On Wednesday, Nov. 29, IPR hosted its 56th Annual Distinguished Lecture with more than 320 people in attendance celebrating the leaders and future leaders of our profession.
Award winners included:
Don Bartholomew Award for Excellence in PR Research (sponsored by Ketchum)
Jung Kyu (Rhys) Lim (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Maryland)
Grunig PRIME Research Fellowship (sponsored by PRIME Research)
Liudmila Khalitova (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida)
Makovsky Best Master’s Thesis Award (sponsored by Makovsky)
Ruoyu Sun (M.A., University of Georgia)
Dr. Juan Meng (Advisor, University of Georgia)
Jack Felton Medal for Lifetime Achievement for Advancement of Research, Measurement & Evaluation
Dr. Don W. Stacks, Professor Emeritus of Strategic Communication, University of Miami
Pathfinder Award
Dr. Jim Macnamara, Professor of Public Communication, University of Technology Sydney
Alexander Hamilton Medal for Major Contributions to the Practice of Public Relations
Wendi Strong, retired Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, USAA
The 2017 Distinguished Lecturer was Lee Rainie, Director of Internet and Technology Research, of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan American think tank and one of the most trusted sources in issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the U.S. and the world. Lee spoke about truth, politics, and culture in a hyper-connected world. He talked about the impact of bots, online harassment, fake news in an environment filled with noise. He introduced the attendees to a new word, agnotology, defined as the study of culturally induced ignorance or doubt. He emphasized the importance of research and empathy during a time when outrage is encouraged over civil discourse. Finally, he suggested public relations professionals start and continue to act as stewards of this fast-changing environment.
Thank you to everyone who attended the dinner, which is IPR’s largest fundraiser of the year. We are so thankful for our supporters who help us continue our mission of supporting research that matters to the practice. Special thanks to the University of Florida who sponsored the Cocktail Reception.
A gallery of all the pictures from the #IPRLecture are online: https://instituteforpr.org/events/distinguished/.
The date for the 2018 will be announced in January!
