Established in 1989 Department of Economic Journalism and Public Relations is one of the most influential Public Relations department in Poland and one of the most influential department in Europe. It’s lecturers have introduced the term of "transitional public relations" to world Public Relations literature.
The Department comprises the Post-Graduate Public Relations Program that has educated so far over approximately 150 public relations practitioners and also offers doctoral studies in public relations.
The architects of the concept, Professors W. Wilczyński and R. Ławniczak, firmly believed that a re-education on this scale could only be accomplished by journalists but with a strong background in economics.
Dr. Agenor Gawrzyał offers the first lectures in Public Relations
1993 A crash course in journalism skills and public relations offered by our first foreign instructors and editors: Manfred Kunz, Ilona Thede, Gerhard Goss, Alfred Ingelhard - visiting from Hamburg and Berlin.
1995 The Department holds its 1st Transitional Public Relations Conference on „Public Relations as an Instrument of Regime Transformation.”
Founding of Poland’s first regional West Branch of Polish Public Relations Association
Two alumni of the first class of Economics Theory and Journalism open the
Public Relations Agency „PRELITE".
1996 The specialization is renamed „Economic Journalism and Public Relations”.
1999 The Department of Economic Systems and Economic Journalism is renamed the „Department of Economic Journalism and Public Relations”.
Doctoral program in Public Relations begins admissions.
June 8-11, 2001 The Department holds its international 2nd Transitional Public Relations Conference entitled „Public Relations Contribution to Transition In Central and Eastern Europe”.
September, 2001 The book „Public Relations Contribution to Transition in Central and Eastern Europe” (ED. R. Ławniczak). Research and Practice is published in English, and launched at IPRA conference in Berlin.
May, 2003 An international 3rd Transitional Public Relations Conference is held on „Public Relations – an Instrument for Transformations and Development of Higher Education in Central and Eastern Europe” in cooperation with UNESCO/CEPES. UNESCO publication.
2003 The term „transitional public relations” first appears in the international PR literature („Global Public Relations Handbook” and „Public Relations and Communication Management in Europe”).
2004 James E. Grunig, Larissa A. Grunig, Dejan Vercic in the book: „Toward Common Good (Perspectives in International Public Relations)” (D.J Tilson, E.C Alozie), adopt the concept „transitional public relations”.
October, 2004 First foreign participant enrolled in doctoral seminar.
April, 2005 The first participant of the doctoral seminar to obtain his Ph.D.
June, 2005 International 4th Transitional Public Relations Conference entitled „Introducing Market Economy Instruments and Institutions – the Role of Public Relations in Transition Economies”.
April, 2008 Our Department is probably the most influential university PR Department in Poland and one of 10 most influential research centers in Europe. That fact was evidenced by Communication Director Monthly Magazine.
In an article titled Communication Think Tanks in Europe published in the 2/2007 the author have among others mentioned that we have introduced the term of "transitional public relations" to world PR literature.
