Discussions on syllabus in prpoint@yahoogroups.com

Letter posted to Prpoint@yahoogroups.com, on 9th June 2008

Dear Members,

The AP State Council for Higher Education that came into existence in 1988 advises the State Government in matters relating to Higher Education in the State and to oversee its development with perspective planning. First of its kind in the Country, it is primarily a coordinating and liaisoning body between the University Grants Commission, the State Government and the Universities.

This Council constituted an Expert Committee to prepare an integrated draft pattern of courses at UG and PG level in Public Relations, Mass Communication and Journalism.

The committee comprised of (1) Dr CV Narasimha Reddi, Former Director, I & PR Department (2) Sri Potturi Venkateswara Rao, Former Chairman, Press Academy of Andhra Pradesh and (3) Professor PL Visvesvaraya Rao, Principal, Arts College, Osmania University & Former HOD, Journalism, OU are to represent PR, Masscom & Journalism respectively.

The committee, among other things, proposed (i) BA with PR as one of the 3 optionals namely - BA (PR); BCJ with PR specialization - BCJ (PR); MCJ with PR specialization - MCJ (PR) and MS {PR) in all the universities in AP

While so, a one-day state level workshop is being organized by the Council on 16th June 2008 at Hyderabad to discuss and develop a model curriculum of the courses for Universities in AP.

Suggestions or Comments are solicited from the members of the group on courses, syllabi, expectation of the industry and the expectation of the professionals, please

Regards

Y. Babji
Guest Faculty, Public Relations
DrBRAOU, DrMCRHRDIAP, SVU etc
9848812031 & 9440814621
bobby.shivyana@gmail.com


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Responses

(From Sri K Srinivasan, Chairman, Prime Point Foundation, Chennai - 10th June 2008)

Dear Members
I appreciate the initiative taken by our colleagues in AP. This willbe a good example for other states also. I would like you to consider adding the following areas in your syllabus.
1. Social media is emerging as a great tool of communication globally.2. Many corporates still do not understand the importance of IPOcommunication. IPO communication is a great opportunity for brandbuilding for a long term.
3. Corporate Governance in all areas of functions in organisations. Iam not referring the corporate governance defined by SEBI. It shouldbe in the various functions like HR, Marketing, etc. You can includeas to how communication plays a greater role in the corporate governance.4. As one of our friends referred earlier, right to information Act isanother significant act that has to be understood by private sector. Already, we also dealt with in our ezine. Presently, private sectorthinks that RTI Act has no relevance for them. RTI Act has morerelevance to private sector than even public sector. RTI Act hasbrought in more transparency in communication.
I also suggest that you consult Prof. UKC, dean and director ofsymbiosis, a pioneer organisation in Asia for some more ideas. He is also in our group. Prime Point Foundation will extend all its support for your endeavors. K Srinivasan, Chairman, Prime point Foundation, Chennai
94440 50273 prpoint@gmail.com

(11th June 2008)
You can also include human relations and soft skills as part of business communication in the entire educational curriculum; we talk about the knowledge, skill, etc. But we never talk about human-human relationship even i don’t mind suggesting one full paper on that

(20th June 2008)
Even though the economy is getting globalised and we are dealing with global environment, our professionals are working only in India. Presently, regional media is emerging as the most powerful medium than English medium. Internet edition Telugu paper eenadu is having more hits than even Times of India and other leading national papers. This is the case with many other regional papers (internet editions). Because of the technological growth, even the regional media are read in the Internet. There can be some sessions on the role of regional media and their strength. This is India specific only. In other countries, the situation may differ.

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(From Yogesh Joshi, President, Association of Business Communicators of India, Mumbai)

Dear Members

Mr. Babji has called for suggestions for the development of Course Curriculum for Mass Communications.

It is in this context, I would like to suggest to include one more subject who is need of the hour is International Business Communications. In the era of M & A, the integration process is the most challenging job for a PR and HR Professionals. The trend is reversed these days when more number of Indian Companies are acquiring companies abroad. Communications during the process that starts from actually making due-diligence, bidding for take-over and up to final take over and subsequently facing challenges by down grading the financial ratings by International Agencies is very difficult part. It is noticed that many of the PR Professionals can't even read a Balance Sheet and therefore, can't understand implications by such down ratings. They are totally blank in dealing with such situation.

Under the circumstances, I would strongly recommend to include International Business Communications in the course as one of the MUST topic.

