The Essential Knowledge Project (EKP) made its debut in 2008, defining the Institute for Public Relations perhaps as clearly as any initiative in our 50-plus years.

As an independent nonprofit dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations™, the Institute bridges the academy and the profession, supports PR research and mainstreams this knowledge into practice through PR education. The EKP provides an online guide to existing public relations research and translates this knowledge into practitioners' language. The following sections are already available (with more to come) on the Institute's website:

• Consolidated Research Agendas by Lou Williams, L.C. Williams & Associates
• Corporate Social Responsibility by Robert Heath, PhD, and Lan Ni, PhD, University of Houston
• Crisis Communications by W. Timothy Coombs, PhD, Eastern Illinois University
• Employee and Organizational Communication by Bruce K. Berger, PhD, University of Alabama
• Ethics and Public Relations Practice by Shannon A. Bowen, PhD, Syracuse University
• Investor Relations, by Alexander Laskin, PhD, Quinnipiac University
• Issues Management by Elizabeth Dougall, PhD, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
• New Technology and PR by John V. Pavlik, PhD, Rutgers University
• Reputation by Elliot Schreiber, PhD, Drexel University
• Trust and Credibility by Bradley L. Rawlins, PhD, Brigham Young University

BRIDGING THE PRACTICE AND THE ACADEMY

• "From Sustainability to Durability: Implications for Communications and Public Relations Research" was the theme of the Institute's first senior professional colloquium, developed by our European Trustees as a by-invitation-only event at the University of Warwick.
• Published "A Professional's Guide to Guest Lecturing," a book by Tom Martin, The College of Charleston.
• The 2008 International Public Relations Research Conference, "Research That Matters to the Practice," drew 108 new projects presented by academic and professional attendees. The Institute funded top paper awards and presented the first Jackson-Sharpe Award to Julie O'Neil, PhD, Texas Christian University, and Sean Williams, National City Corporation.
• "Reputation & Leadership," our fifth annual Business School Seminar, presented with Henley Business School in the United Kingdom. Elliot Schreiber, PhD, Drexel University, was the featured Institute speaker on brand and reputation.
• The Institute's annual reception at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference drew more than 70 public relations educators and honored Betsy Plank and Albert Walker, PhD, for lifetime contributions to public relations.
• The 2008 Pathfinder Award for outstanding scholarly contributions to professional knowledge was presented to Lynne Sallot, PhD, University of Georgia.
• The Northwestern Mutual Best Master's Thesis Award went to Hye Kyung Kim, Syracuse University. Vidya Sawhny of Michigan State University won the 2008 Ketchum Excellence in Public Relations Research Award.
• The Institute co-sponsored the Arthur W. Page Society Case Study Competition, with the grand prize going to Courtney Woo, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
• The Institute co-sponsored an academic/practitioner symposium with the Arthur W. Page Society and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, focusing on the chief communications officer's role in defining and managing corporate authenticity.
• Sponsored the first Annual Grunig Lecture at the University of Maryland with Richard Edelman, President and CEO, Edelman Public Relations, delivering the keynote, "Is Public Engagement the Future of PR?"

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS

• Throughout the year, the Institute served as a leading voice for the importance of research-based knowledge in public relations, through trade media and speaking engagements in locations as far ranging as China, Brazil, Peru, Slovenia, Italy, Belgium and the UK.
• The Commission on PR Measurement & Evaluation and the Commission on Global PR Research produced new works on "Using Public Research to Drive Business Results" and a new global survey of journalists and PR practitioners on bribery for news coverage.
• "Knowledge Management and the Personal Influence Model," a masters project by Kristin Johnson, New York University, continued building the Institute's literature on this model of public relations. Tiffany Derville Gallicano, PhD, University of Oregon, won a 500 Euro Institute Special Prize at the EUPRERA World Congress for "Personal Relationship Strategies and Outcomes in a Case Study of a Multi-Tiered Membership Organization."
• Published the third edition of "The Evolution of Public Relations: Case Studies From Countries in Transition," edited by Judy Turk, PhD, and Linda Scanlan, sponsored by Schering-Plough and Philips.
• The Institute's program of research on new technology and public relations, sponsored by Wieck Media, produced "The Increasing Impact of Social Media on Public Relations" by Donald K. Wright, PhD, Boston University, and Michelle Hinson, Institute for Public Relations. Also published additional elements of the Society for New Communications Research project, "New Media, New Influencers and Implications for the Public Relations Profession."
• "High Potential Employees Thrive on Challenge: A Study of Employee Turnover and Retention in the Public Relations Industry," a study by the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and the Institute with assistance from the Holmes Report, was conducted by Vanessa Tremarco and Pamela Blum, New York University.
• Jack Felton Golden Ruler Award for excellence in research, measurement and evaluation, sponsored in part by PR News, won by Shell Oil Company, Burson-Marsteller and A Brink & Company for "A National Dialogue on Energy Security."
• Big Apple Best Use of Research, Measurement and Evaluation Award presented with PRSA New York to "Aligning the Healthcare Community, Elite Media and Consumers Behind the Need for alli®" by HealthSTAR Public Relations and GlaxoSmithKline.
• Sir Martin Sorrell, Group Chief Executive, WPP, delivered the Annual Distinguished Lecture, "Public Relations: The Story of a Remarkable Renaissance." The first class of Institute for Public Relations Research Fellows, established to provide overall leadership for our research programs, was inducted at the event. Steven J. Harris, Vice President-Global Communications for General Motors Corporation, accepted the Alexander Hamilton Medal for lifetime achievement in public relations.
• More than 210 people registered for our educational programs for high-performing practitioners preparing for top leadership roles, including the PR Executive Forum, the PR Leadership Forum, the Summit on Measurement and the Summit on Corporate Communications. These programs variously involve partnerships with the Commission on PR Measurement & Evaluation, the Arthur W. Page Society and the Council of PR Firms.
• Joining with PR News, the Institute and the Commission on PR Measurement & Evaluation presented a workshop on "Understanding the Science and Art of Measurement."