for $500 sponsorship of student research
• Corporate Communication Studies for copies of the 2001 PR & Corporate Communications Yearbook

Membership 560

Alan Freitag
University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Membership in the PRD raced ahead this past year, reaching 560 in early August and making the division the third largest in AEJMC. That's an increase of roughly 100 from the previous year. I'd like to boast that the spurt resulted from my tireless efforts as membership chair the past two years, but that's hardly the case. I think there are two fundamental factors driving our growth..

First, the value of membership is better than ever. Did you notice attendance at PRD sessions during the convention in Washington, D.C.? We learned quickly that early arrival was essential if you hoped to sit near the front of the room, or in many cases to sit at all. The topics were relevant and the research was first rate in every case. Dialogue among moderator, discussant, presentors and audience was always lively, focused and illuminating.

Value for membership goes beyond convention activities, however. The flagship Journal of Public Relations Research, along with Teaching Public Relations and this newsletter, comprise an impressive collection of cutting-edge literature. Our extensive website and useful listserv are added benefits.

The second factor contributing to growing membership has been the personal effort on the part of active members. In the five or six years I've been associated with the division, there has been a growing, concerted effort, especially by current and past leadership, to convey a welcome, open feeling to prospective new members.

Young people (and a few a bit more seasoned) nearing completion of their doctoral programs, or the former practitioners who are just entering the education sector, are the people who will be assuming leadership roles in the division in coming years. It's been rewarding to watch during recent conventions to see division officers and our most notable scholars seek out and welcome timid new faces during social gatherings and formal sessions.

The task in the coming months and years wlll be one of assimilation. While the 560-member level is a very impressive achievement, our success becomes a challenge in making certain those members continue to feel connected and to perceive the value of their membership. I encourage lively exchange of ideas via this newsletter and the division's listserv. I encourage office holders and heads of committees to seek out and engage new members in projects and activities. I encourage all members, new and seasoned, to get plugged in and stay plugged in. This division has an extremely important role to play in moving our profession forward through continually improved education and constant liaison with our practicing counterparts. I'm convinced we have the right infrastructure and the right people to shoulder that responsibility. .

Tours Bridge Principles and Practice

AEJMC conventioneers could choose from among three special off-site tours sponsored by the Public Relations Division.

Alan Freitag of North Carolina reports on "The Pentagon: Defense at the Crossroads, Information in the Crossfire."

Other tour coordinators were Barbara DeSanto of Oklahoma State and Ken Plowman of San Jose State. DeSanto organized "BBC America: Retaking the Colonies," hosted by Jo Petherbridge, BBC America vice president of communications. Plowman coordinated "A Press Secretary's Tour of the U.S. Capitol," hosted by Jim Hock, press secretary to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.

PRD Pentagon Tour

Alan Freitag
University of North Carolina-Charlotte

"The more you engage the media, the more you'll like the coverage. The less you engage the media, the less you'll like the coverage." That's the succinct advice of Brig. Gen. Ron Rand, director of public affairs for the U.S. Air Force, and he says that principle is especially apposite when the instinct of top organizational leadership is to avoid media engagement – in a crisis, for example.

Rand participated in a panel discussion August 6 at the Pentagon during AEJMC's annual convention in Washington, D.C. The visit and panel discussion, attended by 25 PRD members, featured Rand along with Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Victoria Clarke and ABC News Chief Security Correspondent John McWethy.

Panelists addressed the Defense Department's handling of the communication dimension of the Defense Review called for by President George W. Bush. ABC's McWethy was complimentary of the DoD's relations with the media, but he observed that this administration had been less than forthcoming when it came to the Defense Review. "We don't know how many panels have been established or who's on those panels," he said. "We understand that details aren't available, but they should at least be describing the process to us."

Secretary Clarke acknowledged what appeared to the media – and therefore to the public – to be a lack of direction and definition. She cited the challenges a new administration faces in its first months, particularly delays in filling key leadership roles with political appointees, many of whom must undergo congressional review and approval. She, for example, had been in the position of top Defense Department communication manager for little more than a month at the time of the PRD visit.

Clarke apparently heard the message about the need to be more candid. The following day's Washington Post lead story was based on an interview with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Clarke's boss, on the Defense Review process. Two days later, Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Air Force Chief of Staff General Michael Ryan conducted a Pentagon news conference addressing the same issues. The result was considerable coverage in national media educating the public on this important topic.

McWethy shared another valuable lesson that he referred to as turning a crisis into a "teaching moment." Citing the recent sinking of a Japanese fishing trawler by a surfacing U.S. Navy submarine near Hawaii, he intimated that the Navy made the situation worse by its lack of initial openness.

