Institute for Public Relations Launches IPR Southeast Asia Alliance at Singapore Management University
The Institute for Public Relations (IPR), an independent, non-profit research foundation based in the United States dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations, has launched the IPR Southeast Asia Alliance at Singapore Management University (SMU). The goal of the IPR Southeast Asia Alliance is to help promote and foster research relating to the public relations and corporate communications industry in the Asia-Pacific region. This is the first regional alliance office that IPR has opened internationally.
“IPR is thrilled to form an alliance with a prestigious university like Singapore Management University,” said Dr Tina McCorkindale, President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations. “We hope this partnership can help build IPR’s presence in the region while supporting research that matters to the practice, which is core to IPR’s mission.”
“At the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, we develop teaching and research content that is uniquely Asian and sought after by corporations around the world. Together with IPR we will be well positioned to answer questions about the growing communication profession in Asia,” said Dean of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB), Professor Gerard George. Lee Kong Chian School of Business was the first business school in Asia to introduce a master’s degree in communication management.
IPR has named LKCSB Deputy Dean Gregor Halff as the first director of the IPR Southeast Asia Alliance. Halff is a professor of corporate communication practice and immediate past chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, the global umbrella association of the communication industry.
“Gregor Halff brings a wide-range of experience on a global and Asian level. His reputation, commitment to the profession, and research dossier make him the perfect fit for this role," said McCorkindale.
The Alliance will help students gain field experiences and apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities. IPR will conduct an annual research project with SMU and help to support other research in the region.
Developing associations with prominent universities with a strong supportive faculty can help IPR fulfill its mission to promote, conduct, and sponsor research that matters to the profession in specific world regions, and to provide an outlet for global dialogue relating to public relations needs, strategies and outcomes.
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About the Institute for Public Relations
The Institute for Public Relations is an independent, nonprofit research foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations™. IPR focuses on research that matters to the profession, providing timely insights and applied intelligence that professionals can put to immediate use. All research is available free at www.instituteforpr.org and provides the basis for IPR’s professional conferences and events.
About Singapore Management University
Established in 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) is recognised for its high-impact multi-disciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance, and for its innovations in experiential learning. With 10,000 students, SMU offers bachelors, masters and PhD degree programmes in Accountancy, Business, Economics, Information Systems, Law and Social Sciences, and executive development programmes. Through its city campus, SMU enjoys strategic linkages with business, government and the wider community in Singapore and beyond. www.smu.edu.sg
About Lee Kong Chian School of Business
SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) welcomed its pioneer cohort of students in August 2000. Today, it is a dynamic Asian business school with about 3,500 students and over a hundred full-time faculty members with postgraduate degrees from renowned universities such as Cornell, Harvard, INSEAD, Oxford, Stanford and Yale. The school offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programmes and is affiliated with a number of research centres. The Financial Times recently ranked SMU's SMU Executive MBA programme 24th globally and its Master of Science in Wealth Management programme 3rd globally. The LKCSB is ranked 3rd in Asia on the UT Dallas research rankings and was the first business school in Asia to introduce a master’s degree in communication management. www.business.smu.edu.sg