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Updated:
21 July, 2009 |
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Karen Freberg
Doctoral Student: Public
Relations
School of Advertising and
Public Relations
College of Communication and Information
The University of Tennessee
476 Communications Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-0343
kfreberg@utk.edu
www.karenfreberg.com
www.karenfreberg.com/blog
(352) 219-7915
BIOGRAPHY
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Karen Freberg is a
third year doctoral student in public relations
at the University of Tennessee. She is currently
a graduate teaching associate at the University
of Tennessee and an adjunct faculty member for
West Virginia University. Freberg will be
teaching Public Relations Cases (PR 370) at the
University of Tennessee – Knoxville in Fall 2009
as well as teaching PR Concepts and Strategies
(IMC 618), an online course for the Integrated
Marketing Communications Master’s program at
West Virginia University. Along with teaching
experience, Freberg has presented at several
U.S. and international research conferences,
including ones in the Netherlands, Greece, and
China. Freberg also worked as a public relations
intern for Total Media in Cape Town, South
Africa in 2007 with clients in the fashion and
consumer industry.
Before coming to the
University of Tennessee, Freberg went to the
University of Southern California for her
Master's degree in Strategic Public Relations at
the Annenberg School for Communication. Freberg
received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in
Public Relations at the University of Florida in
August 2005. Freberg was also a four-time
All-American in the shot put, USC School record
holder, two-time SEC Champion in the shot put
(2003), and 2004 Olympic Trials Finalist.
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EDUCATION
Concentration Area: Public
Relations
Cognate Area of Study: Marketing
Research Interests:
Public Relations, Reputation Management, Crisis
Communications, Social media, and Managing Online
Reputation.
Program Plan &
Comprehensive Exam Committee:
Chair: Dr. Michael
Palenchar (Public Relations)
Committee Members: Dr.
Candace White (Public Relations), Dr. Lisa Fall
(Public Relations), and Dr. Praditha Dabholkar
(Marketing).
Thesis: The impact
of personality on corporate reputation:
Recovery from crises as a function of the degree
of overlap between corporate and individual
personalities
Thesis Chair: Jennifer Floto (Public Relations)
Thesis Committee
Members: Tom Hallahan (Communication Management)
& Michael Parks (Journalism)
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University of Florida, Bachelors of
Science in Public Relations
Gainesville, Florida
August 2002 - August 2005
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Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
August 2001- May 2002
UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE
Research and Teaching
School of Advertising
and Public Relations:
August 2009 – Present
Classes: PR 370 - Public Relations Cases (Freberg)
PR 270 – Public Relations Principles (GTA / Hilyard)
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Master’s
Program
P.I. Reed School of
Journalism
October – December
2009
Class: IMC 618 – PR
Concepts & Strategies (Online course / Freberg)
School of Advertising
and Public Relations: Dr. Karen Hilyard
January 2009 – Present
Classes: PR 270 -
Introduction to Public Relations (Hilyard
CCI 150 - Communication in an Information Age (Gary &
Campbell)
School of Advertising
and Public Relations: Dr. Michael Palenchar
August 2008 – December
2008
Classes: PR 380 -
Public Relations Professional Seminar (Palenchar)
CCI 150 -
Communication in an Information Age (Gary &
Campbell)
School of Advertising
and Public Relations: Dr. Michael Palenchar
January 2008 – August
2008
Guest Lectures
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2009 - Present)
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PR 270 : Social media and Public
Relations – Summer 2009 (Ms. Tatjana M. Hocke)
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PR 380 : Public Relations
Professional Development Seminar – Fall 2009 (Dr.
Michael Palenchar)
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2008 - 2009)
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PSY 201: Introduction to
Psychology – Spring 2009, Social Media & Managing
online reputation (Dr. Laura Freberg, California
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo)
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PR 270: Public Relations
Principles – Spring 2009; Social Media and Public
Relations, Global Public Relations (Dr. Karen
Hilyard & Ms. Angela Pratt)
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PR 380: Public Relations
Professional Seminar - Spring 2009; Online
Portfolios & Managing Online Presence (Dr. Michael
Palenchar)
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PR 380 : Public Relations
Professional Development Seminar – Fall 2008; How to
make an e-Portfolio, Managing Online Reputation (Dr.
