Lee University assistant professor of communication, Dr. Christie Kleinmann, recently received a Page Legacy Scholar Grant from the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. Kleinmann will be using the grant to fund her research on “Defining Public Relations’ Role in Social Responsibility: Practitioners’ Perception of Public Relations Ethics in Sport.”
As companies around the country continue to publicly embrace the idea of social responsibility, Kleinmann is examining what public relations practitioners are actually doing to support the increased ethical commitments of their organizations. She says that she chose to focus on the sports industry because of the significant role that it plays in American society.
“I really feel that there is an ethical crisis in the field of public relations today,” says Kleinmann. “While everyone says that it’s important to be ethical, the words and the actions don’t always match up.”
Kleinmann hopes that her work will provide far-reaching insights into the field of public relations. “This study looks at how people in one area of public relations are applying the idea of social responsibility in their every-day job duties, but I think that what comes out of it will be helpful to the entire profession,” she says.
Page Legacy Scholars are selected on a competitive basis by the Arthur W. Page Center’s academic policy and selection committee upon recommendations by experts from Penn State faculty, other universities and the professional community. Candidates may come from a wide variety of academic disciplines and professional fields, including scholars and researchers, doctoral candidates, and practitioners of public communication, such as corporate or non-profit public relations professionals, journalists, and editors.
Kleinmann joined Lee’s Department of Communication and the Arts this fall. She has previously taught at Northeast State Technical Community College and King College.
Kleinmann’s professional experience includes a position as the director of marketing and communication at Frontier Health for northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia. She served as the promotional coordinator for the baseball program at King College, where she also worked in sports information and alumni affairs. Kleinmann is a former media and community relations coordinator for Wellmont Health Systems in Bristol and Kingsport, Tenn. and Big Stone Gap, Va.
PHOTO: One of Lee University’s newest faculty members, Dr. Christie Kleinmann, has been named the recipient of a research grant from the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. Kleinmann joined Lee this fall as an assistant professor of communication.
Submitted by the Office of Public Information