Clearly there would be considerable negative coverage of this disaster, he said, but it also could have been an opportunity to explain to the public, through the media, the importance of providing real military training experiences to civilian opinion leaders – a "teaching moment" the Navy missed.

Prior to the panel discussion, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Craig Quigley met the PRD contingent in the Pentagon's Correspondents' Corridor – the outer "E" ring of the second floor, where major and specialized news media representatives maintain desks and offices. Quigley, the DoD's top military spokesman, led the group to the Pentagon's briefing room, where media are briefed on Defense Department issues twice weekly. He explained the structure of the communication function in the department, stressing that the most important dimension of that function is internal communication with the more than two million service members, civilian employees, and their families that comprise the department.

Michael Doble, senior vice president in the Washington, D.C., office of Fleishman-Hillard, hosted the tour lunch in the Pentagon's Executive Dining Room. Doble cited his firm's desire to contribute in any way it could to linking the efforts of practitioners and educators in our profession. Doble called PRD members "the people who shape the future of our profession, who write the textbooks, conduct the research, and develop the curricula that set the direction for public relations instruction for the coming years." He commended the panel for tackling so significant a topic, one he said would lead to "a greater understanding of the connection between effective public communication and gaining support for our nation's defense and security policies."

Special thanks for coordinating the tour go to Air Force Lt. Col. Anne Morris (Ph.D., Florida) of Brig. Gen. Rand's staff.

LATE-BREAKING NEWS
the day after the terrorist assault on the Pentagon

12 SEP 01. Terrible day here in the Pentagon, in NY, and for America. . . . doing what I can to carry litters with wounded and help with casualties, but they're still not letting us into the part of the building where the plane crashed – still too hot, too smoky, too dangerous. . . . please say a prayer for all the victims of this terrible attack, and their families . . . and God bless all of you, and God bless America!
– Brig. Gen. Ron Rand

Edelman Deaver Tips

Susan Gonders
Southeast Missouri State University

Former Ronald Reagan communications strategist Michael K. Deaver shared four lessons he learned from "The Great Communicator" when he addressed the annual Edelman PRD Luncheon during the AEJMC convention in Washington, D.C. Bill Adams, Florida International University, coordinates arrangements for the annual event with host John Edelman.

The Hay-Adams Hotel, located directly across the street from the White House, provided a historic backdrop for Deaver, one of Reagan's closest advisers for 20 years, during both the gubernatorial years in California and the presidential years in Washington. In the White House, Deaver served as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff from January 1981 until May 1985. He is widely credited with being the architect of the Reagan communications program, including the presidential campaigns of 1980 and 1984.

Deaver advised the public relations professionals and educators at the luncheon to "know who you are," "understand your strengths and weaknesses," "keep your goals limited," and "don't say anything once."

Deaver said "you can't make someone into something they aren't." So public relations advisors should ask the client two initial questions: "Who are you, and who do you want to be in five years?"

Deaver said the second step is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the client. For example, Deaver noted that Reagan did not have a very good memory for names, not like the detail-oriented Richard Nixon, but Reagan could communicate more effectively.

"The most successful campaign is always the smallest public you can find," Deaver said. So goals should be limited to a narrow focus. "Don't clutter the issue" of your message, he advised, but find creative ways to break through the "clutter" of other messages.

"We get more information in a day than our grandparents did in a lifetime," Deaver said, so the main message must be presented in an attention-getting manner. He said people are "surfing information," and they stop when something is entertaining or intriguing. The message must "make an impression in a moment," he said, and then it must be repeated over and over.

"You can't say anything once," he cautioned, noting that the senior George Bush and Jimmy Carter never learned this last lesson. Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan understood the principle. "It took Clinton about a year to figure it out," Deaver said, but then "he mastered it."

Formerly president of Deaver and Hannaford, Inc., a public relations firm he co-founded in 1975, he formed Michael K. Deaver, Inc., a Washington-based public affairs firm servicing domestic and international corporate clients, when he left the White House in 1985. He is now international vice chair and director of corporate affairs in Edelman's Washington office.

Attendees can share their responses to the luncheon with Deaver and Edelman:

Michael Deaver
michael.deaver@edelman.com
Edelman Worldwide • 1875 "I" St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006

John Edelman
john.edelman@edelman.com
Human Resources Department
Edelman Worldwide
200 E. Randolph Dr., 63rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60601-6436

PSA/slogan contest for students

In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University is hosting a national PSA/slogan contest to promote awareness and understanding about gifted children. Entries must fit into one of four divisions: grades 4-6, middle school, high school, or college. Individuals or teams may submit entries by Nov. 1 in the categories of television PSA, radio PSA, and slogan creation. Contact tracy.inman@wku.edu, 270-745-6323, or the "What's New!" section at www.wku.edu/gifted.