Regards,

Yogesh Joshi
President, Association of Business Communicators of India
Mumbai
winyogi1@gmail.com

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(From Dr Ajit Pathak, National President, PRSI, New Delhi)

Dear Babji,

I am forwarding to you Global Alliance write-up on the issue, which will guide you on the subject. Hope you will find it useful.

Regards,

Dr Ajit Pathak
National President, Public Relations Society of India & Chair, Global Alliance, India
New Delhi


Towards a Global Curriculum for Public Relations?

The changing global economy presents a fundamental challenge to public relations’ theoretical and pedagogical priorities. Anderson (1989) distinguished between international and global public relations as follows: “international public relations practitioners very often implement distinctive programmes in multiple markets. Global public relations superimpose an overall perspective on a programme executed in two or more national markets, recognizing the similarities among audiences while necessary adapting to regional differences. It connotes a planning attitude as much as a geographic reach and flexibility”. Sriramesh (2003) suggests, “Given the extent of globalisation that has occurred especially in the past ten years, a majority of public relations practice in the twenty-first 21st Century has become and will continue to become multinational and multi-cultural in nature.”

The rapid globalisation particularly in information technology in the last two decades has become one of the salient issues in the new millennium (Brown, 1999). The Curriculum Development Council (1999) asserted that education inevitably should be responsive to the trends of globalisation because it is a major concern of policy makers. Acosta-Alzuru (2003) is of the view that the international experience will not only contribute to practitioners’, educators’ or students’ professional and academic development, but also will add to students’ understanding of their own identity. She states that “few students that have traveled abroad, many have never even been outside their own state, and the majority is only aware of those regions in which the US foreign policy has interest.” So, in the context of an increasingly global world expanding international exposure has the potential to offer significant educational benefits to students, while at the same time providing some comparative advantages in the workplace and the profession as a whole (J. E. Grunig and L. A. Grunig, 2002).

But this simply shows that students (particularly from the US) need to learn more about other cultures. The issue of what might be taught in a global PR course still needs to be addressed. Grunig et al (1995) thought that adapting a professional global PR education to regional differences and using generic components that will work normatively in most if not all cultures and political systems of the world is what is needed. There is however a danger here that the excellence model will simply be exported globally with minor variations to reflect regional differences. Critical scholars (L’Etang, Holtzhausen for example) would urge greater reflection on the assumptions underpinning this model and others (Verčič, van Ruler, Sriramesh) have called for a more public-centered conceptualization of global public relations.

There has been national research into the requirements of the public relations curriculum. For example, the US Commission for Public Relations Education (CPRE)’s 2006 report The Professional Bond, outlined the desirable elements of undergraduate minor and major degrees in public relations and for master’s level study (see Appendix 3 for details). About the direction of the curriculum, they commented that “the Commission’s research suggests that graduate education should move toward understanding business, management and public relations as strategic management functions”, reflecting older US debates about the lack of management education in PR degrees.

These CPRE priorities (writing, problem solving, strategic thinking, for example) were echoed by UK employers and academics (Tench and Fawkes, 2005) though there were discrepancies between the respondents on the value of theory. Unlike the US, however, many PR degrees are taught in business schools and this research showed significant differences between PR courses taught in media and business schools. It is also worth remembering that US and UK first degrees carry different weight and that a global curriculum cannot be built on the universalisation of US norms.

The emergence of relationship management (Ledingham and Bruning, 2000) as a central concept of public relations on both sides of the Atlantic suggests a potential for consensus, though the interpretation may vary between relationships as an organisational function (the US approach) and the European findings reported in the Bled Manifesto (2002) which linked relationships inextricably with communication. The latter report also expressed concern that “public relations used to be studied as a phenomenon in society but practice and education are more interested in public relations as an instrument for the benefit of an organisation” (p13). These are important philosophical debates, which are explored further below and the resolution – or at least widespread recognition – of which are vital to developing a curriculum for professional education in PR.

Public relations has several professional bodies around the world that seek to develop its members, and the Global Alliance Communication Management is one of the largest organisations to spearhead this. Sallott and DeSanto (2003) recommend four books for teaching international public relations courses: Culbertson and Chen, (1996); Moss and DeSanto, (2002); Sriramesh and Verčič, (2003), Tilson and Alozie, (2004). Since 2000 increasing numbers of journal articles have outlined cultural differences by countries, though only two have addressed the actual teaching of international public relations. Motion, Leitch and Cliffe (2003) argue that public relations education has been an adjunct to the growth in research and scholarship in Australian and New Zealand journals, including the Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, the Australian Journal of Communication, and Media International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy. They describe public relations theory development in Australia and New Zealand as currently transiting from “the predominant systems approach to rhetorical, critical and poststructuralist approaches.”

