Swinburne lecturer named Australia’s best public relations teacher
In Summary
- Swinburne lecturer Robert Gill has been named Public Relations Educator of the Year
- Mr Gill has been recognised by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) as the best public relations teacher for 2017
A Swinburne lecturer has been named Australia’s Public Relations Educator of the Year at the 2017 Golden Target Awards.
Course director for Communication Programs at Swinburne, Dr Robert Gill, won the prestigious award handed out by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA).
Dr Gill was shortlisted as the Victorian nominee for the award in October, and was announced as the winner at the 2017 Golden Target Awards, held in Sydney last week.
Dr Gill believes the award is an acknowledgment of the importance of academia in the PR and communications industry.
“I am thrilled the PRIA continue to support academia,” he says.
“Industry professionals and academics often work hard together to produce work-ready and solution-focused students.
“Personally, I am proud of the achievement.”
Now in its 41st year, the Golden Target Awards is the PR and Communication industry’s longest running and most esteemed awards ceremony. The awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of PR and communication professionals nationwide.
The award is a vital indicator of the strong relationship industry has with academia.” - PRIA National President Jenny Muir
PRIA National Director Jenny Muir congratulated Mr Gill and stressed the importance of acknowledging the industry’s best educators.
“The PRIA congratulates Rob on his PR Educator of the Year award. The award is a vital indicator of the strong relationship industry has with academia,” she says.
“And how both continue to work together to further the PR field, both in research and learning.”
Dr Gill is hopeful that relationships between industry and academia will continue to strengthen in the PR and communications industry.
“I am hopeful that industry will pay more attention to our graduates as recognised industry-ready professionals,” he says.
“Also, I hope we can extend the strong industry input into our curriculum through work integrated learning and guest presentations.”
Dr Gill puts his success down to being afforded flexibility by Swinburne to explore new ways of improving PR and communications programs.
“I am fortunate to work in such a strong department with supportive management who give us time to explore and develop our industry connections,” he says.
“Working on developing employability skills for our graduates has always been reinforced by the faculty and this focus no doubt impacted on the win.”
If you are interested in pursuing a career in the Public Relations and Communications industry, visit the Swinburne Study Options page to find out more.