2017 Call for Grant Proposals

The Arthur W. Page Center in the College of Communications at Penn State University has announced its annual Page and Johnson Legacy Scholar competition for the study of integrity in public communication.

The Center will award grants to support scholars and professionals making important contributions to knowledge, practice, or public understanding of ethics and responsibility in public communication. The 2017 Legacy Scholars Grants Call will focus on the rapidly changing field of digital media.

Now more than ever, digital media has become a powerful force for organization-stakeholder engagement. In this current era of social networks, digital technology enables new communication opportunities and challenges between organizations and stakeholders. Because of this technology’s rapid advancement, we still have much to understand about how it affects communications—and how it will impact the future of public relations. Through research, we can hopefully better equip organizations to strategically and responsibly use digital media.

This year, the Page Center’s call for proposals seeks to fill the gaps in literature about digital media, and preference will be given to studies that have an emphasis on practical implications.
 

Topics could include, but are not limited to:

  • Engagement with specific audiences through digital media (e.g., activists, communities, employees, influencers, volunteers, international groups, LGBTQ, etc.)
  • Strategic use and measurement of digital media
  • Impact, benefits or challenges of digital media such as social media, wearables, gamification, apps, IoT, location, augmented reality, etc.

The research conducted from approved proposals will be evaluated for a special journal issue or for a standalone publication edited by Page Center fellow and associate professor of advertising/public relations Marcia DiStaso, APR. Authors of accepted submissions may also be asked to participate in a webinar or conference panel, write a post for the Page Center blog, and/or make their work available for distribution through a website.

Deadline for proposal submission is March 15, 2017. See the Page Center website for proposal guidelines.

Questions can be directed to Marcia W. DiStaso at 814-863-9874.