Faculty Vacancies

CAL STATE-FULLERTON FACULTY member at the anticipated rank of assistant professor, tenure track, to teach PR principles, writing and management, as well as special topics, beginning August 2002. Ph.D. or ABD required. Preference given to those with a record of college teaching, scholarly activity and professional experience. Review of applications begins Nov. 1. The university has 29,000 students with 2,200 in the accredited communications department. Send letter of application, vita/resume and list of three references (phone/e-mail preferred) to: Dr. Edward J. Fink, Search Committee Chair, Department of Communications, Cal State, CP-400, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92831-3599, 714/278-3517, efink@fullerton. edu. Website: http://communications.fullerton.edu. AA/EOC.

KENNESAW STATE CHAIR for a 12-month, tenure-track position in the Communication Department, beginning July 1, 2002. Located in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, the university has 13,000 students with 500 in the department. Chair to facilitate program expansion that may include a master's degree. Chair expected to strengthen the department's ties with the professional communication community and to seek external funding. In addition to departmental administration, chair will carry some teaching responsibilities. Earned doctorate, significant and effective academic administrative experience, demonstrated commitment to professional education, sensitivity and responsiveness to issues of diversity and inclusion, energetic and collaborative leadership style, effective communication skills, and a notable record of teaching, service and scholarship commensurate with the rank of professor. Application deadline Oct. 19. Send letter of application; statement of administrative philosophy, teaching philosophy, and philosophy of scholarship and service; curriculum vita; list of three references; and official graduate transcripts to: Dr. Valerie Whittlesey, Search Committee Chair, Kennesaw State University, Department of Psychology, Mailbox 2402, 1000 Chastain Rd., Kennesaw, GA 30144-5591, vwhittle@kennesaw.edu. Website: www.kennesaw.edu. AA/EOC.

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, tenure track, in PR, beginning fall 2002. Candidates should have a thorough grounding in the communication discipline and be able to teach graduate and undergraduate courses as part of an integrated advertising/PR program. Ph.D. preferred. ABD considered with one year for completion. Some corporate communication experience desirable. Application deadline Nov. 30. Submit cover letter, curriculum vitae and three letters of reference to: ADPR Search Committee, College of Communication, Marquette University, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, Mucoc@ marquette.edu. EO/AAE.

Call for Proposals

Proposals for the 2002 AEJMC convention in Miami should be limited to a single page and should include the following information:

(a) TYPE OF PANEL: Choose teaching, research, or professional freedom and responsibility.

PF&R topics include free expression, ethics, acountability, public service, and racial, gender and cultural inclusiveness.

(b) CO-SPONSORS: What AEJMC divisions and interest groups might be interested in co-sponsoring this panel?

(c) TITLE: Develop a title that has audience appeal rather than simply academic dignity.

(d) DESCRIPTION: In one or two paragraphs, explain the panel's focus, and why the top is timely or relevant to the field.

(e) PANELISTS: List three to five suggested panelists' names and their affiliations. If possible, include suggested angles or presentation titles for the panelists. Because panels are co-sponsored, these may not be the final panelists or the exact topics to be addressed. While it should be realistic that your panelists could be recruited for the presentation, you don't have to have commitments from speakers before submitting your proposal.

(f) ORGANIZATION: State whether you are willing to organize this session. Include your address, phone number and e-mail.

Please send proposals by Oct. 15 to:

Programs Chair Ken Plowman
San Jose State University
School of Journalism and Mass Communication,
San Jose, CA 95192-0055,
408/924-3247 (office)
408/924-3220 (fax)

Proposals will be evaluated to determine which ones the division will submit for the December scheduling meeting. Plowman will shortly thereafter notify all members who submitted proposals.

PRD Deadlines 2001-2002

10/15/01 – submit panel proposals to Ken Plowman

12/01/01 – submit in situ research notes to Susan Gonders, Southwestern Missouri State University

01/01/02 – submit newsletter copy to Susan Gonders

02/15/02 – submit in situ research notes to Susan Gonders

03/15/02 – submit newsletter copy to Susan Gonders

04/01/02 – submit research papers to Kirk Hallahan, Colorado State (Mail submissions only)

04/01/02 – submit teaching papers to Gee Ekachai, Marquette (Mail submissions only)