PR Higher Education: Quo Vadis?
Date and Time:
Friday, April 5
4 PM (CEST)
What to expect from the webinar

The university institutionalisation of public relations has been going through a turmoil in the last few years (or even decades). Recent research documents the same trends: the elimination of single honours degrees at UG level and curricular redesign prompted by institutional objectives or priorities. Some of the reasons presented for such drastic changes range from the pressure leaders face, to embedding employability into the curriculum (echoing national governments’ agendas on the matter) or decision-makers’ perception of the dynamics in the practice of public relations. More recently, EUPRERA (European Public Relations Education and Research Association) has created the first network of members interested on the pedagogical side of PR. Complementarily, the new EUPRERA President, professor Jesper Falkheimer, has announced that the focus on PR education will be one of the key priorities of EUPRERA (EUPRERA, 2024).

Starting from the recent publication of two of the network’s members, Dr. Raluca Moise and Dr. Michal Chmiel in Public Relations Inquiry, the present webinar invites EUPRERA members and interested parties into a necessary reflection on the future of PR higher education in the UK. The following themes will be discussed:

  • environmental forces for UK PR degrees;
  • societal dynamics and the integration of newness in PR degrees (e.g. employability, EDI and AI);
  • the role of professional associations and educational committees for the PR curriculum.

 

Speakers

Monique Abbenbroek, Rotterdam University of Applied Science, NL
Monique Abbenbroek MA is a senior lecturer in Communication and the academic international coordinator of the Bachelor of Communications at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS) in the Netherlands. She was one of the founders of the Communications degree and gradually got involved in internationalisation. Next to being a lecturer in the international programme #GetConnected, she is responsible for internationalising the curriculum, incoming and outgoing student mobility and building and maintaining the international partner network. Monique is co-leader of the Euprera PR Education Network.
She was also liaised to the research centre Business Innovation of RUAS, as a member of the research group that conducted research in defining essential 21st century skills from a student point of view.

Richard Bailey, Leeds Beckett University, UK
Richard Bailey Hon FCIPR is a public relations educator and editor. He is a senior lecturer in Public Relations at Leeds Beckett University and the editor of PR Academy’s PR Place Insights

Michal Chmiel, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Michal Chmiel (Ph.D., SFHEA, MCIPR) is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Psychology. He has been involved in Public Relations UG and PG education for 15 years. Formerly BA (Hons) Public Relations Course Leader at London College of Communication (UAL), he is now BSc (Hons) Programme Director for Environment and Social Change at Royal Holloway, University of London. Michal’s research interests focus on the role of the impact of Brand PR on the society, fake news, and PR education.

Ralph Tench, Leeds Beckett University, UK
Professor Ralph Tench is Director of Research for 150 academics at Leeds Business School and Past President (2017-2020) European Public Relations Research and Education Association. Tench’s research involves national and international projects. He’s written and edited 26 books; published over 60 academic journal papers; presented worldwide 70+ peer reviewed papers.  Books include the market leading strategic communication textbook, Exploring Public Relations, and Communication Excellence – How to Develop, Manage and Lead Exceptional Communications, based on the longitudinal, annual European Communication Monitor project (16 years, www.communicationmontor.eu). Tench’s research focuses on strategic communication and its impact on societal issues including health, business, social and public policy.

Stephen Waddington, Wadds Inc., UK
Stephen is the founder and managing partner of Wadds Inc, a professional advisory firm for creative agencies and communication teams. He is also a PhD researcher at Leeds Business School, investigating the relationship between public relations and management.  He’s an entrepreneur who has benefited from disruption in media and technology during his career in public relations. He built Rainier PR during the 90s, supporting companies in creating the infrastructure and applications that were the foundation of the Internet. He did it again ten years later, scaling Speed, one of the first agencies to work across paid, social, and earned media.  Stephen has worked for clients including Amazon, ARM, Associated Press, BMW, The Economist, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Virgin Media Business. Along the way, he has written and edited ten books and served as President of the CIPR. He’s an Honorary Fellow of the CIPR and a Fellow of the PRCA.

Moderator: Raluca Moise, City, University of London, UK
Dr. Raluca Moise is Senior Lecturer in Communications at School of Communication & Creativity, City University of London. Her past research in public relations has focused on areas such as new technologies, reputation (individual, organizational; online and classic media); public opinion and public interest. Most recent research explores sustainability in strategic communications: in its occupational field, with a focus on freelancers; in its communication practices, with an emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusivity. Raluca is a member of EUPRERA and an active network member in ‘Women in PR’ and ‘Education in PR’. Prior to joining City, she worked as lecturer at University of the Arts of London and University of Bucharest, also having worked as a practitioner in public relations, advertising and digital publishing.

Duration

1 hour