Michael Palenchar)
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PR 370 : Public Relations Cases –
Spring 2009; Cases in Social Media and Public
Relations (Dr. Lisa Fall)
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PR 370 : Public Relations Cases –
Spring 2008; Crisis Communication, Message Strategy
Theories in Public Relations (Dr. Michael Palenchar)
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CCI 150 : Communication in an
Information Age – Fall 2008, Spring 2009; Crisis
Communication and Crisis Management (Mr. Don
Campbell)
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CCI 150 : Communication in an
Information Age – Fall 2008, Spring 2009; Public
Relations (Ms. Lisa Gary)
RELATED
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Committee
Member, PR Day 2008, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
June 2008 – November 2008
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Worked as a graduate assistant to
Dr. Michael Palenchar, chair of PR Day 2008.
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Designed the PR Day 2008 web site ( www.prday2008.com),
PR Day fliers, and the PR Day brochure.
Created promotional materials for PR
Day event as well as setting up online registration
for the event on Eventbrite.com.
Helped manage registration and
coordinate speakers at PR Day event.
Served as moderator for Crises,
Public Outrage and the Challenges of Meeting
Societal Expectations: A FEMA Case Study workshop.
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Public Relations Intern: Total
Media, Cape Town, South Africa
May 2007- July 2007
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Worked with public relations
professionals at Total Media with various client
accounts including fashion designers Craig Port
and Gavin Rajah, restaurants Forty Ate and Café
Mao, consumer goods Amarula cream liqueur,
fitness center Virgin Active, and South African
Fashion events Cape Town Fashion Week and Joburg
Fashion Week.
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Responsible to writing fashion
designer profiles, pitching media strategies to
various outlets in South Africa (English /
Afrikaans / Xhosa)
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Developing PR campaign
strategies, conducting public relations
research, making research proposals on brand
image in South Africa, and helping with event
planning.
Graduate Assistant with USC Track
and Field, Los Angeles, California August 2006 –
May 2006
Worked with the track and field
coaches and staff in recruiting athletes to the
program.
Made fact sheets about athletes
and communicating with potential
student-athletes and their parents on recruiting
trips.
Helped the assistant throws
coach with organization of team and recruiting
activities (ex. researching athletes,
communication, creating media packets).
Helped USC Trojan Force organize
the 2006 Golf Tournament Fundraiser for USC
Track and Field on September 15, 2006.
Publisher and Creator of
KarenFreberg.com
1996 - present
Designed and maintained personal
web site and online reputation using Microsoft
Front Page and Word Press software programs.
Posted pictures, articles, and
wrote journal entries discussing what it was
like being a high school and collegiate track
and field athlete (1998 – 2006).
Developed online newsletter
while at the University of Florida and USC
competing in track and field
Created blog discussing issues
and events in public relations, athletics, and
reputation management in 2007.
Public Relations Intern at Living
Well Center, University of Florida, Gainesville,
Florida
May 2005 – August 2005
Participated in managing fitness
center with other interns
Involved in designing media and
promotional materials (ex. brochure)
Journal Contributor for
Trackshark.com
December 2003 – July 2004
Wrote journal entries for the
college track and field web site Trackshark.com
about what it was like to be a student-athlete
at the University of Florida.
Journals were published on a
weekly basis during the 2004 Track and Field
season.
Journal Contributor for Dyestat.com
July 2000 – November 2000
Wrote a journal series called
"Karen’s Diaries" about what it was like to be a
high school athlete and the recruiting process.
Had a series of six diary
entries discussing recruiting trips, questions
to ask coaches when being recruited, and things
to think about when taking the recruiting trip.
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
Freberg, K., & Palenchar, M.J. (2009). Current direction
of U. S. undergraduate public relations programs: A
pedagogical
struggle. Accepted for presentation at the Association
for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication
Conference on
August 5-8, 2009. Boston, MA. [Second place - Top
Teaching Paper Category – Public Relations Division].
Freberg, K., & Freberg, L. (2009). Relationships between
Loneliness and Perceptions and Use Patterns of Social
Networking
Sites in University Students. Presented at the 3rd
International Conference on Psychology on June 8-11,
2009. Athens,
Greece.
