UA Professor to deliver lecture at international conference

 

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Bruce Berger, Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, will deliver the prestigious Grunig Lecture on October 16 at the International PRSA Conference in Orlando, Florida. The lecture is named in honor of James E. Grunig, Professor Emeritus, and Larissa A. Grunig, Professor Emerita, of the University of Maryland. The Institute for Public Relations (IPR), the University of Maryland and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) are sponsoring the event.

“I am thrilled. I think it is an absolutely wonderful honor,” said Berger. The title of his lecture is “Employee Communication Redux: Moving From Knowing to Doing.” He will be speaking on the necessity of public relations starting inside the organization.

Dr. Joseph Phelps, professor and chairman of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations said, “The Grunig’s research and writing transformed the study of Public Relations so it is appropriate that only leading scholars are selected to deliver this lecture. Being selected is an indicator of the stature Dr. Berger has among public relations scholars. He is among the top Public Relations scholars in the world today and has an equally impressive reputation among Public Relations practitioners.”

Before entering academia, Berger fulfilled a successful career as a public relations professional and executive for 20 years. He worked at the Upjohn Company, a pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company, from 1975-1989. Based in Brussels, Belgium, his assignments included serving as manager of Public Affairs, and as director of Worldwide Human Health Public Relations. He worked on public relations programs in 30 countries. In 1989 he became Whirlpool Corporation’s VP of Corporate Affairs, and president of the Whirlpool Foundation. With this job he was responsible for developing and implementing the company’s first global public relations strategic plan.

In 1999, Berger earned his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Kentucky. He currently serves as a board member of IPR and The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations in the College of Communication and Information Sciences. He is very active in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, and he has previously held positions such as chair of the department and director of the MA program in the department. Dr. Berger teaches classes at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Dr. Berger has received a number of teaching awards, including: an Excellence in Teaching Award (1997) at Kentucky; an Educator of the Year Award (2006) from the Public Relations Society of America; the Knox Hagood Faculty Award (2006) at UA; the College’s Board of Visitors Teaching Excellence Award (2008); and the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award (2010) from the UA Alumni Association.

Currently, Berger is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, the Public Relations Society of America, the International Communication Association, the National Communication Association, and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. He also serves as a member of the editorial review boards for the Journal of Public Relations Research, Management Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Journal of Communication Studies, and Atlantic Journal of Communication.