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AEJMC Public Relations Division Membership Newsletter

Volume 33, No. 3
Spring 1999

In this issue:

New Orleans Preview:
• Head predicts money, mayhem, management as mark of 1999 convention
• Luncheon with Edelman
• Scholar to Scholar Sessions in New Orleans
• PR Division Ready For August In New Orleans
• Public Relations Voodoo Tour Social Event of Conference

  General Division News:

• Call for Proposals for Editorship of the Journal of Public Relations Research
• Uncle PR wants you!

Head predicts money, mayhem, management as mark of 1999 convention

Thanks to the efforts of many behind the scenes, I am proud to say that all three of our paper competitions will have substantial monetary awards to the tune of $1,000 for each competition. The Public Relations Society of America will give $1,000 for student research papers. The Arthur W. Page Society will give $1,000 for faculty research papers. The International Association of Business Communicators will give $1,000 for teaching research papers. For each competition, the award structure will be: 1st Place, $500; 2nd Place , $300; 3rd Place, $200.

We received 31 papers for the faculty research paper competition; a dozen or so for the student paper competition and 8 for the teaching paper competition. Thanks to all of you who submitted papers. We're all looking forward to hearing the results of your research.

There will be two formats available for research presentations: the traditional panels of researchers and the AEJMC's new Scholar-to-Scholar session. As Vice Head Barb DeSanto explained in the last issue of Public Relations Update, "Scholar-to-Scholar" research encourages people who are interested in your specific topic to talk directly with you -- eliminating the uninterested." Many of the division's top papers will be presented in this new format.

And speaking of research in another format, Elizabeth Toth, editor of the Journal of Public Relations Research, is stepping down and has issued a call for proposals from those interested in being the Journal's next editor. The new editor will be responsible for the Jan. 1, 2000, issue. The Search Committee is comprised of the current editor, Elizabeth Toth; past editors Jim and Lauri Grunig; Lawrence Erlbaum editor, Linda Bathgate; and the head of the PRD, Susan Dimmick.

Elizabeth Toth -- please accept the PRD's deepest thanks for your leadership in stimulating some of the finest research in the public relations profession today.

Although Bill Adams is past head of the PRD, he has been anything but a figure from the past this year. Thanks to Bill our Public Relations Awards luncheon will be underwritten by Edelman Worldwide, which is today's only global independent public relations agency. Our luncheon speaker will be John Edelman of Edelman Worldwide.

And as a special tribute to Bill, and our way of saying, "Thanks, Bill," vice head Barb DeSanto has arranged things so that we all end up at the Funky Butt Jazz Club at the end of our Voodoo Tour Friday Aug. 6. . This will be our PRD "Social," so be sure and come and have some fun.

If you misplace your paper copy of the PRD newsletter, your Teaching Public Relations insert, or 1999 conventions programs and activities, don't worry! Kirk Hallahan has it all at: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~aejmcpr. (Please note that the tilde "~" needs to be in the address and the usual "www" is not necessary.) I'd like to thank Carolyn Cline for launching us into cyberspace. The PRD site was moved in March from USC to Colorado State. It now includes current and most recent membership newsletters.

A special "What's New" section features highlights around the PRD. Teaching Public Relations newsletters since 1991 are now archived online, with additional newsletters expected to be added. The site includes links to AEJMC web site pages of interest, including paper abstracts, past convention papers, upcoming conference information, and job listings. There is a list of PRD leadership with e-mail links as well as links to other PR Educator sites sponsored by ICA, NCA and PRSA. Details on the 1999 convention contained in this newsletter will be posted online for member convenience. Thanks for keeping us current in webspace, Dr. Hallahan.

Finally, without Barb DeSanto, we would not have the great slate of programs and sessions for the 1999 AEJMC Convention. She is both a top-flight professional, planner and organizer, and she has the best sense of humor. You are in good hands with Barb at the helm next year.

Susan Dimmick
Division Head
University of Tennessee

Call for Proposals for Editorship of the Journal of Public Relations Research

Deadline: June 15, 1998

The AEJMC Public Relations Division calls for proposals for a three-year term of office, beginning January 1, 2000, for the editorship of the Journal of Public Relations Research.

Public Relations Division members interested should provide evidence of experience and ability to edit and produce four issues annually of the Journal of Public Relations Research; ability to work with Erlbaum Publishers and a 50+ scholar review board; and, ability to provide potential authors with timely feedback and assistance for their research. Interested members should provide supporting letters from their institutions assuring that they have administrative support and resources to house and carry out the recording keeping and communication tasks associated with the Journal.

