The Institute intends to pursue eight major new initiatives, presented here in three broad categories: international; building/mainstreaming research-based knowledge; and spokesmanship.

International

1. Convocation of senior professionals in Europe.

Our most notable international successes in recent years (the International Distinguished Lectures and the Henley events) have all been in Western Europe, which gives rise to a bold proposal from the International Committee of the Board. European senior professionals are without organizations comparable to the Institute, the Page Society or the PR Seminar. We have an opportunity to help create this high-quality community by focusing on issues they care about.

We might start with a small, hosted gathering of senior professionals/academics and Institute Trustees (perhaps a quarter of these should come from the US, thus creating a bridge in the very composition of the meeting). The venue may be provided by a corporate philanthropy department interested in furthering knowledge, exchange and progress on specific issues. We might also consider "piggybacking" on the Henley event.

The intent is to provide a "safe space" for an authentic and broad discussion of corporate reputation issues. It shouldn't be just PR people talking to PR people. We will seek to engage CEOs, other top officers and high potential managers from participating companies. Possible topics might include:

• Reputation as it relates to corporate strategy, the needs of the new era CEO and corporate board.
• Environmental and food issues.

The best way to credibly reach European business leaders may be via top European business schools. The academic/professional bridge is taken seriously in Europe. We should look to the likes of IMD, INSEAD, St. Gallen, London School of Economics, and London Business School - institutions to which major corporations send their rising stars for executive education.

After reaching the senior professionals, we may follow up by creating a next generation PR leaders program in Europe, with appropriate interaction with next generation leaders from North America and elsewhere in the world.

2. Other international partnerships to build presence beyond Western Europe.

By standardizing learning, we can help create a more predictable playing field in international public relations. The Institute will pursue a model where others take the risks and we provide content, thus expanding our reach while at least covering our costs. We will look for PR association partners as well as business organizations, business schools, major companies with development needs.

We will also encourage international speaking invitations where travel expenses are covered, reaching audiences around the world and tracking subsequent interest and interaction with the Institute.

Building/Mainstreaming Research-Based Knowledge

3. Institute Research Fellows.

A Board proposal will be developed for an exclusive group of IPR Research Fellows with international reputations built on their expertise in academic and practitioner research. This group would guide the total Institute research program, bringing to life the promise of our mission and decision-making principles - that the basic and applied research we support must adhere to accepted criteria for scientific inquiry in the social sciences and address questions of manifest importance to the public relations profession. The influence and credibility of these Research Fellows would be leveraged as a primary driver to enhance the breadth and the resources of the Institute's research program.

4. Research matrix/clearinghouse.

The Research Committee, which has included not only Institute Trustees but also representatives from other PR organizations in North America and abroad, produced the first iteration of this matrix/clearinghouse project in 2007. The intent is to publish the results, encourage other parties to contact us with additions, and expand the report on an ongoing basis. We also hope to use this clearinghouse function to help generate partnerships on research projects of mutual interest.

5. Essential Knowledge Project.

While the ultimate dimensions and style of this initiative remain unknown at this time, the Board agrees that it has the potential to "become the Institute." By providing a portal to research-based knowledge across our field - and "translating" this knowledge to make it applicable for a broad range of practitioners (and scholars and students as well) - this could well become the centerpiece of all Institute programming. But to find a practical path to that goal without putting the survival of the Institute itself at risk (the commitments could be that large), we will:

• Create an incremental "resource light" pilot that will allow us to demonstrate in prototype what this project can deliver.
• Include a capability that allows users to rate the knowledge, providing feedback to the expert editors and contributors as to what is most useful.
• Tee up a decision on whether to add a headcount specific for these duties is appropriate, or whether some other model (such as a selection of paid part-time academics and professionals to serve as expert editors would) make better use of the resources.
• Build on the already committed funds to have financial support ready to proceed when the prototypes have sufficiently demonstrated the viability of the project.

6. Consider opportunities for more involvement in "PR operations research."

The Institute's research focus in recent years has been true to our mission of the science beneath the art of public relations - and there it will remain. However, as resources allow, we may also want to address "operational" research, relating to better management of agencies and corporate public relations departments. We will consider this in situations where there are gaps in what is available from other sources, and where the issues are connected to the effective use of research-based knowledge.

Since this will not be our primary area of research, the opportunity must be carefully vetted, cost-effective - and funded. Thus, we will emphasize partnerships for this kind of research.

Spokesmanship and Outreach

7. Reaching the campus through a formal guest lecture program.

Institute Trustees make volunteer pilgrimages every year to college campuses around the US and the world, serving as guest lecturers. But we have not had an organized program of identifying Trustees (and perhaps other senior speakers) who are willing to do this, the topics on which they'd like to speak, the schools most worthy of (and needing) their help, and the preparation they may need to be fully comfortable and effective in this role. To accomplish this, the Institute will establish a Trustee-led program to:

• Identify subjects where Trustees are comfortable describing a framework (theory) and sharing their own experiences/cases (practice).
• Fill identified needs for classroom speakers on topics including crisis communications, IR, budgeting, the business of PR, why math/science phobia is no longer acceptable in our field.
• Provide volunteer guest lecturers with guidance/templates on how to present for best effect in classroom.
• Offer to universities with respected public relations and corporate communications programs.
• Encourage schools to in turn educate the lecturer about how public relations is being taught on campus, so the learning will be two-way.
• Capture lectures and present with streaming video on website and as case studies/teaching modules available to educators.

8. Reaching the profession and beyond.

By now, the strategic importance of our policy of free distribution of research (e.g., through the website, the Institute blog, emails to our broad "friends and supporters" list, presence in trade media and professional conferences, etc.) is well demonstrated through the successes of the last five to 10 years. All this will continue.

But while speaking to the profession, could we also serve by speaking for the profession to broader audiences? That role is something that some Trustees believe is sorely missing from our field - an institution to take the lead in raising awareness across the business world and our societies of what it means to be a professional in our field. While there is no denying the risks of this undertaking - including getting "consumed by bad things" as one Trustee has said - the Institute may have fewer constraints than membership associations to serve as this spokesperson. Thus, we will begin cautiously by:

• Focusing on thought leadership and research-based knowledge, acting as an analyst who brings things to a higher level (our university ties help us in this regard).
• Staying out of commenting on a particular company's situation while emphasizing best practices, research and broader themes.
• Picking issues carefully; using the marketing committee to focus on particular topics and conduct the outreach to major business and general media.