The Public Interest Communications Educators Network launched in the fall of 2021, led by faculty from the University of Florida and University of Washington. Its mission is to build the academic field of public interest communications nationwide, so that students can one day major in public interest communications as they major in journalism, public relations, advertising and other communication fields. The network has about two dozen members from institutions across the country. In its inaugural year, it organized panels about public interest communications at the International Communication Association and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications conferences, as well as a first-ever Public Interest Communications Summer Institute, held at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In the 2022-2023 academic year, we are holding virtual discussions and organizing another summer institute for June 2023.

We are looking to expand our network! If you are interested getting involved, please contact Angela Bradbery at abradbery@jou.ufl.edu or Andrea Otáñez at aotanez@uw.edu

Members of the network include faculty and researchers from:

• Appalachian State University
• Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
• Howard University
• Sonoma State University
• University of Florida
• University of Houston
• University of Massachusetts Boston
• University of Minnesota
• University of Oklahoma
• University of the Pacific
• University of South Carolina
• University of Texas at Austin
• Virginia Tech
• University of Washington
• West Virginia University