Our record number of paper submissions this year resulted in seven provocative, thought-provoking, high-quality research sessions. Be sure and check out the papers as they come online on the AEJMC site. You can link to it through the Division's website maintained by Kirk Hallahan at http://lamar.colostate.edu/~aejmcpr/. Our nine cosponsored panels, ranging from Curriculum Reform to Spinning the Iraq War, were well attended to the point of overflowing, even those in the notorious Saturday time slots. And Tuesday's preconference prompted about 25 professionals from the greater Kansas City area to join us for a discussion of topical issues in the curriculum.

Ken Plowman deserves a large round of thanks for his hard work in pulling off a seamless event and for working with John Edelman to sponsor the newly named Bill Adams/Edelman Luncheon, which Teresa Mastin ably coordinated. (Messages of appreciation should be sent to john.edelman@edelman.com). Special thanks go to David Guth and Church Marsh for helping organize the social and to the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas for sponsoring it for us.

AEJMC leadership declared that the PR Division had the best Professional Freedom & Responsibility (PF&R) report. Thanks go to PF&R chair Larry Lamb for earning us that honor. And once again, the work of Susan Gonders as newsletter editor was singled out by AEJMC for commendation.

Following the business meeting discussion of the need to raise dues to avoid a financial shortfall, Erlbaum Publishing graciously agreed to lower the cost of the journal from $20 per member to $18 and to help fund the Roschwalb Award until such time as the division membership can raise enough to endow the fund (see p. 3). This generosity represents unprecedented support from a journal publisher to a division and will all the PR Division to fund all current projects through the next year.

If all this news has renewed your energy and excitement in the Division, realize we still need to fill a few positions: an appointed delegate to AEJMC and two people for the Nominating Committee. Don't be shy about stepping forward and offering your services or about contacting me. It's your input that makes this Division run. And we're off and running on an exciting year.

Outgoing PRD Executive Meeting

THE MEETING was called to order at 5 p.m. by Division Head Ken Plowman.

Kirk Hallahan discussed the possibility of moving the Division website to a new server. The issue was tabled pending gathering more information regarding the necessity, advantages and implications of making the move.

Kirk Hallahan moved that the board recommend to the full membership raising annual division dues by $5 for regular members only (not graduate students); Susan Gonders seconded the motion. Discussion centered on the need to prevent cash flow problems and to permit better service to members, especially in the areas of publications and conference hospitality. The motion passed.

Susan Gonders announced that the Teaching Public Relations insert included in each issue of the Division newsletter would continue so long as manuscripts are available.

The board discussed renaming the Edelman Luncheon as the Bill Adams/Edelman Luncheon. The board agreed that no action was needed to effect the change because the event is not an official Division function, but is rather an outside-sponsored event.

The board agreed that the minutes from the 2002 membership meeting would be read aloud for approval at this year's membership meeting.

Division Head Ken Plowman described cash awards instituted by the national AEJMC board to reward division membership growth.

Division Head Ken Plowman expressed gratitude to universities proximate to the convention site – the University of Kansas and Kansas State University – for matching division funds expended to provide hospitality during the Division social. The board agreed that the Division's professional liaison would continue to manage this effort.

Officer and committee reports were presented.

Division Head Ken Plowman announced that an AEJMC task force is looking at realigning the divisions. Chair-elect Pat Curtin is serving on a related committee. Depending on the outcome, the Division could lose "chips" for convention sessions. Curtin said several options are being considered for "chip" allocation. The Council of Divisions will vote on the issue. It was the board's consensus that we should strive for an approach that results in a focus on somewhat fewer sessions for the Division in order to stress quality over quantity, focusing assets on a compressed two-day period of events for the annual convention. This would have the effect of potentially lowering convention costs for members and reducing stress for those with multiple responsibilities. Any proposals are likely to be put to a full AEJMC membership vote.

Division Head Ken Plowman introduced discussion of this year's research paper judging process. There was, he explained, some concern that using two judges per paper rather than three might not be adequately rigorous. Research Chair David Guth said the situation was driven by the high number of papers and the diminished pool of judges. The new board will consider changing categories of paper entries to at least partially address the situation.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m.

