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Dr. Tudor Vlad in dialog with faculty and graduate students at FSPAC, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. |
Discussing Post-COVID Collaboration With Strategic Partner In Romania
"We all have learned from the pandemic period that online education is a valuable tool, but we also need to remember that some of our most successful joint projects have come from in-person visits and workshops," Dr. Tudor Vlad, director of the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, told the professors and researchers of the College of Political, Administrative and Communication Studies (FSPAC) at Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj‑Napoca, in August of 2021.
“Because of all we have accomplished together – from a Masters in business communication to joint conferences, from research programs to faculty visits – and because of Romania’s importance in the East and Central European region, we see you as a strategic partner and we want to expand our collaboration,” Dr. Vlad said.
The meeting with Romanian faculty was part of a workshop focusing on new trends in business communication. Dr. Vlad discussed the Business and Public Communication (BPC) Fellows Program in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. He stated that - in a rapidly changing media environment - business and public communication professionals and researchers must keep current through constant research and training. To meet this critical need, the Department of Advertising and Public Relations has partnered with the James M. Cox, Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research to offer the Business and Public Communication (BPC) Fellows Program. The BPC program is designed to provide experienced business and public communicators with opportunities to update and develop their knowledge in a world-class educational and research setting.
The workshop in Cluj-Napoca was the first face-to-face activity following one and a half years since the Cox International Center had to go virtual. The Cox Center is the international outreach unit of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
“We are still facing major challenges in our attempt to re-normalize our academic education, and we are still concerned that the COVID crisis is not under control in Romania,” said Dr. Calin Hintea, dean of the College of Political, Administrative and Communication Studies, “and we are glad that a representative from our U.S. partner, the University of Georgia, is here to talk about future collaboration.”
