RMIT & Deakin Universities

I was Program Manager and Lecturer, Undergraduate PR Programs at RMIT and a Lecturer at Deakin University

I reported to the Head of the School. I joined RMIT as a lecturer in January 2002 and was made Program Manager for undergraduate PR programs in August 2002. I held these positions until September 2005. Prior to that, I spent 2001 at Deakin University as a lecturer. Please scroll down for more information my roles, achievements and lecturing.

ABOUT RMIT University and the Communications programs

RMIT University is a major Australian university based in Melbourne, and has a long history and strong reputation as being a leader in communications and public relations education. The School of Applied Communication (now the School of Media and Communication) undertook a major revamp of its undergraduate programs during 2002 and 2003, introducing a new Bachelor of Communication degree with majors in public relations, professional communication, journalism, media studies and advertising.

The Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations) was designed to provide professional skills and knowledge of communication in all fields, together with a broader education and an understanding of the political, economic, social and technological environments of communities. We defined Public Relations (PR) as the profession that deals with the creation, maintenance and improvement of relationships between organisations and the people they deal with. PR is not just about publicity, and not about spin.

PR covers many fields including:

• Community relations – organising community consultations to work out issues between an organisation and the local community

• Internal relations – Looking after the staff

• Issues and crisis management – Providing information for those who must have it in a crisis

• Media relations – Dealing with the media openly and professionally

• Government relations – Looking after the relationship between the Government and an organisation

• Investor relations – People who put money in deserve to know what’s happening

The RMIT Public Relations degree is considered one of the finest available in the region. This is because of the very strong involvement public relations professionals in the design of the course, and as teachers and guest lecturers. They are committed to the success of their profession, giving their time and energy to ensure that our students receive the very best in PR education

Deakin University is a major Australian University, and at the time I was there, was one of Australia's two biggest online Universities with more students studying remotely than on-campus. It is highly regarded in Public Relations teaching and offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees which are accredited by the Public Relations Institute of Australia.

Deakin University was strongly devoted to improving teaching quality and provided excellent support for lecturers to develop their academic, teaching and research skills. It was also an Australian leader in remote education and was developing advanced infrastructure and technology for virtual lecturing and tutoring - at least by 2001 standards!

Program Manager

I held a Program Manager position in addition to a full teaching load as a lecturer (see details below). As Program Manager, I was responsible for:

• Leadership and Management of undergraduate PR teaching and administration

• Leadership and management across programs in the development of the new degree

• Redevelopment of undergraduate PR degrees

• Marketing of the new Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations) degree

• Student selection, enrolment and guidance

• Departmental budget and planning

• Relationships with professional organisations and universities, including international programs and overseas student study

• Teaching in undergraduate, postgraduate and short course programs in subjects covering strategy thinking, strategic planning, communication foundations, advanced communication, research methods, relevant laws, and values and ethics

Achievements

• Achieved an 80% approval rating and top five position for the PR undergraduate program after being in the bottom 10% of programs when I took over the role as Program Manager

• Completed all student selections, meeting university equity and educational disadvantage targets in 5 of 6 categories, one of less than 10 programs to achieve this

• Led the consultation with the profession, alumni, students, staff and University leaders for the redevelopment of the public relations degree, resulting in the approval of a new Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations) degree

• Development and approval of the world’s first values-based Public Relations degree (See Presentation)

• Developed the approved business case for the new Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations)

• Created and delivered the communication plan for the new Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations) degree and attracted more applicants than had ever applied for the previous Public Relations degree

• Introduction and design of new subjects in Values, Ethics & PR, strategic planning and advanced strategic planning including business planning

• Design and delivery of short courses and workshops, including those delivered as certification programs for the Public Relations Institute of Australia

• Improved and created new relationships with professional organisations and international universities, including with communications programs in North America and Europe

• Provided media comments as an RMIT university expert on communication issues involving the Shane Warne suspension for a contravention of the drug code, the questioning of comments and actions of the Governor-General, speed cameras, Timor Sea Justice Campaign advertisements and public relations

• Presentations at Public Relations Institute of Australia National Conferences, the Australian Institute of Management and the ANZ Communicators Association, on leadership communication, community engagement and the development of the new values-based PR degree

Soon after arriving at RMIT University, I was asked to lead the complete redesign of the Public Relations degree at RMIT University, and was a member of the team that created the new Bachelor of Communications degree. This included developing both the business case and the pedagogical foundations for the proposed degrees, which were approved by the University.

Teaching, Research & Learning Design

(including casual teaching for RMIT University before and after full-time employment)

Peer Reviewed Publication

Defining Realities: why community consultation needs to start with the problem, not the solution, 2006, Vol 10 P 44, Journal of Communication Management

Learning Design and Research

• Undertook the pedagogical research for the design of the Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations) Degree and designed the approved degree

  • Designed the program as the values-based degree

  • Designed the program using a combination of cognitive and situative theoretical perspectives

Course Design, Approval and Coordination

• Advanced Strategic Planning, COMM2256, undergraduate

  • Approval 2004, coordinator and lecturer 2005

• Strategic Planning and Communication Management (with Judy Lawry), COMM1125, Masters

  • Approval, coordinator and lecturer, 2005

• Strategic PR Planning, COMM2143, undergraduate

  • Approval 2003, coordinator and lecturer 2004-2005

• Values, Ethics and PR, COMM2111, undergraduate

  • Approval 2004, coordinator and lecturer 2005

Course Re-design, Approval and Coordination

• Introduction to PR, COMM1161, undergraduate (Open Elective)

  • Approval 2003, coordinator and lecturer 2004 – 2005

• PR Law & Regulation, COMM1179, Graduate Diploma and Masters

  • First re-design, 1998, Second Re-design 2003

  • Coordinator and lecturer, 1998 – 2000, 2002 – 2003, 2011

Coordination, Lecturer and Tutor

• Public Relations Research, COMM1178, Graduate Diploma, 2011

• Theories of Communication and Persuasion, COMM2112, undergraduate, 2004

• Social Context of Professional Practice, COMM2090, undergraduate, 2002 – 2004

• Issues in PR Practice, COMM1172 and COMM1183, graduate diploma, 2002 – 2003

• PR Theory and Practice, COMM1175, graduate diploma, 2002

• Introduction to PR, COMM1161, 2002 – 2004, undergraduate for the William Angliss School of Hospitality & Tourism

• Introduction to PR, undergraduate (campus and online) and masters (online), 2001

• Media law and regulation, undergraduate (campus and online) and masters (online), 2001

Lecturer and Tutor

• PR Campaigns, COMM2089, undergraduate, 2003 – 2004

• Communication Research, COMM2070, undergraduate, 2003

• PR Campaigns, undergraduate (campus and online), 2001

• Advanced PR Case Studies, masters, 1998 – 1999

• Case Studies in PR, undergraduate (tutor only), 1998 – 1999

• Media Law and Regulation, undergraduate (tutor only), 1998 – 1999 

• Print editing & publication, undergraduate, 1998