How Public Relations Practitoners at Historically Black Colleges &
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HOW PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTITONERS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES DEFINE INFLUENCE by KERRY RICHARDSON (Under the Direction of Karen Miller Russell) ABSTRACT This study is a replication and extension of the “Influence Interviews” conducted by Berger and Reber. Their study, conducted in 2004, interviewed 65 public relations professionals to examine how practitioners defined influence. The current study examined how public relations practitioners at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) define influence within the practice. Analysis of interviews with twenty-five practitioners, representing roughly one-fourth of all HBCUs today, found that practitioners at HBCUs define influence in many of the same ways as their counterparts in other areas of public relations. More often than not, practitioners deemed influence as “having a seat at the decision-making table,” which essentially represents an opportunity for one’s voice to be heard and recommendations to be taken into consideration. Other important factors mentioned, but the most consistent response was having direct access to the president and upper levels of administration. INDEX WORDS: Public relations, Influence, HBCUs, Influence interviews HOW PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTITIONERS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES DEFINE INFLUENCE by KERRY RICHARDSON B.A., Fisk University, 2005 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GA 2007 © 2007 Kerry Richardson All Rights Reserved HOW PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTITONERS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES DEFINE INFLUENCE by KERRY RICHARDSON Major Professor: Karen Miller Russell Committee: Dwight E. Brooks Bryan H. Reber Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2007 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE 1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY……………………………………………………1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW………………….……………………………….….5 3 METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………26 4 RESULTS………...…………………..………….……….….….…….………29 5 DISCUSSION……………….…………………….…………………………....49 6 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………….55 7 APPENDIX……………………………………………….…………………….58 Interview Questions…………………………….…………………………….59 Participating Institutions……..…………………………………………….…60 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………..63 v LIST OF TABLES LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: [Sample for Influence Interviews.] ........................................................................................24 Table 2: [How Practitioners at HBCUs Define Influence.] ........................................................................................25 Table 3: [Who’s Interests Do You Serve First] ........................................................................................28 Table 4: [Practitioners’ Belief About Their Influence.] ........................................................................................29 Table 5: [The Area of My Institution I Impact The Most] ........................................................................................31 Table 6: [Most Needed PR Influence Resources] ........................................................................................34 Table 7: [What Limits Your Influence.] ........................................................................................36 Table 8: [What Is The Greatest Obstacle Faced At An HBCU] ........................................................................................39 Table 9: [What Influence Sources Or Resources Do You Draw From.] ........................................................................................42 Table 10: [Most Valuable Influence Resources] ........................................................................................44 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose of the Study This study evolved from Berger and Reber’s (2004) “Influence Interviews” of 65 public relations practitioners working in a number of industries across the field. The purpose of their study was “to determine how public relations professionals see and define public relations influence inside their organizations” (p. 16). They found that According to Berger and Reber (2004), “the sample was deliberately constructed to represent diverse professionals and organizations and to create potential for variance in responses and findings” (p. 16). However, they did not focus on racial diversity, and only a small portion of their sample worked in university settings. This thesis will therefore extend Berger and Reber’s study in two ways. First, it includes race as an area of analysis. Interviewing practitioners of color can reveal the perceptions held by minorities in practice, giving voice to practitioners who have struggled to find a place within a field which is largely white and where white males occupy a majority of the managerial positions (Clanton and Zerbinos, 1993, p. 79). Second, there is a lack of research on public relations in higher education, particularly relating to influence in practice and image and reputation building. This thesis specifically deals with practitioners who work in higher education PR. Therefore the perspective of these practitioners will reflect their employment at one of more than 100 historically black colleges and universities in the United States, accounting for a segment of practitioners who are often overlooked in public relations research. In fact, this study is the first to assess how public relations practitioners at HBCUs 2 define their place within their institution’s system of hierarchy and includes representatives from a cross section representing both public and private institutions. Historically black colleges and universities, which were founded for the purpose of educating newly freed slaves at the conclusion of the Civil War, have felt their share of growing pains and financial constraints. Researchers like Roebuck and Murty (1993), assert that HBCUs were founded and developed in an environment unlike that surrounding other colleges: they were developed in a hostile environment marked by legal segregation and isolation from mainstream U.S. higher education. Although the number of HBCUs continues to fluctuate, their missions remain to produce graduates who will go on to contribute to their communities, their country and the world. There are a number of factors which inhibit the survival of an HBCU. Among those factors are a lack of alumni contributors, lack of corporate and foundation support, the mismanagement of funds and the lack of unrestricted funds. Winters (1999) wrote, "Only four percent of Howard University's 60,000 alumni contribute to the school whereas 28 percent of Vanderbilt's alumni give to their alma mater." The alumni giving rate at most HBCUs is under five percent and drastically falters behind majority institutions. One way to effectively address the problems at historically black colleges and universities is to assess them from both a historical and contemporary perspective. HBCUs have dealt with issues relating to financial constraints since their inception and continue to suffer from financial constraints but for a completely different set of circumstances including how HBCUs handle crises situations, which have proved to be plentiful. Although there is no simple solution to these problems, HBCUs must begin to look internally for solutions to the significant problems which have forced a 3 number of them to close their doors, to sacrifice academic departments, or to lose their accreditation (Byrd, 1999). These setbacks emphasize the need for an effective public relations office to provide effective counsel to deal with crisis communication and provide effective public relations counsel. Numerous institutions continue to under-utilize public relations, still a relatively new concept for many, and therefore under-fund offices which support these initiatives. Although a strong office of public relations cannot single-handedly save an institution, it can help by increasing admissions and recruitment efforts, invigorating alumni and corporate support, and improving institutional advancement as a whole. In order to be effective in each of these areas, public relations professionals must feel that they possess a voice and a seat at the decision- making table, which represents an opportunity to communicate ideas based on one’s education and expertise in the field. Therefore, key administrators and academicians who make decisions for their universities must know that practitioners possess some level of influence within their organizations to effectively make and execute decisions. Within most university settings exists a department whose sole purpose is to monitor and manage the flow of communication both internally and externally. This office is usually called the Office of Public Relations, but can also be referred to as the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of Communications and Public Relations or the Office of University Relations & Marketing. According to the public relations staff at the University of Colorado-Denver, practitioners are usually hired at the university level to promote university programs, faculty and services to the public, assist local and national media with news gathering and to create publications for the university (Office of Public Relations home page, 2007). 4 In other words, newly hired practitioners usually operate as technicians rather than as managers. However, many public relations practitioners at HBCUs operate in both the technician