2022 Update: The paper placed second in AEJMC’s Best Practices in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the classroom competition.
Associate dean Regina Luttrell and adjunct instructor Adrienne Wallace of Grand Valley State University are co-authors of the paper “Shifting the Paradigm – Improving Student Awareness of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts Through Public Relations Campaigns.” The paper was published by the Journal of Public Relations Education from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).
As PR professors it is our responsibility to make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) top of mind when teaching our students to develop comprehensive campaigns. It is our role to educate the next wave of practitioners to take the “diversity first” approach when working with clients or organizations. Through learning how to apply the researcher-developed Diversity & Inclusion Wheel for Public Relations Practitioners, this paper illustrates how students can operationalize this tool to build strategic campaigns that encompass DEI principles.