| University of Florida Foundation, Inc. | |
| Christopher Brazda | 352-392-1633 |
| Public Relations | 100 NW 20th St |
| cbrazda@uff.ufl.edu | Gainesville, FL 32603 |
| For immediate release | Tuesday, May 13, 2008 |
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA CREATES CHAIR IN PUBLIC INTEREST COMMUNICATIONS
Nation's first endowed public relations professorship focused on nonprofit and public sector service
Karel Chair named for alumnus-pioneer $2 million grant qualifies for matching funds from state of Florida
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Frank Karel |
GAINESVILLE, Fla., --- The University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications today announced the nation's first endowed chair in public relations with a focus on public interest communications, a field of research and practice focused on tools and strategies to advance organizations' missions and goals in the nonprofit and public sectors.
The Frank Karel Chair in Public Interest Communications was made possible by a $2 million grant to UF from Trellis Fund, a foundation chaired by Betsy Karel, Frank Karel's wife. The grant qualifies for a 100 percent match from the state of Florida's Trust Fund for Major Gifts, yielding a $4 million endowment. This will allow the college's department of public relations to recruit an accomplished practitioner to teach and guide students preparing for careers in public service.
"Mr. Karel is a 1961 graduate of the College who was named an alumnus of distinction in 1990," the College's Dean John Wright noted. "He helped pioneer the field of public interest communications in a long and successful career with such organizations as the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the federal government's National Cancer Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson and Rockefeller Foundations and thousands of their grantees."
Linda Hon, executive associate dean and public relations professor at UF, termed Karel "a visionary -- he saw and demonstrated that communications can be used for shaping public policy and mobilizing public will and support to advance education, health, scientific research, the arts, and many other activities critical to human progress and survival."
"Needless to say," Hon continued, "we are thrilled with this new professorship. It fills an exciting, unique niche that has great support in our college. It is a sorely neglected field in academia, and, as a result, there are too few qualified professionals in public service who can take advantage of communications as a strategic tool for advancing their organizations' missions and goals."
"We intend to fill this professorship with a leading professional from the relatively small cohort nationally of experienced public interest communications practitioners," Wright added. "With 5-year appointments, renewable once, this new chair will enable us to develop and evolve our teaching and research in parallel with what's happening in this dynamic, exciting field. As always, we want our graduates to be the best prepared in the country."
The University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications is a national leader in the professional education of future journalists and other communications practitioners. It has programs in advertising, print and broadcast journalism, public relations, and telecommunication production and operations, as well as graduate-level programs in science/health communication, documentary, media law, political communication and international communication.
To find out how you can help support professorships within the College of Journalism and Communications contact the UF College of Journalism and Communications office of development (352) 846-2411
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