University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications faculty and doctoral students will be presenting at the International Public Relations Research Conference in Orlando, Florida from March 3-5.

Public Relations Associate Professor Rita Men and doctoral students Jie Jin, Renee Mitson, Yufan Sunny Qin, and Marc Vielledent will receive the Plank Center Award for Leadership in Public Relations for their study “Enhancing Young Consumers Relational and Behavioral Outcomes: The Impact of CEO Activism Authenticity and Value Alignment.”

Other presentations include:

• Rita Men and colleagues: “Optimizing social chatbots for organizational listening and relational outcomes: The effects of anthropomorphic cues, communication strategies, and message framing.”
• Doctoral student Alexis Bajalia Fitzsimmons: “PR’s Role in Reaching the Disability Community: Communicating Inclusivity Online.”
• Public Relations Professor and Department Chair Marcia DiStaso and doctoral students Eve Heffron, Fitzsimmons, Qin, and Francis Akanbi: “What did Texas-Based Companies do When the Country was Watching for their Response to the Texas Abortion Law?”
• Public Relations Assistant Professor Jay Hmielowski, Renee Mitson and colleague: “Leadership Communication Styles, Employee Satisfaction, and the Moderating Effects of Remote Work.”

In addition, the University of Florida Employee Communication Research Award this year will go to Hyunji Lim from Alma College and Young Kim from Marquette University for “Debunking Misinformation in Times of Crisis: Exploring Misinformation Corrective Strategies for Effective Internal Crisis Communication.” This $500 award is for the top paper concerning internal and employee communication theory and research that is applicable to the practice.

Posted: March 2, 2022
Category: College News, Student News
Tagged as: Alexis Fitzsimmons, Eve Heffron, Francis Akanbi, International Public Relations Research Conference, Jay Hmielowski, Jie Jin, Linjuan Rita Men, Marc Vielledent, Marcia DiStaso, Renee Mitson, Yufan Sunny Qin