Freberg, K. (2009). Is there a time and a place for
issues advertising?: A case study analyzing Heineken's
‘Give yourself a
good name’ campaign. Presented at the interactive
poster session at the 13th International Conference on
Corporate
Reputation, Brand, Identity and Competitiveness. May 28
– 30, 2009. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ainley,B., Freberg, K., Adams, R., Enrique, C., &
Freberg, L. (2009). Loneliness Predicts Perceptions and
Use of Social
Networking Sites. Presented at the 2009 APS Annual
Convention, May 22 - 25, 2009 in San Francisco, CA.
Freberg, K., & Palenchar, M.J. (2009). Practitioner or
Academic Approach:
The
Current Direction of U. S. Undergraduate Public
Relations Programs. Presented in the collaborative
paper session at the
University of Tennessee College of Communication and
Information 31st Annual Research Symposium. February 27,
2009.
Knoxville, Tennessee. [Top student-faculty
collaboration paper].
Freberg, K., & Freberg, L. (2008). Web-based publication
on the perception of avatars in terms of communication
and an
online reputation management perspective." Good web
practices. Oct 23, 2008. Retrieved from
http://www.goodwebpractices.com/website-design/internet-avatars-analysed.html.
Freberg, K. (2008). From Supersizing to Healthy: Can
McDonald’s Change its Image Among Today’s College
Students?
Presented in the poster session at the University of
Tennessee College of Communication and Information 30th
Annual
Research Symposium. February 29, 2008.
Knoxville, Tennessee. [Tied for Top Poster]
Freberg, K. (2008). Perceptions of Sport Celebrity
Endorsers: Do college students perceive high risk
celebrity endorsers
more negatively than low risk celebrity endorsers? Work
in progress research paper. Presented at the 11th
International
Public Relations Research Conference. March 6-9, 2008.
Miami, Florida.
Palenchar, M.J., & Freberg, K. (2008). Yahoo! Inc.’s
Reputation Management in China: A Case Study of
Corporate
Personality and Media Challenges. Presented at the 12th
International Conference on Reputation, Brand,
Identity, &
Competitiveness. May 29-June 1, 2008. Beijing, China.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
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Athens, Greece
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Presented at the 3rd
International Conference on Psychology on June
8-11, 2009 in Athens, Greece.
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Co-authored paper:
"Relationships between Loneliness and
Perceptions and Use Patterns of Social
Networking Sites in University Students."
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Conference sponsored by Athens
Institute for Education and Research (ATINER).
HONORS & AWARDS
Second Place, Top Teaching
Paper, Public Relations Division, Association
for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communications, with Dr. Michael Palenchar.
(August 2009).
Top Student-Faculty Paper,
University of Tennessee’s College of
Communication and Information Research
Symposium, with Dr. Michael Palenchar. (February
2009).
Top Poster (tied),
University of Tennessee’s College of
Communication and Information Research
Symposium. (February 2008).
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Academics
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David X. Marks Scholar
Student-Athlete Recipient, University of
Southern California. (2007).
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Academic All-American,
University of Florida. (2003).
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All-SEC Academic Team,
University of Florida. (2003, 2004).
All-American, shot put,
University of Southern California. (2006).
All-West Regional, shot put,
University of Southern California. (2006).
All-PAC 10, shot put, University
of Southern California. (2006).
All-American, shot put,
University of Florida. (2003, 2004).
Two-time Southeastern Conference
Champion, shot put, University of Florida.
(2003).
All-SEC First Team, University
of Florida. (2003).
Western Athletic Conference
Freshman of the Year (Indoor Track and Field),
Southern Methodist University. (2002).
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
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Public Relations Judge for ADV 470
Campaigns Presentations (Advertising Campaigns
Course, Morrison), Spring 2009.
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Conference Student Paper Reviewer,
Public Relations Division, International
Communication Association, Fall 2008.
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Committee Member & Graduate
Assistant, PR Day 2008, Bi-Annual Public Relations
Conference for Students and Local Professionals,
School of Advertising and Public Relations,
University of Tennessee, Summer – Fall 2008.
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Doctoral Student Representative,
Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory, University of
Tennessee, 2008 - 2009.
PROFESSIONAL AFFLIATIONS
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Public Relations Student Society
of America (PRSSA), 2004
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Phi Kappa Alpha Member (2004)
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University of Southern
California Alumni, 2007 - present
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Reputation Institute, 2008 –
present
SOCIAL NETWORKING AFFLIATIONS
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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karen.freberg
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Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kfreberg
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MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/karenfreberg
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LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenfreberg
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