A search committee will accept proposals until June 15, 1998. The committee will review and possibly interview applicants and present a recommendation to the Public Relations Division Executive Committe for action at the AEJMC August national conference.

Proposals and further inquiries should be sent to:

Elizabeth L. Toth, Editor
and Chair, Search Committee
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY 13244-2100
email: eltoth@syr.edu
315-443-1909

Luncheon with Edelman

Former PR Division head Bill Adams has secured another top flight speaker from a world-reknown agency to feed our public relations minds and bodies at the 1999 PR Division luncheon.

Mr. John Edelman, Managing Director, Global Human Resources of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide will deliver the keynote address. In his worldwide work, Edelman is responsible for employee communications, employee training and policies. He holds a master's degree in Management in marketing and public management from the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Edelman was founded in 1952 under the guidance of Daniel J. Edelman, and today has 36 offices and 60 affiliates strategically located worldwide with fees of $147 million. Practice specialities include healthcare, technology, financial and consumer public relations.

This luncheon tradition continues to highlight the cutting edge, quality practice which is the hallmark of today's public relations. Past division luncheons featured such well-known speakers and sponsors as Al Golin of Golin/Harris in Chicago at 1997's convention and John Paluszek of Ketchum Worldworld in at 1998's Baltimore convention. Attendees at these events always rank the PR Division luncheon as one of the convention highlights, both professionally and socially.

How do you get on this desirable list? Simply e-mail Bill at with your confirmation. Be sure to sign up early -- space is limited.

Uncle PR wants you!

This division doesn't function unless its members make it function. That's where you come in. We need people to think about taking on an office or task for the next year. All kinds of endeavors are possible; here are just a few to consider:

• Division vice-head elect - this person helps the vice-head in all parts of the division, from planning the convention to writing for the newsletter. Pamela Bourland-Davis, Georgia Southern University, is currently vice-head elect. e-mail: pamelagb@gvsms2.cc.gasou.edu
• Division secretary - this person keeps the minutes of outgoing and incoming board meetings and keeps track of the division paperwork. Linda Hon, University of Florida, is currently secretary; e-mail: lhon@ufl.jou.edu
• PF&R Committee Chair - this peson develops and promotes professional activities, such as regional conferences and workshops, both for the division and with other public relations entities such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) or the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). William Thompson, University of Louisville, is currently PF&R chair; e-mail is: comconsul@aol.com
• Research Committee Chair - this person coordinates the overall scholarly research competition, from collecting papers to recruiting and assigning reviewers to scheduling research presentations. This year's chair is John Ledingham, Capital University; e-mail is: jledingh@capital.edu
• Teaching Standards Chair - like the person coordinating the overall research competition, this person coordinates the teaching papers. This year's chair is Mitch Land, University of North Texas; his e-mail is: mland@unt.edu
• Student Paper Competition Chair - ditto for the two descriptions above. This year's chair is Rochelle Tillery Larkin, Howard University; her e-mail is: r_tillery_larkin@hotmail.com
• Newsletter editor: you all know what this involves, three regular school year editions (Fall, Winter and Spring). Current newsletter editor is Barb DeSanto, Oklahoma State University; her e-mail is: paradoc@okstate.edu.

Scholar to Scholar Sessions in New Orleans

Council of Divisions Vice Chair Suzette Heiman has outlined some of the guidelines for the new Scholar-to-Scholar Research Sessions at this year's convention. Plans call for more than 150 scholars to present research results in a poster table-top format during two 1 1/2 hour sessions in the Pont Pontchartrain Ballroom of the Sheraton New Orleans (3rd floor).

Goal

The hope is that this Scholar-to-Scholar session will create an electrifying, charged intellectual atmosphere at the convention. Scholars from all divisions and interest groups will come together in one room to share research and discuss its implication. The papers presented at this session should be of the same high quality as those presented at each group's individual sessions.

The Public Relations Division is scheduled to present during Session One from 2:45 to 4:15p.m., Wednesday, August 5. Seven of the accepted papers encompassing all categories will be presented in this forum rather than the traditional presentation-question-and-answer format.

Division paper chairs, in conjunction with the division chair and vice-chair, will determine which papers will be presented during the group's Scholar-to-Scholar session.

