Remund named Page Legacy Scholar

By Alli Soule, second-year master's student

The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication recently selected second-year doctoral student Dave Remund as the Page Legacy Scholar for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The national organization awarded Remund $2,000 in grant funds to continue research on Page’s work editing The World’s Work magazine from 1913-1927 and his overall influence in the fields of corporate communications and corporate citizenship.

“The center has chosen a deserving scholar for this award,” assistant professor Barbara Friedman said. “David’s project is a substantive contribution to public relations and magazine history and more specifically, to further understanding of the historical role of Arthur Page.”

Page was the first public relations professional to serve as an officer and director of a major corporation, AT&T. He established a series of concepts encouraging ethics and integrity in the profession, known as the “Page principles,” which serve as a model for public relations practitioners to this day.

“In the first 20 years of my career in public relations, I faced countless ethical challenges and decisions,” Remund said. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve the Arthur W. Page Center and the larger academic and professional communities with this project.”

In his research, Remund will expand upon a paper begun last spring in Friedman’s course, “Readings in Mass Communication History.” His research goal is to evaluate “how, and the degree to which Page’s editorial work stressed the need for corporate social responsibility.” He believes that Page’s reputation as a corporate social responsibility advocate stemmed from prior experiences at The World’s Work.

Remund’s general research focuses on ethics and leadership in public relations. He entered the doctoral program after working in communications-related roles at organizations such as Innova Ideas & Services, Bank of America, The Principal Financial Group and Wells Fargo.

He received his undergraduate degree in journalism and his master’s in communication leadership from Drake University, and also earned the Accredited in Public Relations designation from the Public Relations Society of America.

In addition to expounding on Page’s work, Remund believes his current project pays homage to his late father who, like Page, managed a phone company and maintained a constant commitment to the greater community.

“Dad would have loved this project as much as I do,” Remund said. “In some small way, I believe that being a Legacy Scholar will honor the influence Dad’s life has had on my career and my conviction for the ethical practice of public relations.”

For more information on the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, eligibility requirements and submission deadlines, visit http://pagecenter.comm.psu.edu.