University of Maryland Partners with PRSA to Advance Public Relations Instruction in MBA Program

Pilot program aims to create better understanding of corporate communication strategy,
methodology and value among current and future business leaders

College Park, Md. – June 12, 2012 — The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is one of five business schools selected by The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to participate in a groundbreaking pilot program aimed at enhancing the strategic communication and reputation management education provided to the nation’s MBA candidates.

The schools selected by PRSA have demonstrated a commitment to teaching the strategic value of public relations at the MBA level, and currently offer or have previously offered public relations classes or coursework in their MBA and/or Executive MBA programs. Under the pilot program, the Robert H. Smith School of Business will integrate a new, turn-key public relations course into its MBA curriculum for the 2012-2013 academic year.

“Communication and reputation management are necessary skills for executives and all leaders,” said G. “Anand” Anandalingam, dean of the Robert H. Smith School. “We have always stressed the importance of these competencies to our students by delivering workshops and short courses. Our students will benefit further from this semester-long format.”

The Smith School will work collaboratively with the other business schools in the pilot on identifying and documenting best practices in terms of subject matter and teaching methods, and on incorporating its findings into a formal report to be released at the pilot program’s end.

“Being a part of this pilot gives us the opportunity to positively influence business education across the country,” said Ken White, assistant dean of Marketing Communications, who will teach the course. “We will work together with the other pilot schools and PRSA to offer a best-practices guide for the public relations course curriculum to business schools nationwide.”

The other institutions taking part in the pilot include Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business; Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management; Quinnipiac University’s School of Business; and the University of Texas at El Paso’s College of Business Administration.

“We’re extremely proud of the quality and diversity of the university programs that showed interest and were selected to take part in our MBA pilot program,” said PRSA Chair and CEO Gerard F. Corbett, APR, Fellow PRSA. “Our aim was to identify schools that were best-in-class in their respective categories and representative of various geographies, sizes and specializations, and I’d say we exceeded those goals, given the caliber of the institutions selected.”

PRSA Study Underscores Need for Public Relations Training

In October 2011, a Kelton Business Leader Study commissioned by PRSA surveyed 204 American business leaders (vice president and above) to gauge the organizational value that U.S. business executives place on corporate communications and reputation management, and on senior managers having advanced knowledge and grounding in those areas.

The survey results showed that many American business leaders view recent MBA graduates as being under-prepared in the areas of strategic communication and reputation management. The results also showed that many of the business leaders surveyed believe MBA programs lack sufficient emphasis on communications strategy and related leadership skills.

To help address this lack of training, PRSA’s MBA initiative is a multi-year, collaborative effort to advocate the value of including foundational communications strategy in MBA programs. Ultimately, the program is intended to give MBA candidates a better appreciation of public relations’ strategic value and help them understand the communications methodologies required for success in the future.

The program has the support of the Arthur W. Page Society, Council of Public Relations Firms and International Association of Business Communicators. Initial funding was provided by the PRSA Foundation, and ongoing financial and material support is being provided by MWW Group, Kelton Research, Hilton Hotels Corporation and Southwest Airlines.

About the Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, MS in business, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
PRSA is the largest professional organization serving the U.S. public relations community. With a mission to “advance the profession and the professional,” PRSA provides news and information, thought leadership, continuing education and networking opportunities; sets standards of professional excellence and ethical conduct; and advocates for the business value of public relations and greater diversity among public relations professionals. Based in New York, PRSA comprises 112 local Chapters; 14 Professional Interest Sections that focus on specific industries and practice areas; and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which is active at more than 320 colleges and universities.