--Respectfully submitted by Public Relations Division Secretary/Treasurer Alan Freitag.

PR Division Members Meeting

THE MEETING was called to order at 8:35 p.m. by Division Head Ken Plowman.

Incoming Secretary/Treasurer Alan Freitag read salient excerpts from last year's membership meeting, which were approved by the membership as read.

Nominating Committee Chair William Thompson announced that members had elected Chuck Lubbers as vice head-elect, Alan Freitag as secretary/treasurer, and Andi Stein as elected delegate. Ken Plowman was designated as the new chair of the nominating Committee for the coming year.

Officer and committee reports were presented:

Pat Curtin, programs chair, said the pre-conference roundtables and the Al Reis dinner with the Advertising Division were successful. She reported that seven panels and seven research sessions (including two extra sessions) were scheduled for this year's convention. A number of the panel sessions included partnerships with other divisions. She suggested that there may be concern our Division is doing too much, spreading members too thinly during the convention. She added that volunteers are needed for several appointed positions and that interested members should attend the incoming executive board meeting the following morning.

Teresa Mastin, vice head-elect, distributed panel proposal forms (see p. 5) for next year's convention in Toronto.

David Guth, research chair, reported receiving 72 papers in the research category for this year's convention, with an acceptance rate of 50 percent due to the additional research sessions the Division was allocated. Andi Stein, teaching chair, reported receiving nine papers, with an acceptance rate of 55 percent.

Larry Lamb summarized the Division's activities in each of the five PF&R categories.

Coy Callison announced that Division membership is steady at around 500 members. He will be contacting the PRSA Educators Academy to arrange a membership list exchange in order to contact potential AEJMC-PRD members. He agreed to continue as membership chair for the coming year.

Lois Boynton, graduate student liaison, announced that the Buddy Program attracted six students and 10 faculty members. She encouraged member participation in the Buddy Program and other graduate student outreach efforts. She agreed to continue as graduate student liaison for the coming year.

Meg Lamme and Phyllis Larsen, Roschwalb Award co-chairs, thanked contributors to the fund and said there had been seven applications for the award. They would like to build the fund to $6,000 to fully endow it, permitting indefinite continuation of the ward without reducing principal. They led a discussion concerning fundraising options and considered combining the grant with the Inez Kaiser Award. Member consensus was to continue funding the award rather than allow funds to be depleted and to solicit funding support. An impromptu fundraising effort among members during the next two days netted more than $650.

Leah Simone reported that 21 sponsors had provided support, permitting 19 graduate students to benefit from the Inez Kaiser Award. She asked for names of eligible graduate students to be considered for this award.

Susan Gonders announced that the newsletter had now been issued four times per year for four consecutive years, including four TPR monographs this past year. The "in situ" feature has added another forum for debate. She said she now has a comprehensive list of Division heads and newsletter editors since 1965, with the exception of 1988-91 newsletter editors. She added that we need to appoint an editor/reviewer for TPR for the coming year.

Linda Hon announced that she had received 46 articles for the Journal of Public Relations Research this past year, with an initial acceptance rate of 17 percent (does not include articles subsequently revised and accepted). The page increase will occur this year, with the cost passed on to institutional subscribers. She said a special issue concerning "Public relations from the margins" will appear soon. Linda Bathgate of Erlbaum Publishing joined Hon in this report and said her company is working to get the journal included in more indexing and abstracting databases. She said the journal is healthy and well supported.

Kirk Hallahan asked members to submit any changes or updates for the Division's website to him via e-mail. He said he will be adding the Division's bylaws and officer descriptions to the site.

Ken Plowman recognized and thanked outgoing officers.

Under old business, Pam Bourland-Davis reported that the past heads group will be serving in an advisory role with an aim to increase Division representation on the AEJMC board. Doug Newsom will lead the group.

Members voted unanimously to support a $5 increase in annual dues for regular members (does not apply to graduate student dues).

Ken Plowman announced that AEJMC is offering cash incentives to divisions as a reward for increasing membership. He also said a task force is looking into realigning divisions within AEJMC, and that any proposals would be put to a full membership vote.

