How will the public relations profession change due to COVID-19? by Juan Carlos Molleda

For our 65th anniversary, IPR Trustee Juan-Carlos Molleda, of University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. shares thoughts on IPR and public relations in 65 words.

In 1956, the Institute for Public Relations was founded as an add-on organization to PRSA on the basis that research needed to be more prominent in our field. But the basic research this organization was founded on would be unrecognizable compared to the rigorous research studies conducted today.

Read the entire IPR Sapphire Anthology here

This month, IPR celebrates our 65 years—our sapphire anniversary—of offering free research that matters to the profession. The blue sapphire symbolizes trust, loyalty, and integrity. I think IPR has embodied its purpose throughout these 65 years with these three qualities in mind by building trust in our work, sustaining loyalty to our industry, and leading with integrity every step of the way.

IPR has significantly grown in the past 25 years, both internally and externally. Today, we have a full-time president and CEO. We built five new Commissions and Centers of Excellence. We have hired additional team members (even though we are still small). We have doubled the size of our Board. We publish more research today than we ever have with more than 800,000 unique visitors annually to our website. And we’ve risen amidst game-changing factors, including the internet, social media, and mobile phones, just to name a few. Throughout this, IPR successfully kept up and anticipated the needs of our industry.

We invite you to check out our IPR Sapphire Anthology, a collection of 65-word reflections and predictions about IPR and public relations from our IPR Board of Trustees. Thank you for supporting the Institute for Public Relations and we look forward to serving you for another 65!