Scott Cutlip

A press release dated August 23, 2000, was distributed by the University of Georgia: SCOTT CUTLIP, FORMER DEAN OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION AT UGA, DIES IN WISCONSIN ATHENS, Ga. -- Scott M. Cutlip, a pioneer in public relations education who served as dean of the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication from 1976 to 1983, died Aug. 18 in Madison, Wis. Cutlip, who was 85, was diagnosed with cancer several months ago. Cutlip was co-author of one of the best-selling public relations textbooks in history and is credited with helping establish public relations as a field of academic study. A leading trade journal last year named him one of the most influential figures in public relations in the 20th century. Cutlip came to the Grady College as a visiting professor in January of 1975 and became acting dean of the college in June of that year. He was named dean in October of the following year. After stepping down as dean in 1983, he served as a University Professor and professor of public relations until his retirement in 1985. He had lived in Madison for the past several years. Before coming to UGA, Cutlip spent 29 years on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he introduced the study of public relations. He was co-author with Allen H. Center of the 1952 book "Effective Public Relations," which has been published in seven editions and is one of the best-selling texts in the field. His 1994 book, "The Unseen Power," is the first detailed history of the public relations profession in America from its beginnings in 1900 through the 1960s. Last year, PR Week, an industry newspaper, cited Cutlip as the person who gave legitimacy to public relations education through strong research and scholarship, and creation of a teaching model for future generations of educators. Listing him among the 20th century's 10 most influential figures in the field, the paper credits Cutlip with "structur(ing) the model of university-based public relations education for decades to come, which included an emphasis on ethics and research." Funeral services will be held in Madison.