Pat Curtin reported that "chip" allocations will likely be reduced for next year's convention. She described considerations that will influence programming.

Ken Plowman reported that the Division may adjust the research process to address the growing challenge of increasing paper submissions and too few available judges.

Pat Curtin, incoming head, described her goals for the coming year: increasingly involved members; building external communications, especially with the professional community and other academic groups; and reputation and issues management within AEJMC.

Barbara DeSanto announced that a new edition of PRSA's Learning to Teach book would be issued in September.

The meeting was adjourned at 10 p.m.

--Respectfully submitted by Public Relations Division Secretary/Treasurer Alan Freitag.

Incoming PRD Executive Meeting

THE MEETING was called to order at 7 a.m. by Division Head Pat Curtin, who began with a review of appointed positions, asking for nominations and volunteers.

Kirk Hallahan will continue as webmaster. Linda Hon will continue as journal editor. Susan Gonders will continue as newsletter editor. Teaching Public Relations reviewer/editor will be Ken Plowman. Meg Lamme and Phyllis Larsen will continue as Roschwalb Award co-chairs. Leah Simone Tuite will continue as Inez Kaiser Award chair, adding Heidi Edwards as co-chair. Lois Boynton will continue as graduate student liaison, adding Cassandra Imfeld, Lori Boyer and Amanda Hall to the committee. Coy Callison and Michael Parkinson will continue as membership co-chairs. Professional liaisons for the coming year will be Bojinka Bishop, Karla Gower, David Guth, Cathy Rogers and Patricia Swann. Larry Lamb will continue as PF&R chair, adding Ernie Martin as co-chair. Research chairs will be Don Stacks (faculty papers), along with Lynn Zock (faculty/student papers), Jennifer Floto (student papers), and Lisa Fall (teaching papers). Elected delegate will be Andi Stein. Ken Plowman will head the nominating committee.

Alan Freitag discussed the Division's listserv and how to use it effectively.

Board members agreed that more specificity is needed in the calls for papers. Board members agreed that there is a need to revisit categorical divisions for research and teaching papers; Don Stacks will lead the effort.

Pat Curtin said she had received no feedback yet from the AEJMC board on the Division's annual report.

Pat Curtin reported that an AEJMC task force is looking at a possible realignment of divisions and interest groups, with a board vote likely next week. Curtin said we will use the newsletter and listserv to keep PRD members informed on progress and developments. She noted that Division members had approved a $5 annual dues increase. She welcomed the establishment of a past heads group. She also encouraged incoming board members to attend AEJMC training sessions Saturday morning for elected and appointed officers.

Kirk Hallahan reminded board members that bylaws and officer descriptions would be added to the website.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 a.m.

-- Respectfully submitted by Public Relations Division Secretary/Treasurer Alan Freitag.

in situ research

In this issue's in situ column, Alan Freitag of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte reflects on the fading line that separates traditional public relations functions from the role so many PR practitioners fill as their organizations' most highly trained communication specialist.

Like Dr. Freitag, my campaigns students increasingly find that they are often the most logical talents to attack management problems that have communication components.

To solve the problem of ski resort employees letting their friends into the resort for free, one of my students suggested incorporating scanner technology. The information collected allowed her to track customer demographics more thoroughly, which let her direct the resort's advertising dollars to more logical market segments.

Good public relations use, right? However, that use of the scanner's information, as valuable as it was, was not nearly as important as the breaking news that, as the number of customers skiing the resort's downhill runs plunged, the company's primitive snowboarding course, the only one in the area, was rapidly becoming the resort's leading attraction. Her recommendation: investigate building a new snowboarding run to capture a teenaged and young adult audience that could be generating revenue for years to come.

So is it public relations, or marketing, or... merely communication competency in an organizational setting? Dr. Freitag has some thoughts on the matter.

The Public Relations Division's in situ research provides a forum for us to share and refine ideas and to discover collaborators. If you would like to write an in situ research note of 300-500 words, or if you would like to comment on a topic previously published in this forum, send a plain-text e-mail to editor Susan Gonders.

