Bruce Berger, professor of advertising and public relations, will fly to New York City on Nov. 8 to receive the Pathfinder Award for significant contributions to public relations research.
The Institute for Public Relations selected Berger for this annual award for his leadership in the PR industry and his innovative research in employee communications. Berger attributes his success to his effective communication skills and enthusiasm.
“I feel like I’ve been successful in public relations because of my good, strong writing skills,” Berger said. “I never took a PR course in my career. My wife and I were broke so I took a job as a speechwriter. It was something that I grew to love and it played to some of my strengths.”
Berger has contributed to PR on an international level, working in Brussels and Belgium as a public affairs manager. He lead PR efforts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Berger said his selection for this award is a part of a recent series of successes at the University that strengthens the school as a whole.
“Any number of faculty here are receiving awards at a fairly regular rate, and they’re not just local awards, they’re national awards,” Berger said. “We have a lot of students and a lot of faculty who do fantastic work, and the recognition of all those things over time really contribute to the reputation that we have and are earning.”
Megan Brantley, a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in advertising and public relations, had Berger during her senior year of undergraduate studies at the University. Brantley credited Berger’s success to his impressive teaching skills.
“I had a lot of great professors during my undergrad at UA, but Dr. Berger may be the most genuine professor I’ve ever had,” Brantley said. “Not only does he prepare students to thrive in the professional sphere, but he takes an interest in students as human beings.”
Beyond his professional research and work in PR, Berger has worked extensively in the noprofit sector, specifically working to eliminate illiteracy. Berger and 22 of his graduate students founded Literacy is the Edge in 2008 to combat adult illiteracy in West Alabama. Through his work with LITE, Berger became involved with the Literacy Council of West Alabama and currently serves on its board of directors. Kitty Wheeler, executive director of the Literacy Council, believes Berger’s success in the community lies with his leadership abilities.
“He gets things done, he volunteers, and if he’s asked to do anything he follows through,” Wheeler said. “Starting LITE is going to have a ripple effect and all of these graduate students under his leadership will move on from UA and hopefully spread his work in literacy wherever they end up.”