Culture and Public Relations Education

This research has already demonstrated the impact of cultural difference on PR education. It is worth highlighting as these differences are not always visible in the highly influential US –based core texts that form the basis of many curricula around the world. There is a danger, referred to above, that the dominance of systems theory and the excellence project identified by Verčič et al (2001) could be reproduced in creating a global curriculum. This is not to disrespect either the value or the pioneering nature of much US PR education, simply to make space for other voices. Before drawing any conclusions about the possibility of a global curriculum, the issue of culture, multicultural communication and public relations should be, briefly, addressed.

While there is no definition of culture that is agreed upon by social scientists, according to Morey & Luthans (1985), anthropologists do agree on certain attributes of culture namely (1) culture is learned, (2) it is trans-generational and cumulative in its development, (3) it is symbolic, (4) patterned, organized and integrated, (5) and adaptive. Culture is described as ‘the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another’ (Hofstede, 1991). In addition, people from different cultures differ in terms of their broader values, as their culture is an integrated mix of symbols, rituals, values, [and] heroes that vary from one culture to another, (Hofstede, 1991). At the same time, when communication processes between people of different cultures occur, each culture affects the process, which starts an intercultural communication process (Hall, 1959, 1976). In order to be effective, intercultural communication requires an understanding of the knowledge system, beliefs, values, customs and behaviours of one’s culture as well as other people’s cultures. However, elements such as linguistics, culture, physics, perceptions, experiments, nonverbal cues, and emotions may become barriers to effective intercultural communication (Bell, 1992). Hofstede (1984) has proposed one of the most popular definitions of culture: “Culture is a mental programming: it is that part of our conditioning that we share with other members of our nation, region or group but not with members of other nations, regions or groups.” He also (1991) identified five dimensions of national cultures, which have proved extremely influential. These are: power distance (how power is distributed in society); individualism/collectivism (self-centered versus community-centered values); masculinity/femininity (e.g. competitive, achieving values versus caring, consensus values); high/low uncertainty avoidance (the degree to which a society feels itself at risk and how it minimises this perception) and long/short term considerations (whether society focuses on generational change or immediate results).
Sriramesh (2000) has linked these cultural syndromes to the challenges of international public relations, concerned that the lack of study of the impact of culture on public relations was limiting the development of the discipline. Echoing the need to study cross-cultural metrics in public relations, Vasquez and Taylor (2000) demonstrated the link between collectivism and using one-way and two-way practice models, Taylor (2000a) applied selected cross-cultural metrics to the 1999 Coca-Cola crises in Belgium, finding uncertainty avoidance and power distance to have had a significant impact on countries’ responses. Huang (2001) provided an illustration of barriers to cross-cultural public relations efforts, determining that the four dimensions of organisation-public relationships which Grunig and Huang (2000) defined as trust, control, mutuality, relationship satisfaction, and relationship commitment were inadequate to address Eastern cultural dynamics.

As international PR has taken the lead as the fastest area in PR, the need to recognise and deal with the implications of cultural differences has been emphasised by scholars and practitioners (Botan, 1992; Morley, 1998 and Pavlik, 1987). Reed (1989) for example urged practitioners to be “cultural savvy”. Sriramesh and Verčič (2001) argue that the true advancement of any body of knowledge will occur when studies go beyond describing the public relations practices of a specific country and attempt to link public relations activities with environmental variables external to an organisation. Culbertson and Chen (1996) proposed a comparative approach to studying international public relations. “First, comparative public relations involves a search for both similarities and differences between the practice in one or more countries and that in other venues…Second, international public relations focuses on the practice of public relations in an international or cross-cultural context”. An appreciation and understanding of cultural differences (intercultural competence) would thus foster successful and satisfying performance in international and global public relations.

