UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Arthur W. Page Center announced the recipients of its 2023 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grants. The 19 projects will cover a wide range of areas and offer insights within two important research topics: digital analytics and prosocial communication.

The scholar grant program is a primary function of the Page Center, a research center housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Each year, with the help of senior research fellows, center leaders identify important, timely topics and solicit research proposals that contribute to the scholarly, industry and public understanding of those topics.

The digital analytics call is led by Frank Dardis, Page Center senior research fellow and associate professor of advertising/publications at the Bellisario College. The group of projects seeks to learn how companies, brands and organizations employ digital analytics that effectively optimize communication efforts. Scholars will be examining practices and trends — i.e. artificial intelligence, digital listening and privacy – to learn how strategic measures can be enacted ethically and responsibly.

The prosocial communication call is led by Brooke W. McKeever, Page Center senior research fellow and professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of South Carolina. Her projects will examine nonprofit, corporate and government organizations that work to improve public health, deal in social conditions, or encourage prosocial behaviors such as participating in advocacy efforts. Areas of focus include CEO activism, corporate social advocacy, sustainability, health communication, nonprofit and NGO communication, among others.

“Some of the most important issues we are facing, not just in public communications but in society, fall under these two topics,” said Denise Bortree, Page Center director and professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the Bellisario College. “We are so happy to have two experts leading the calls and an impressive collection of scholars answering the need for this incredibly relevant research.”

Scholars from this call represent nearly 30 different colleges and universities. Every week this summer, the Page Center blog will feature the scholars and their projects. The posts will introduce the scholars, overview the research topic and share ideas as the teams begin their Page Center-funded research. Scholars will also present their research ideas at the first meeting of the Research Roundtable, a virtual gathering with the Page Center advisory board in early summer.

Over the next year, scholars will complete their research and present results at the Center’s second Research Roundtable, which is held in-person at the annual AEJMC Conference. All funded scholars from the prosocial communication call will submit a journal article to be considered for a special issue in the Public Relations Journal. 

The Page Center has a long history of funding digital ethics and advocacy-focused research. Digital ethics was the topic for research calls in 2017 and 2012. The center has also fielded many prosocial-themed calls, including corporate social advocacy (2021), ethics of care (2021) and advocacy (2018). The Page Center’s online ethics training also feature modules on digital ethics and activism.

Since its founding in 2004, the center has funded nearly 300 scholars and awarded more than $1 million in funding. While research themes vary from year to year, the center consistently supports academic exploration into the understanding of principles practiced in public communication.

Visit the 2023 call for research proposals page for more information.

The 2023 Page Center Research Grants on Digital Analytics

• "Organizational communication and education for ethical use of artificial intelligence applied digital analytics" — Won-Ki Moon, University of Florida and Sangwook Lee, Penn State University
• "The impact of corporate data responsibility on user trust in algorithmic recommendation systems: A mixed-methods approach" — Joon Soo Lim, Syracuse University; Chunsik Lee and Junga Kim, University of North Florida; and Donghee Shin, Zayed University
• "Exploring public attitudes and behaviors towards artificial intelligence use in hiring" — Ying Xiong and Joon Kyoung Kim, University of Rhode Island
• "Fostering digital internal listening: The impact of EORs and employees’ supportive behaviors" — Yuan Wang, City University of Hong Kong and Rita Linjuan Men, University of Florida
• "When PR meets AI: Understanding public relations professionals’ perceptions about ethical issues of artificial intelligence and their relevant roles as ethics counsel in organizations" — I-Huel Cheng, National Chengchi University; Karla Gower, University of Alabama; and Seow Ting Lee, University of Colorado Boulder
• "Toward trust: The importance of algorithm transparency signaling in AI-assisted communication" — Keonyoung Park, Hong Kong Baptist University and Ho Young Yoon, Ewha Womans University
• "Telling the truth about data analytics: A data privacy transparency analysis" — Jonathan Obar and Giuseppina D’Agostino, York University

The 2023 Page Center Research Grants on Prosocial Communication

• "Creating shared purpose, dialogic communication, organization listening and tensions: Exploring the role of communication to resolve ageing-care problems in Australia and New Zealand" — Flora Hung-Baesecke and Maureen Taylor, University of Technology Sydney, and Yi-Ru Regina Chen, Hong Kong Baptist University
• "Licensed to greenwash? Exploring sustainability-driven prosocial communication strategies through the moral framework of corporate sustainability communication" — Shupei Yuan, Northern Illinois University and Haoran Chu, University of Florida
• "How should U.S. companies communicate about geopolitical issues? Toward a normative model of corporate prosocial communication" — Yi Grace Ji, Boston University; Yufan Sunny Qin, James Madison University; Jie Jin and Linjuan Rita Men, University of Florida; and Zifei Fay Chen, University of San Francisco
• "Using message framing and the endorser to communicate corporate social advocacy: A social identity approach" — Duli Shi and Sangwon Lee, New Mexico State University
• "Promoting bone marrow donation through sharing personal narratives: An ethical perspective" — Nicole O’Donnell, Washington State University
• "Developing corporate social advocacy through the NGO and refugee lens: Lessons for navigating the risks of prosocial communication" — Brian Smith and Staci Smith, Brigham Young University
• "Social media influencers, emotional flow, and elevation uplift narrative persuasion on mental health prosocial communication: A media psychophysiology approach" — Yen-I Lee and Di Mu, Washington State University and Michaela Gearty and Yan Jin, University of Georgia
• "Prosocial communication in social media for public resilience during a collective tragedy" — Jo-Yun Queenie Li and Yeunjae Lee, University of Miami
• "Communicating CEO activism for employee prosocial behaviors: Exploring the effects of CEO activist communication on employee prosocial sensemaking and prosocial behaviors" — Young Kim and Katharine E. Miller, Marquette University
• "Can PR be local, global, and prosocial? Transnational CSA and practitioner negotiation amid contentious issues" — Luke Capizzo, University of Missouri; Jeannette Iannacone and Drew T. Ashby-King, University of Maryland
• "Cultivating prosocial motivation in messaging: A conceptual and operational toolbox tailored to nonprofit health communication" — Amanda Hinnant, University of Missouri and Sisi Hu, University of Arkansas
• "Extending the model of media advocacy for strategic and ethical communication" — Minhee Choi, Virginia Commonwealth University and Kelli S. Boling, University of Nebraska-Lincoln