REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS

THE PLANK CENTER GRANTS IN LEADERSHIP STUDIES

The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the University of Alabama is dedicated to advancing the ethical and effective practice of public relations and helping develop leadership values and skills in the classroom and profession.  In 2008, the Center is again awarding grants that will improve our understanding of leadership and strengthen our ability to develop future leaders in the field.  The Center will award up to $25,000 in grants of $2,500 to $10,000 to scholars and professionals to study leadership in public relations.  Themes for research proposals this year are:

What leadership in public relations looks like

• Who are some exemplars of leadership excellence in public relations? What criteria should be used to identify such exemplars?
• What are examples or case studies of excellent leadership in action in public relations? What criteria should be used to identify such cases?
• What are the characteristics of an “ideal” leader in public relations? How do student perceptions of role models in PR compare with those of educators, practitioners, or others?

Curriculum developments in, and pedagogical approaches to, leadership values and skills

• Can leadership values and skills be taught?
• How do leadership values and skills get translated into public relations classes?
• To what extent are leadership components incorporated into curricula on a national level?
• What guidelines, cases, texts, approaches, and other resources are available to educators regarding leadership in public relations? What are the greatest opportunities and needs?
• How are leadership values and skills incorporated into the education of PR-oriented graduate students in terms of their future roles as teachers and as potential leaders in the field?

Dimensions of excellence in leadership in public relations

• How is leadership best defined in public relations?
• What core values (traits, characteristics) and skills are necessary for excellence in leadership? Are leadership values and skills different in public relations than in other fields?
• How do professional associations help develop leadership in public relations? What core values and skills do they emphasize? What are the greatest opportunities and needs?
• What role(s) should businesses or other employer organizations play in helping develop PR leadership skills? How might they support, or collaborate with, academia in this regard?

The Center welcomes proposals from any perspective or using any method. We are especially interested in collaborative proposals involving scholars and practitioners. Applications may come from scholars, educators, graduate students, and professionals in public relations, organization studies, management studies, and related fields. Successful grant applicants may reapply for funding.

For more information about the Plank Center Grants in Leadership Studies and its previously funded studies or to obtain grant application guidelines, visit the Programs section of the Center’s Web site (www.plankcenter.ua.edu); contact Dr. Karla Gower, Director of The Plank Center, Box 870172, College of Communication & Information Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0172, (205) 348-0132; or e-mail gower@apr.ua.edu.

Completed application materials must be received by May 30, 2008.