Uniformity vs diversity

While some aspects of globalisation imply convergence, with shared views of economy, democracy and other social values, there is also the dimension of diversity to consider. The value of diversity is not only recognised by multicultural countries via diversity polices but similarly by organisational management, especially in public relations practice. For example, diversity is one characteristic, among others, that has been identified to contribute to the organisational effectiveness of public relations. According to J. E. Grunig and L. A. Grunig (2003), one of the elements that bring excellence into communication can be achieved if public relations departments become more diverse. Applying the “principle of requisite variety” to public relations, they have called attention to how ‘organizations need to have as much variety – diversity among their employees as there is in their environment to be able to interact effectively with that environment’. The issue of diversity variety and public relations has also been studied by Hon and Brunner (2000) who substantiate its validity within organizations as their participants ‘explained and provided examples of how diversity plays a key role in communicating with multicultural audiences, enhancing the organization’s image, serving customers, and recruiting the best employees and talent’.
Sriramesh (2002) argues that even though the US is widely recognised as the leader in providing the most comprehensive public relations education, multiculturalism is not much prevalent in the US. American and British professional communication associations are aware of the diversity of their populations and subsequently of how this should be reflected in the public relations profession. In Britain, Gregory (2005) has noted that ‘the overall composition of the public relations workforce is predominantly middleclass, white and female’. In America, minorities working in public relations have been studied and surveyed, revealing barriers. In fact, all the studies agree on how minorities are underrepresented, discriminated against, stereotyped and underpaid, reaffirming the existence of stereotyping based on colour, race and culture, and corroborating the existence of pigeonholing through the practice of having practitioners working on the same race/ethnic audience (Zerbinos & Clanton, 1993).

However, diversity is not just about talking to the various populations engaging with an organisation, it is also about the distribution of power in society. Pointing out the effects of globalisation on international public relations, Heath (2001) notes that: “A few years ago, the key question before most persons who thought about international public relations was whether an organization should try to hire and train people who were conversant with people of various countries or whether the better strategy was to use agencies in those countries. Today, the more compelling issue is whether a global organization (business, non-profit, or governmental) can meet or exceed the expectations of a Babel of voices and cultures without losing its identity by trying to be everything to all markets and publics” (p625).

Grunig et al (1995) in their research into public relations in international settings, indicated how the figure of a “cultural interpreter” could “facilitate dialogue and understanding between organizations and public from different cultures”. Furthermore, Plowman, Briggs & Huang (2001) underline how differences, rather than similarities, can form the basis of a mutually beneficial solution. Obviously, in a multicultural environment, the differences are increased thus opportunities for mutual gain are also increased. A theoretical framework for global public relations and practice, developed by Sriramesh and Verčič (2003), explores the relationship between organisational environments and their public relations practices. They have identified factors such as a country’s infrastructure, media environment, and societal culture, and variables such as a nation’s political system, its level of economic development, and the level of activism to study and understand public relations practice in a specific country.

Finally, Sriramesh (2003) observed that domestic public relations does not exist anymore because “in the new millennium, every public relations professional must have a multicultural and global perspective in order to be effective, and such an outlook should not be considered the domain only of international public relations specialists anymore”.

So how can education assist in this transition? According to Cheng (2000) the main concern is how to maximize the positive effects but minimize negative impacts of globalisation, in educational reform for national and local development. As the profession responds to change, practitioners need to transform themselves and acquire new knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of globalisation. According to Verwey (2000), successful societal integration by communication professionals will depend on the range of leadership demonstrated from a macro-level of interaction with society, to a more micro-level of individual stakeholders. “As more and more corporations around the world begin to rely on public relations professionals to guide them through the complex issues they face in an increasingly global marketplace, those professionals must have expertise in strategic and analytical skills as well as tactical tools.”

A global curriculum, then, should be based on investigation of the external environment, developed in partnership with industry, and other relevant bodies, which will be continually amended to the changing needs of the environment
(http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm). This is to provide students with the competencies needed in present day practice and in years to come, in line with the definition of globalization as applied to higher education by Singh et al. (2001), as a dynamic, changing dimension of curricula, that is expressed through the insertion of topics, materials and activities into courses, so that the student has the opportunity to gain a global perspective of one or more areas of the subject matter. For example, professional public relations bodies internationally have established ethics codes in an attempt to regulate members’ ethical behavior, Day et. al. (2001) state that, “As the practice of public relations faces the 21st century, a number of significant ethical issues need to be addressed. These include the complex nature of the truth, the role of public relations within a society and the special problems of public relations ethics in intercultural context”.

