Public relations education: our future is banking on it - includes related articles - Section 3: Communication in Transition - From Art to Science

Communication World, Feb, 1992 by J. David Pincus, Robert E. Rayfield

The future of public relations

education

Whichever way we flip the education coin, we see the need for practitioners and educators to become evangelists for more and better public relations education. Many business executives and journalists are unaware of the benefits of this education. Others just don't believe in it. Whatever the case, the time for influencing the direction of public relations curricula in communication and business schools will never be more crucial. Perhaps business schools should be our top priority, given upper management's leverage over the public relations function.

So where do we go from here? Here are our thoughts. We welcome yours. Let's just keep the discussion alive.

Public relations-business

alliances

A theme that emerges time and again is the link between public relations and business interests in the work place. Unfortunately, that link is often missing in academina. On U.S. campuses, C-schools and B-schools tend to act like strangers waiting to be introduced. Students in each school, then, are often denied access to resources and courses in the other. This hapless scenario is often because of educators' turf wars that create chasms between related disciplines. Bridging this gap may be as simple as an invitation to guest lecture or collaborate on a research project.

Off campuses, organizations such as IABC, which can draw on expertise from practitioners and members of its Educator Academy, could establish a "Public Relations Education" task force. This joint group of practitioners and educators might not only spread the gospel, but also counsel MBA administrators and faculty in developing communication and public relations courses. The credibility and international scope of IABC could rivet attention of communication education issues in ways no faculty alone could ever hope to do.

Teaching public relations

Which public relations topics to communication business students need to study" That's the $64,000 question. What seems clear is that today's beginning public relations professionals need to possess both technical (e.g., writing and graphics, research, interpersonal) and strategic (e.g., business-media relationship, organizational theories, planning) capabilities.

C-schools, the major feeder programs, generally merge both skills and strategies education into curricula, yet employer's complaints persist of public relations graduates' weak writing skills and little knowledge of business practices. B-schools that do teach communication subjects emphasize basic writing and speaking skills, and underplay strategic topics essential to a management-oriented appreciation of public relations.

Public relations courses, however they're configured and wherever they're taught, should be re-examined regularly for their adequacy and relevancy. New and innovative approaches should be pursued. Along that line, we've begun conceptual groundwork on a new introductory public relations course which treats the function from a business-driven perspective.