The Institute for Public Relations has announced creation of the Grunig PRIME Research Fellowship to foster graduate student interest in applied public relations research. The fellowship will promote applied research as an attractive career opportunity among graduate students, professors and the public relations profession at large.

The fellowship, which includes a $5,000 stipend and a six-week work opportunity, honors James E. Grunig and Larissa A. Grunig, University of Maryland professors emeriti. The fellowship is sponsored by PRIME Research, a leading global provider of public relations research and consultation.

“The Grunigs have devoted their careers to promoting a scientific, research-based approach to public relations practice,” said Mark Weiner, CEO for PRIME Research in North America. “PRIME is honored to be working with them and the Institute to encourage bright students to pursue careers in applied research.”

Graduate students in public relations/communication who are studying in the United States are encouraged to apply online at instituteforpr.org. Applicants should have completed at least one year of study toward a graduate degree and at least one research methodology course. At the end of the six-week experience in Ann Arbor, MI, the Fellow will contribute a paper to the body of knowledge in applied public relations research, which may be published by the Institute.

“We are privileged to have this fellowship named in our honor,” the Grunigs said. “We believe that public relations will reach its potential as a profession when research becomes an integral part of all public relations activities.”

More detailed information regarding the fellowship, including application requirements, can be found at
instituteforpr.org/awards/grunigprime or www.prime-research.com/grunigprime.

Larissa and James Grunig are professors emeriti in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. James Grunig has been a faculty member at Maryland since 1969 and Larissa Grunig since 1978. Together, they have written or edited 10 books. Each has written more than 200 articles, book chapters, monographs, reviews, and conference papers on public relations theory and research. They have lectured in 43 countries, won nearly every major award given to public relations educators, and advised hundreds of masters and doctoral students.

PRIME Research, founded in 1985 in Mainz, Germany, combines academic rigor with practical relevance to provide a broad array of research and consulting services to many of the world’s greatest organizations. The firm employs approximately 500 analysts and 100 consultants in eight locations around the world with domestic operations in Ann Arbor, Michigan. To learn more, visit www.prime-research.com.

The Institute for Public Relations is an independent foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations™, bridging the academy and the profession, supporting PR research and mainstreaming this knowledge into practice through PR education.

For more information:
Frank Ovaitt
703-568-5611, iprceo@jou.ufl.edu

Mark Weiner
203-414-8482, weiner@prime-research.com

Heidy Modarelli handles Growth & Marketing for IPR. She has previously written for Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, The Next Web, and VentureBeat.
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