The matrix of professional competences created by the Global Alliance working party on professional credentials offers one model that could form the basis of a global curriculum (available from their website, www.globalpr.org). Another is offered by the education and training framework developed by Fawkes (2005) for the UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations (Appendix 4) which incorporates all the practice and theory taught in UK and other universities together with developments in theory from undergraduate to postgraduate levels and a full range of practice from the most junior to senior positions. It encompasses far more material than could be taught on any one course or, possibly, practiced in one lifetime, but does reflect the breadth of the field. There is scope for assimilating content from around the world to reflect more accurately the global nature of public relations education.


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(From Rajayogi BK Karuna, National President, Global Forum for Public Relations, Mt Abu, Rajasthan through BK Sarala, National Vice President (Coord & Prog, Hyderabad)

Dear Brother,

As directed by Karuna Bhaiji we may like to have value education also included in the syllabi of the entire communication studies. Coz. If there is a strong base of values at the education level then practice level is taken care of naturally.

With many good wishes

Sarala
National Vice President (Coord & Admn)
Global Forum for Public Relations, Hyderabad
9396523402
bksarala@gmail.com
Pl note the website for value education is www.valueducation.com Karuna ji has some suggestions for the inclusion of value education in UG and PG courses of PR, journalism and mass communication that Mr Babji has mentioned.

(21st June 2008)
Further, as desired by you, the syllabus for PR courses would be

1. Introduction to Values and Spirituality
2. Spirituality and values
3. Perspectives of the major religions
4. Consciousness and the divine
5. Meditation and values
6. Values in life
7. Personal Development
8. Values in Society

The relevant study material is also enclosed please. Sir you may like to visit Brahmakumaris site on value education www.valueducation.com for more details please.


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(From Uma Bhushan, Member, PR Point, Mumbai)

Dear Babji,
First of all, congratulations to you on topping the course. We are all proud of you.
Regarding the curriculum that you have asked inputs for, I am sendingby attachment the executive summary of the report of the Commission on Public Relations Education set up in the US in 2006. The full 200-page report has gone into the history and need of PR education in the USA and has come up with curriculum for the UG, PG and even doctoral courses in public relations.
I am sending this response to the Prpoint group because many of our members may find it good to know that PR education is taken very seriously abroad, especially in the USA.
In case you need any other suggestion or specific recommendation do let me know.
If anyone is interested in the full report, feel free to ask.
Best regards,
Uma Bhushan
Senior Lecturer, Business Communication & Public Relations
K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research
Vidyavihar, Mumbai 400 077
umabhushan@gmail.com

Executive Summary of the report of the commission on public relations education, November 2006

Public Relations The Practice Education
Public Relations Education for the 21st Century
www.commpred.org
The Report of the Commission on Public Relations Education
The Professional Bond
Executive Summary
November 2006

Acknowledgements

The Commission on Public Relations Education gratefully acknowledges the valuable support for its 2006 report from the following:

Funding
Institute for Public Relations
Public Relations Society of America Foundation
Scripps Howard Foundation
Report Research and Development
University of Florida
University of Maryland
University of Miami
Valparaiso University
Virginia Commonwealth University

Staff Support
Public Relations Society of America

The Commission is also grateful to its active members— those individual educators and practitioners who have played a central role in producing this report, thereby helping to strengthen the bond between public relations education and the practice.

The Professional Bond—
Public Relations Education and the Practice

This report, like earlier reports of the Commission on Public Relations Education, presents recommendations for public relations undergraduate and graduate education.

But beyond this traditional purpose, “The Professional Bond” report has also been developed to demonstrate, facilitate and encourage the kind of linking of public relations education and practice that is the hallmark of any profession.

There is much to be done—by every public relations constituency—to complete this bonding. So, to emphasize the importance of this mission, the Commission has prepared the special section, “A Call to Action,” as the conclusion of the report.

“The Professional Bond” report is not meant to be prescriptive. Its recommendations are presented as objectives for excellence as identified by a cadre of distinguished educators and practitioners. And, developed in North America, it is simply a point of reference for the development of public relations education in other parts of the world.

Because it is so ambitious, the report is, necessarily, lengthy. This summary is presented as a stimulant to the reader to partake of the entire report or, at a minimum, to select those topics from among the report’s four basic categories containing seventeen sections that are most relevant to his or her interests. The complete report is available in both “hard copy” format and on the Commission on Public Relations Education website at www.commpred.org

Selected highlights of the report follow.

Research for the Report
Based on five “waves” of research, the Commission concludes that there is substantial agreement between educators and practitioners on what a public relations undergraduate student should learn, and therefore be able to perform at the practitioner entry level.

