UT Purpose Project
The UT Purpose Project is a forum where business and community leaders, academics, students, and key stakeholders work together to advance purpose goals through effective communication practices. It is a place for the development of original research, discussion of ideas, and sharing best practices related to purpose communication.
What is the UT Purpose Project?
The UT Purpose Project is a forum where business and community leaders, academics, students, and key stakeholders work together to advance purpose goals through effective communication practices. It is a place for the development of original research, discussion of ideas, and sharing best practices related to purpose communication.
Purpose Project Research Repository
The research repository, hosted by TRACE at the UT Libraries, is a digital collection of research, creative works, and projects about purpose-driven communication.
We’re proud to present the most recent addition to the Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange, Purpose Advertising And the Credibility Gap, by Tyler Milfield and Eric Haley.
This research identifies that brands with an established history of activism achieve greater credibility with their public than those who engage in activism only when the opportunity emerges.
UT Purpose Project Advisory Board
The advisory board of the UT Purpose Project will guide the project’s development and offer counsel on its endeavors.
Lindsay Harris
Chief Purpose Officer at Tombras
Linda Chen
Vice President of Brand Purpose and Impact at Edelman
News & Events
Call for AAA Best Purpose Conference Paper Award Submissions
The UT Purpose Project is proud to support awards for outstanding purpose communication research at two of our field’s leading academic associations: the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the American Academy of Advertising (AAA).
A major goal of the UT Purpose Project is to promote original inquiry to increase our understanding of communication that has positive social impact and leads to important substantive change.
The AEJMC award will be presented in August 2024 at the annual AEJMC conference in Philadelphia, Penn.
The AAA award will be presented in March 2025 at the annual AAA conference, Pittsburg, Penn.
While the submission deadline for the AEJMC award has passed, the submission deadline for the AAA award is October 1, 2024. Go here to learn more details about the AAA Best Purpose Conference Paper Award.
Upcoming Event: Coffee Social at AEJMC 2024
The UT Purpose Project and Information Integrity Institute are cohosting a coffee social at AEJMC 2024. This is in partnership with the the AEJMC Mass Communication & Society Division.
Join us for coffee and snacks and learn more about the UT Purpose Project and Information Integrity Institute. Free for any AEJMC attendees.
- When: 3-5 p.m. Friday, August 9, 2024
- Where: Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania F&AM, 1 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2598
News Release: UT Purpose Project Establishes Advisory Board of Industry Experts
The UT Purpose Project, an initiative of the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has appointed Linda Chen, María De Moya and Lindsay Harris to its inaugural advisory board. Each member brings extensive experience in public relations and purpose-driven efforts, aligning with the project’s objectives.
Chen, vice president Purpose @ Ketchum for brand, sustainability, and social impact, has led purpose campaigns and initiatives for iconic retail, luxury and consumer goods clients around the world. Chen also leads Edelman Boundless in Atlanta, which highlights the value of Asian perspectives to Edelman and its clients.
De Moya holds the Charles Tombras Sr. Endowed Professorship in the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations. In that capacity, she leads the access and engagement efforts for the school. De Moya boasts over a decade of experience in business journalism, public affairs and developmental communication.
Harris, chief purpose officer at Tombras, ensures that purpose remains central to client strategy and campaigns. Before her current position, Harris served as the chief of social impact at Havas New York and managed the nonprofit Today, I’m Brave.
The advisory board will contribute to the project’s mission of advancing socially valuable research and using effective communication to achieve purpose-driven goals. Chen, De Moya and Harris were selected to guide the project’s development and provide strategic counsel.
Deborah Crouse, (865-974-6727, dcrouse@utk.edu)
Joe Stabb, (865-974-5098, purposeproject@utk.edu)
Past Event: Guest speaker Scott Rosenkrans takes look at artificial intelligence in philanthropy
On Oct. 26 in the College of Communication and Information, guest speaker Scott Rosenkrans gave students an insight into the world of advertising, now inhabited by artificial intelligence. Rosenkrans, the associate vice president at DonorSearch AI, has spent much of his professional career navigating this tool in the philanthropic and not-for-profit worlds.
News: Tombras School Launches New Purpose Project Initiative
The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations recently announced the launch of the Purpose Project, a new initiative to promote socially valuable research and advance the use of effective communication to positively impact purpose goals.
“Purpose” in this sense operates as the core functionality of an organization—that is, the organization itself is a social enterprise with social impact as a primary purpose of the business. The Purpose Project aims to be a forum wherein business leaders, academics, government and nongovernment leaders, undergraduate and graduate students, and key stakeholders work together to advance purpose goals through effective communication practices. It will also fund and support purpose-driven original research, discussion of ideas, and the sharing of best practices related to purpose communication.