Procedures for Presenting Research

Preliminary guidelines for this first-ever venture follow:

• Each scholar will have one side of a 4-foot table on which to set his/her poster presentation.
• Pre-Checking In: Each scholar must check in at the Scholar-to-Scholar Central Desk at the entrance to the Pontchartrain Ballroom to receive his/her assigned table number.
• Presentation Set-Up: Each scholar will use a tri-fold Poster Display Board to mount his/her printed materials. Each presenter is responsible for designing his/her board. The display should be created before arriving at the convention. Each scholar will have two chairs at his/her presentation table. Whether the boards will be available from AEJMC or not has not yet been decided; these instructions will be included with the notification of acceptance of papers for each author.
• Audio-visual equipment will not be available.
• A suggested layout for the display will be provided via snail mail. It is not available in a way that can be sent via e-mail. This will be sent to you so that you could send it with the confirmation letter to presenters.

Those attending the presentation will receive a listing of events that is organized by division/interest group, by author and by paper title. This gives visitors at least three ways to find the presentations in which they are interested.

Timing The room is available for set-up 1 1/2 hours before the session begins. Each scholar must finish set-up 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the session. Each scholar will have 30 minutes to clear his/her area after the session is over.

What We Hope Will Happen During the Sessions

Each presenter should be prepared to discuss his/her paper, answer questions, etc. to those who stop by. There will probably be too many people moving around to be able to make a formal oral presentation.

AEJMC Convention Program Guide

There will be a listing of papers to be presented in the AEJMC Convention program guide. This listing will only identify papers to be presented, including author's name and school affiliation. The specific table number will be available as visitors enter the scholar-to-scholar room.

Copies of the Paper

Each presenter should still plan on providing 25 copies of his/her paper for the paper sales room.

Discussant/Reviewer Notes

At each scholar-to-scholar presentation, there should be 25 copies of a one-page sheet of discussant or reviewer comments for each paper presented. It is recommended these comments be on colored paper. So, watch your mail for notification of your paper acceptance and further directions. Any subsequent questions can be directed to our paper competition chair, John Ledingham, Capital University, phone: 614-236-6318; fax: 614-236-6982; or e-mail: jledgingh@capital.edu or to Division chair Susan Dimmick, University of Tennessee, phone: 423-974-8155; fax: 423-974-3896; or e-mail:

PR Division Ready For August In New Orleans

At the end of the school year, you can hardly bear to think about next fall! But remember, before you head back to the ivory tower, come to New Orleans where you'll meet, eat and fete for five glorious days in this historic city.

A few details:

Meet: From the pre-conference workshop featuring the latest research on the status of public relations education on Tuesday, Aug. 3, to cyber PR to tourism -- the meetings and research sessions of this conference promise to educate you painlessly. Listen to the latest and greatest that you can take back to your own classroom. And you might even want to attend some other division's and interest group's sessions -- the entire conference schedule is awesome.

Eat: Once again, the PR Division has secured one of the industry's leading practitioners to share his thoughts about public relations practice over the division's signature lunch on Friday, Aug. 6.

Fete: Just when you think you won't be able to sit another minute, come along on the "Voodoo Tour" of New Orleans, specially arranged for PR Division members.

As you can see, planning this year's programming was fun...and we think you'll agree when you kick off your shoes, order a tall one and listen to the jazz as the 1999 AEJMC convention winds down.

Barb DeSanto
PRD Programming Chair
Oklahoma State University

Public Relations Voodoo Tour Social Event of Conference

Magical, mystical, spine-tingling, romantic....words to describe public relations?

Only if you're part of the 1999 Voodoo Tour -- a special event planned for Friday, Aug. 6, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The guided voodoo tour, a speciality of Magic Walking Tours, will begin in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel and follow the footsteps of swashbuckler Jean Lafitte along the Mississippi River--with a stop at Marie Laveau's, queen of haunts, haven. Along the way you'll have guided commentary and folklore describing the architecture and the culture of this cosmopolitan, carnival city.

The tour terminus -- the famous Funky Butt Jazz Club in the French Quarter, featured in the April edition of GQ. Stay and mellow out to jazz and the juice of your choice.

The tour will be available to the first 50 people; the tour cost is $10 per person.

For further information about this one-of-a-kind tour, contact Andi Stein, University of Oregon, at or by phone (541) 684-9561.