Celebrating Karen Russell

The halls in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations are a little lonelier this semester with the departure of Karen Russell, who retired on Dec. 31, 2024, after teaching at Grady College since 1993.

“Karen is one of those faculty members you can build a department around,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College. “She’s selfless, caring, and perhaps most importantly, deeply expert in her field. Oh – and funny! I’ve relied on her great sense of humor to get through many a day.”

Russell has earned many academic accolades during her tenure, but her legacy at Grady College will be the respect and affection she earned from numerous colleagues and students.

Among her highest accolades were her Jim Kennedy New Media Professor designation that she earned in 2011 and her recognition as a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in 2017, the highest teaching accolade bestowed by the University of Georgia.

In her Meigs nomination, Russell was commended for her ability to engage students in the development of cutting-edge digital media strategies, the development of innovative instruction and professional partnerships, and her dedication to high-quality instruction.

During her time at Grady College, she taught almost every public relations class offered, including graduate classes since 1998 when she was named to the graduate faculty. She developed one of the early courses in Online Reputation Management, as well as courses in AdPR Insights and Strategy, and Advertising and Public Relations Theory.

“Karen is a fantastic colleague and a good friend,” said Janice Hume, associate dean for academic affairs. “She is such a creative teacher. She is a highly regarded media historian who loves archival research. I’ve always admired her unflappable nature, and her common-sense approach to everything.”

She supervised numerous of graduate research projects and advised dozens of master’s and doctoral student committees. Russell also served as the AdPR master’s program adviser for several years.

One doctoral student, Marie Hardin (PhD ’98), currently serves as dean of the Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State and recalled in 2017 the impact Russell makes on her students.

“Dr. Russell is a deeply caring and engaging teacher who seeks to connect her material to students,” Hardin said. “She focuses on learning and on making knowledge relevant and accessible. She asks students to participate in the learning process, and she holds them accountable for doing so.”

Known for her early adoption of social media and her media history research, Russell is a prolific author of chapters, journal articles, conference papers and book reviews. She is author or co-author of three books: “Promoting Monopoly: AT&T and the Politics of Public Relations, 1876-1941,” “Removing the Spin: Una Neuva Teoria Historica de las Relaciones Publicas” and “The Voice of Business: Hill and Knowlton and Postwar Public Relations.”

Russell has been hailed a “Top 40 Tweeter” by “PRWeek,” and her students have been recognized by the Public Relations Student Society of America Bateman competition five times, winning a national championship in 2007. She is a recipient of several top research awards in her field, including the Pathfinder Award from the Institute for Public Relations. She was a member of the UGA Teaching Academy, taught at the UGA Oxford program and coordinated numerous visiting professionals workshops and conferences.

“AdPR loses one fantastic colleague to retirement,” said Juan Meng, a UGA Athletic Association Endowed Professor and head of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations. “With her 30+ years of service and contributions to AdPR’s curriculum, research, professional development and engagement, Karen is one of the best colleagues one could have worked with. She is such a great exemplar of a caring mentor who has helped so many find a footing in the field. AdPR will be forever grateful for her significant work and times with us.”

Author: Sarah Freeman, Freemans@uga.edu