Needed at this level: writing skills; critical thinking and problem-solving skills; “a good attitude”; an ability to communicate publicly; and initiative.

There also was agreement that a public relations education should include an internship, practicum or some other work experience in the field.

The research also found considerable support for interdisciplinary study in subjects such as management and behavioral science.

Public Relations Ethics
In addition to noting that professional ethics is largely predicated on the personal ethics of everyone in the public relations professional community, the Commission emphasizes that:

A consideration of ethics should pervade all content of public relations professional education.
If a curriculum cannot accommodate a dedicated ethics course, short one-hour courses or mini seminars can provide a meaningful ethics forum for undergraduates.

Diversity
“Successful managers of organizations now recognize that a diverse workforce—recruited, trained and retained—can deliver valuable insights and performance,” the report states.

This section presents an in-depth treatment of defining diversity, identifying its major elements essential to public relations education and how, in the practice, public relations can advance diversity in society.

Communication Technology
“Public relations educators must ensure that their students are prepared not only to be proficient in the use of the most recent communication technology, but also to understand and appreciate the societal ramifications of its use. Educators also must use this technology to maximize the effectiveness of their own instruction,” the report states.

The Commission therefore recommends that the latest communication technology used in the public relations practice be integrated into coursework to the extent that institutional resources will allow; and that student proficiency with such technology may be achieved largely through internships.

Global Implications
“Public relations is now arguably becoming a global profession in an increasingly connected world where mutual understanding and harmony are more important than ever,” the report states.

In recognizing that public relations varies, understandably, with the society in which it is practiced, the Commission in this section presents seven levels of analysis to profile public relations education and practice in various parts of the world.

These levels of analysis are: cultural values and beliefs; laws and public policies; external groups, organizations and associations; institutional factors in the academic setting; international exchange programs; inter-personal factors within an institution; and intra-personal factors among students and educators.

Undergraduate Education
“Undergraduate public relations education has been shifting and repositioning itself in step with the practice of public relations… When practitioners aid organizations in developing mutually beneficial relationships among diverse publics, organizations thrive,” the report states.

Therefore the Commission recommends more emphasis on ethics and transparency, new technology, integration of messages and tools, interdisciplinary problem solving, diversity, global perspectives and research and results measurement.

This section identifies a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills that should be taught in the undergraduate public relations curriculum.

Knowledge to be acquired ranges from communication and persuasion concepts and strategies, relationships and relationship-building and societal trends to uses of research and forecasting, multicultural and global issues and management concepts and theories. A similar sampling of the skills to be attained ranges from mastery of language in written and oral communications, issues management and audience segmentation to informative and persuasive writing, critical listening skills and applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity.

The Commission has identified the following courses for an “ideal” undergraduate major in public relations:

. Introduction to public relations (including theory, origin and principles)
. Case studies in public relations that review the professional practice
. Public relations research, measurement and evaluation
. Public relations law and ethics
. Public relations writing and production
. Public relations planning and management
. Supervised work experience in public relations (internship)
. Directed electives

“Although some academic programs will find it difficult to offer seven courses devoted entirely to public relations, the Commission believes the topics covered in the courses above are essential for a quality public relations education. While these topics could be combined into courses in different ways, and some of these courses might also address additional topics, a major should offer sufficient courses to address the knowledge and skills identified as necessary for success in the field,” the report states.

The report continues: “A minimum of five courses should be required in the public relations major.” An academic emphasis should minimally include the following courses:

. Introduction to public relations (including theory, origin and principles)
. Public relations research, measurement and evaluation
. Public relations writing and production
. Supervised work experience in public relations (internship)
. An additional public relations course in law and ethics, planning and management, case studies or campaigns

Graduate Education
In qualitative research conducted for this report, 18 public relations leaders supported several types of graduate public relations programs rather than endorsing the MBA or dismissing public relations graduate education as unnecessary. The Commission’s research suggests that graduate education should move toward understanding business, management and public relations as strategic management functions.

MASTER’S LEVEL
The graduate student should master the following content areas beyond undergraduate competencies:

. Public relations theory and concepts
. Public relations law
. Public relations ethics
. Global public relations
. Public relations applications
. Public relations management
. Public relations research
. Public relations programming and production
. Public relations publics
. Communication processes
. Management sciences
. Behavioral sciences
. Internship and practicum experience
. Thesis and capstone project and/or comprehensive exam

The Commission also notes courses such as these can be configured in three different models, depending on student intent—doctoral program, advanced career preparation or a specialization in public relations.

