Originally Published PR Week

As I write this, all across the country thousands of faculty members in schools of communication, journalism and related disciplines are beginning a new academic year. While estimates vary, it is safe to say that well over 50,000 and perhaps as many as 75,000 students of communication, journalism, public relations and similar majors are cutting the tags off their new back packs, scuffing up their flip flops and saying goodbye to their summer friends as they head back to campus.

Facing students and faculty alike is one of the great tug of war matches in academia. On one end of the rope is a gaggle of esteemed theoreticians, appropriately robed and hooded in academic regalia. At the other end is a swarm of practitioners, shunning robes for open-collared shirts and understated sport coats, the younger ones in shorts and Polos.

For the long-term benefit of their students, the best outcome of this clash will be for the deans to declare a draw. Students exposed during their academic years to both the science of the profession and the art with which it is practiced will ultimately be best prepared.

As one who never studied public relations in school (I was an English major) I have in the last few years gained an enormous respect for those who have articulated the theoretical framework of what we do through disciplined research and inspired writing. From Aristotle to Grunig, students can draw upon a vast body of knowledge to help them understand and explain the actions of individuals, corporations and organizations in the practice of communication.

Some leaders in the profession are dismissive of academic theory. Yet the application of research-based theory can help public relations gain greater acceptance as a knowledge-driven profession, rather than one based solely on instinct, opinion, gut-feel or trial and error.

Just as importantly, when these theories are applied to the realities of day-to-day practice they gain life, relevance and credibility. Students often have trouble seeing the ways in which the communication profession can have a direct impact on the organizations it serves. They often struggle, for example, with the concept of strategy since so much of what they see portrayed about our profession in popular culture is highly tactical.

It is essential that students in the classroom experience a balance between conceptual theories and practical realities. Many professors understand the importance of illustrating theory through actual cases. The library of case studies that demonstrate the application of theories is growing, and the internet has made this resource far timelier.

Both academics and practitioners will continue to debate the relative merits of theory and practice. Placing value on the richness of each will provide a more meaningful educational experience for students, who all too soon will be engaged in tug-of-wars of their own.

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Tom Martin is a Senior Counselor at Feldman & Partners, a communications management consulting firm, and the Executive-in-Residence at the College of Charleston. He can be reached at tom@feldmanandpartners.com.