Extending Public Relations' Traditional Role

Alan R. Freitag
University of North Carolina-Charlotte

After several colleagues and I had presented papers during a session of the AEJMC convention in Kansas City, Dean Kruckeberg posed a very challenging question. My paper concerned the status and effectiveness of employee benefits communication. Our research confirmed that this is an area dominated by the human resources division in most organizations and suggested that increased public relations involvement might help improve the quality of materials and approaches to this function. Dr. Kruckeberg asked whether we in public relations ought to insinuate ourselves into organizational functions outside our prescribed arena. Shouldn't we simply let well enough alone rather than invite the ire of our colleagues in human relations? His point is an excellent one.

Dr. Kruckeberg's subsequent remarks made it clear he was not diminishing the importance of our research. On the contrary, he was commending the extension of our discipline's parameters into arenas in which we can genuinely contribute to organizational excellence and effectiveness. The need, he implied, is to provide persuasive arguments, based on research, for public relations involvement in facets of an organization outside our traditional role, leading to a less parochial understanding of the value we bring.

Our research into employee benefits communication is one example. The surveys, focus groups and other techniques we used resulted in abundant data we will continue to mine, analyze and report. Our AEJMC paper focused on channels of communication in use, the growth and effectiveness of online approaches, the use of unmediated materials from vendors, and so forth. Moreover, results stressed the criticality of benefits packages to recruiting, retaining and motivating quality employees. The Workplace Resource Learning Center calculates that replacing an employee who has a high school education costs $14,000, and replacing a college graduate costs around $66,000 -- for recruiting, retraining and lost productivity. The Harvard Business School has found that replacing a sales representative can cost three times the annual salary -- $180,000 for a representative with a $60,000 annual salary. While employers may relish the short-term savings realized by switching from printed to online benefits materials, the loss of just one employee, at least partially attributed to benefits frustration, would easily negate a savings of a few dollars per employee resulting from the switch to online methods. Thus armed, a public relations director, in concert with the human relations director, can recommend avenues to improve benefits communication, linking the effort to deep, long-term savings in personnel costs. That's a real contribution to organizational excellence and prosperity.

Opportunities for public relations contributions extend beyond human relations as well. I recall a staff meeting during my Air Force career when I was serving as public affairs (public relations) counsel. During the meeting, the director of aircraft maintenance raised a concern regarding a number of minor shop accidents related to a new repair procedure and said he was looking into the problem. After the meeting, I met with the director, talked through the issue, and suggested there was a considerable communication component to the problem. We developed a communication plan that ultimately contributed to significant reductions in accidents, and the director subsequently consulted with our office on several occasions to ensure communication was a part of his approach to other issues. Those of you with practical experience probably can relate similar episodes.

Of course, I missed a lot of opportunities over the years as well. In hindsight, there were too many times when I remained within my public relations comfort zone rather than risk involvement and failure. Was that the case, I wonder, with Enron? With Worldcom? With ImClone? With Ford and Firestone during the Explorer rollover and tire recall debacle? Where was the boldness and conviction of public relations counsel at those times when sound judgment and sagacious advice might have diminished error and embarrassment? This is an area where we can help elevate our discipline's reputation.

Dr. Kruckeberg's question needs to be taken as a challenge to intensify our research efforts, founded on and building upon theory, in order to equip practitioners to convince organizational leaders of the value of our service in areas beyond the traditional. Further, we need to graduate professionals capable of recognizing moments when their judgment may be crucial, even when it means stepping beyond the narrow definition of their responsibilities.

Help Make the 2004 Toronto Convention Memorable!

AEJMC convention programming happens because people like you propose ideas for panels. Have a topic of interest? Something you always wanted to hear discussed? Something you want to know more about or think others should be more aware of? Propose a panel on the subject. It’s easy.

How do panels go from proposals to programming?

In the fall, each division and interest group of AEJMC gathers panel proposals, which are then put in a book and sent to the person in charge of convention programming for that group. At the mid-winter meeting, held the first weekend of December, the negotiation begins to establish which proposals will become conference programs. Because each division and interest group has a limited number of “chips” (programming slots), we try to team with other groups so that a session will cost us only half of a chip. Such teamwork allows us to offer more programming by making our chips go farther.