DOCTORAL LEVEL
The Commission notes that the production of doctoral graduates has not kept pace with the need, either in education or in the practice. So it recommends academic credentials and “increased partnerships with professionals [practitioners] and professional organizations to help educators stay current with the practice of public relations.”

It also recommends “the development of additional doctoral programs where undergraduate and master’s degree public relations program strength and faculties exist” and lists a series of initiatives to help achieve this outcome.

Supervised Experience
This section provides a valuable checklist of 16 issues to be confronted in developing internships appropriate to the academic institution and its students. In addressing the difficult subject of paid or unpaid internships, the Commission notes that “Students almost always select the organizations to which they apply for internships, and organizations offering pay attract the best candidates.”

For this and other reasons, the Commission recommends “sponsoring organizations of all types— companies, firms, government agencies and nonprofits—pay public relations students for internships.”

Among its other recommendations: academic credit for internships should be reserved for workplace experiences that include an on-site supervisor knowledgeable in public relations, and organizations should assign student interns to supervisors who will routinely and clearly instruct students and evaluate their performance.

Distance Learning
Commission research determined that despite the rapid growth of online education (distance learning) in the United States, no complete undergraduate public relations online program appears to be available at the time of its research. However, the six universities in the Tennessee Board of Regents System offer a five-course public relations sequence (principles, writing, research, case problems and campaigns) in their organizational leadership concentration for an online bachelor of professional studies degree.

At the graduate level, there is no entirely public relations program that is totally online.

In summary, the Commission suggests “public relations in the next decade will need to include online education in its mix of delivery methods if it is to keep pace with professional education.” To introduce quality online programs, public relations program administrators and faculty must address resources (incentives, design and development costs), pedagogy and quality assurance.

Governance and Academic Support
The placement of academic programs within the administrative structure of universities seriously affects the ability of such programs in public relations to independently respond and adapt to the needs of the public relations profession.

“Too, a dominant influencing factor at an institution of higher education is the degree of outside funding support provided for, or, in some cases, state legislative direction in political response to a profession,” the report states.

The Commission therefore cites two critical needs if public relations is to achieve status as a profession with generally accepted education requirements for performance:

. Increased economic influence
. Increased involvement of professionals and the profession to influence the development of public relations education.

This section recommends specific steps that will increase responsiveness and accelerate advancement as well as intra-institution structural commitments that will strengthen public relations programs appreciably.

Faculty Credentials
There is a shortage of qualified public relations educators, being made more acute by the increasing number of public relations students.

This challenge for the profession is compounded by the fact that colleges and universities are being pressured by accrediting bodies to fill faculty positions with Ph.D.s.

The Ph.D. degree prepares faculty not only as teachers but also as scholars who conduct research using multiple methodologies to help build theory that adds to the public relations body of knowledge.

“While the Commission believes there is a place in the academy for former practitioners with substantial and significant experience, those practitioners may be expected to earn their terminal degrees, i.e., their Ph.D.s, as a credential for becoming full-time faculty,” the report states.

Professional and Pre-Professional Organizations
Students studying public relations in the United States have the opportunity to join any of a number of professional organizations or pre-professional organizations before they graduate. By becoming active members of such organizations, they can begin to see how they might fit into the profession and, perhaps, form a link to an entry-level position.

This section provides detailed information on a number of U.S. and global organizations that assist students in such orientation. The section also presents information on establishing student-managed firms through universities and opportunities for scholarships, awards and other support by organizations such as The LaGrant Foundation (internships and scholarships for minority students studying public relations), the Council of PR Firms, the Arthur Page Society and PRWeek magazine.

Program Certification and Accreditation
Many public relations academic programs benefit by being certified by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and/or accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC).
These programs gain from the extensive self-examination against certification and accreditation standards of excellence. And they also acquire stature for having met these standards.

PRSA Certification examines the public relations program exclusively while ACEJMC accreditation is a “unit” examination, i.e., it reviews all mass communication programs at the institution, which often include print and electronic journalism, advertising and public relations.

Both programs are voluntary. Each has nine standards of review with recent added emphasis on diversity and outcomes assessment. Currently, public relations programs at 14 U.S. universities, one Canadian college and one university in Argentina are certified by PRSA. ACEJMC currently has granted accreditation to 88 mass communication units with public relations programs.

