Quinnipiac Professor Earns 'Top Ethics Paper Award'

Quinnipiac University Professor Katie Place earns ‘Top Ethics Paper Award’ at International Public Relations Research Conference

HAMDEN - Katie Place, professor of strategic communication at Quinnipiac University, received the “Top Ethics Paper Award” for her study, “‘I Check My Ego at the Door:’ Exploring Ethical Listening Among Public Relations Professionals,” at the International Public Relations Research Conference Inc. , March 2-4, in Orlando, Fla.

In her study, Place found that public relations professionals engage in ethical listening by enacting forms of respect, empathy, inclusivity and especially humility. Findings confirm the need for practical values-based training, as well as accountability tools and protocols to help PR pros listen ethically.

“We’ve only scratched the surface of understanding ethical listening for public relations,” said Place. “I’m honored to have this research recognized and I hope that it may offer insights for listening in PR with respect, humility, and accountability.”

Place, who joined Quinnipiac in 2014, teaches courses in public relations, strategic planning, and campaigns. Place's research examines the nexus of gender, power and ethics in public relations. She has authored more than 60 conference papers or publications -- including peer-reviewed articles in Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Public Relations Inquiry, and Journal of Communication Management.

Place serves as senior research fellow at The Arthur W. Page Center, is past head of the Public Relations Division of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and is past head of AEJMC's Commission on the Status of Women. Additionally, she resides on the editorial boards of Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Public Relations Education, Journal of Media Ethics, and Journal of Public Interest Communications. Prior to returning to academia, Place was a public affairs account manager and a not-for-profit communications manager in the Washington, D.C. area. She was recently elected to the board of the Connecticut chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Place holds a doctorate in communication at the University of Maryland and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in communications from Virginia Tech.