1956

• Chartered as the Foundation for Public Relations Research and Education

1959

• Fellowship Program brings selected professors into outstanding public relations departments or firms; 70 educators and 50 sponsors participate over two decades

1961

• First Annual Distinguished Lecture; leading scholars and practitioners explore public relations history and professional issues
• Grant supports new Communication, Public Opinion and Management course at Cornell University Graduate School of Business & Public Administration

1964

• First Foundation-supported bibliography of public relations studies; later editions appear in Public Relations Review

1968

• Begin audiovisual archives project preserving contemporary professional history through interviews with leading practitioners

1969

• First book on Public Relations Law

1973

• Opinion of the Publics, a documentary film of public relations case histories, is released; ultimately seen by 15 million people

1975

• Publish A Design for Public Relations Education, the first curricular guidelines by the Commission on Public Relations Education
• Launch Public Relations Review, the first peer-reviewed research journal in the field; produced by a commercial publisher since 1988

1977

• Publish Managing Your Public Relations: Guidelines for Nonprofit Organizations
• With University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, initiate an annual week-long symposium for high-potential public relations leaders

1980

• Introduce Best Master's Thesis Award for graduate PR student research; now sponsored by Northwestern Mutual
• The Executive Speechmaker provides a structured approach to speech programs

1981

• Community Service Competition launched with National Communication Council for Human Services; students mount public relations campaigns for local charities

1984

• Pathfinder Award, funded by practitioner, educator and author Allen H. Center, created to recognize original program of scholarly research

1985

• First Golden Writing Awards for public relations students
• Advancing Public Relations: Recommended Curriculum for Graduate Public Relations Education, published with Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
• Begin annual breakfast at AEJMC to foster closer relations with key educators

1986

• Publish first book on New Technology and Public Relations, including early look at the Internet

1989

• Name changed to Institute for Public Relations Research and Education

1990

• Produce Communications that Count video on value of public relations

1992

• Public Relations Executive Forum established for high-potential, midcareer corporate communications people; now co-sponsored by Arthur W. Page Society
• Ketchum Excellence in PR Research Award starts as the Smart Grant and Internship

1996

• PR Evaluation Summit Meeting lays groundwork for Commission on Public Relations Measurement & Evaluation in 1998
• Institute's first website begins offering all of our publications free

1997

• First International Symposium, When in Rome Do We Do as the Romans Do? presented with University of Florida College of Business Administration

1998

• Corporate Communications Policy Concerning the Internet surveys senior-level corporate public relations officers
• Institute research award presented at first Interdisciplinary Public Relations Research Conference at University of Maryland; IPRRC now held in conjunction with University of Miami each year
• Establish Alexander Hamilton Medal for lifetime contribution to professional public relations

2001

• Psychology and Public Relations Today is the first in a series of interdisciplinary bibliographies sponsored by General Motors

2002

• Primer of Public Relations Research by Dr. Don W. Stacks published by Guilford Press

2003

• Co-sponsor Arthur W. Page Society Case Writing Competition to develop more business school teaching material involving public relations
• International Index of Bribery for News Coverage published in cooperation with the International Public Relations Association

2004

• Create Golden Ruler Award for excellence in measurement; renamed for Jack Felton in 2006
• With PRWeek, explore measurement from perspectives of clients, agencies, researchers and educators
• International Distinguished Lecture by Harold Burson, and first Business School Seminar with Henley Management College and PRWeek-UK

2005

• Public Relations Leadership Forum launched for highpotential agency executives; co-sponsored by Page Society and Council of PR Firms
• Science Beneath the Art column debuts in PR News

2006

• 50th anniversary celebrated with launch of Summit on Corporate Communications