Hints for proposing a successful panel:

Be sure the panel topic has a broad appeal across divisions, or that it has a strong appeal within the PR Division, or that it ties in to the conference theme (TBA), to timely issues or to issues associated with the geographic location of the convention.

If I propose a panel, what am I committing to?

You can simply submit an idea – then wash your hands of any further commitment. Or you can decide to take the lead in organizing the panel and obtaining panelists. Your degree of involvement is up to you. If you decide to be involved, remember that, because we may partner with another group, you will need to be flexible. Often, in the process of pairing, the focus of the panel is slightly changed. You need to go with the flow and work with the other group. Final panel programming will take place at the mid-winter meeting – so expect to hear by the end of the year whether your panel has been accepted and with what group you will be working if you decide to take the lead.

OK – you convinced me. Now what do I do?

Just fill out the form. Type of panel simply means which of AEJMC’s three recognized categories you think the subject best falls under. So what’s Professional Freedom & Responsibility (PF&R)? Good question. It is used as a catch-all for anything not strictly research or teaching oriented.

What to do with your completed form?

Return it to Teresa Mastin at mastinte@msu.edu or snail-mail a hard copy to 317 Communication Arts, Department of Advertising, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212, by October 1. Proposals can also be submitted online

PRD History #5: The Heads & Eds

We need help compiling bio-sketches on the following Heads & Eds:

Information should be submitted to Susan Gonders, Southeast Missouri State University.

Erlbaum to Sponsor Roschwalb Award as PRD Members Contribute Support

LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, Inc., publisher of the Journal of Public Relations Research, has generously offered to sponsor the Susanne A. Roschwalb Award. The annual gift will cover the competitive award of $250 granted each year to a student conducting research in international public relations.

Our sincere thanks go to Lawrence Erlbaum and to Linda Bathgate, LEA senior editor, communications, for their thoughtful commitment to developing public relations scholarship.

This gift comes on the heels of an oupouring of generosity from the PR Division at the members meeting in Kansas City. Upon hearing that the fund was rapidly depleting, despite the support of a number of donors each years, members began pulling out their wallets and their checkbooks, contributing more than $500 by the end of the meeting.

By August 23, together with a few IOUs, the 2003 donations had grown to more than $650, bringing the total fund to $2,928. In the future, with Erlbaum's support, we hope to growth the account to the $6,000 threshold necessary for it to be self-sustaining.

Many thanks go to donors Lois Boynton, Coy Callison, Pat Curtin, Barbara DeSanto, David Guth, Linda Hon, Dianna Knott, Dean Kruckeberg, Larry Lamb, Meg Lamme, Phyllis Larsen, Chuck Lubbers, Charles Marsh, Ernie Martin, Bonita Dostal Neff, Brad Rawlins, Theresa Russell-Loretz, Shirley Serini, Dulcie Straughan, William Thompson and Judy VanSlyke Turk. We apologize if we have omitted your name and hope you will let us know if we have.

And, of course, we should further recognize Judy VanSlyke Turk, who initiated the idea and started collecting for the fund, and Linda Scanlan, whose stock contribution valued at approximately $2,270 has kept the fund viable.

The winner of the 2003-04 award is Katerina Tsetsura, a doctoral student at Purdue University, who, with the help of her Roschwalb grant, traveled to five cities in Russia in August to interview women practicing public relations.

Donors wishing to support the Roschwalb fund and students conducting research in international public relations and wishing to apply for the 2004-05 award are invited to visit the PR Division website for more information.

Photo Review of Kansas City Convention

Barbara DeSanto (1999-00, above) congratulates her North Carolina-Charlotte colleague, Alan Freitag, on his election to the PRD board. DeSanto's JLID mentor is Elizabeth Toth (1987-88, left). DeSanto is one of the seven fellows in the third class of the AEJMC/ASJMC Journalism and Mass Communication Leadership Institute for Diversity. Gannett Foundation funding is helping JLID meet its mission to increase the number of women and people of color who serve as chairs, deans, directors and endowed chairs.