The Commission recommends that more public relations programs seek certification and/or accreditation and that more practitioners volunteer to serve on site visiting teams for these important evaluations of academic excellence. In addition, it urges public relations associations not now members of ACEJMC to consider joining the Council, thereby increasing public relations’ “share of voice” in this important endeavor.

A Call to Action Contemporary public relations education is still young, searching for its “home”—and often its legitimacy—in academe. Practitioners, who never had an op-portunity for its formal study, thus learning their craft primarily from lengthy experience, largely populate the field. That picture is changing. Graduates from public relations academic programs are entering the field in increasing numbers. “While the record of broad support for public relations education by professional groups is growing, there is a critical need for similar action by individual practitioners and the firms, companies and organizations with which they are associated and in which they are influential,” the report states. “Too few are contributing financial support to public relations programs in colleges and universities of their choice,” according to the report.

This final section is the Commission’s clarion call to practitioners for a new level of commitment to public relations education. It enumerates eight specific actions—some financial, some “in kind”—which practitioners can take to strengthen the professional bond between education and the practice. And, the Commission notes, educators likewise can have a vital role in strengthening that bond, mainly by taking the initiative to establish or nurture relationships with practitioners and their organizations. The “A Call to Action” section also presents the first known “Sampling of Major Gifts to Public Relations Education,” a valuable compendium of such largesse provided to stimulate additional support to public relations programs.

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(From Avinash Murkute, Member, PR Point, Pune)

Dear Sir: Kindly find my few suggestions.

1) Few sessions on nuances of technology in communication. When I was student of mass communication, telex and teleprinter was included in my syllabus. Today there is need to include blogging, VLog, Social networking sites, Customer Blogs, Communication security and exercising right controls, ezines, Video conferencing, online meetings, IP telephony, etc.
2) RTI i.e. Right to information Act 2005, is playing a pivotal role in getting information on demand. Although the act has been enacted there are many hurdles in getting the information on anywhere-anytime basis due to technical reasons. Empowering citizens understand RTI act is very much required and a must for students pursuing communication and allied courses. Sessions to understand RTI act may please be considered. Many universities are finding this proposal lucrative.
3) E-commerce: It may cover e-business models, famous fallouts, online transactions, grievance redressal, phising, online scams, security issues, payment gateways, customer communication systems, how to build online business, deciding chief purpose of website and maintaining great e-businesses. The point to understand is how new businesses is required to communicate in e-age. I will have to research for PR in e-age. (Spoke-n-hub)
4) IT act: Cyber law cases not only contains economic frauds but also malicious content, pornographic issues, libel, bad faith domain name registrations, Intellectual property rights issues and so on. Understanding basics of cyber law is required, as in days to come cyber crimes will surpass traditional crime scene.
5) E-Governance: Government plays an important role in providing conducive atmosphere to conducting businesses. Government sector is the largest domestic client for software products and services. Bhoomi project and Gyandoot project are few to name e-governance projects, whose success changed the mindset of India government. Today, Railways, Airlines, Municipal Corporations, Banking, Media, Education, Military...almost all sectors are e-dependant. Advantages are numerous and so is the scale. Training session on e-governance projects and project reports helped many students / institutes understand this crucial area.
Having excellent academic profile and experience in media-n-education, if I can be of any further assistance in design-n-delivery of courses, you might find me as ready help.
Regards,
Avinash Murkute,
Galaxy4u, Pune, Member, Prpoint@yahoogroups.com
Mobile: +919822698070, avinash_m28@yahoo.com

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(From Omkar Thatte, Member, PR Point, Mumbai)

Bobby...
We all know, what is taught in textbooks is the basic knowledge.
Please include practical industrial training, which is very important.
PR in the world of Internet is also an important thing.
These are a couple of suggestions from my side
Regards
Omkar Thatte
9890912031
Member, Prpoint@yahoogroups.com
omkarthatte@gmail.com

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(From BNK, Member, PR Point, Delhi)

Dear Babji

Upcoming PR professionals should be told about PR ethics.
- Need to educate corporates about PR
- Need to educate ourselves on the latest media trends - its not easy to have a an unfavorable or negative story killed!!!!!
- Crisis management or communications in crisis - to be truthful to a large extent.
- PR has come long way from arranging air tickets and hotel rooms for bosses’ families. But the need for a professional, planned, sustained communication exercise is yet to be understood.
- Case studies/projects on crisis related issues.
More ideas on curriculum in subsequent mails.

BNK, Member, Prpoint@yahoogroups.com
mailbnk@gmail.com