Dr. Patrick Merle, an assistant professor at Florida State University’s School of Communication, kicked off the Drake University Public Relations Distinguished Lecture Series on Nov. 19 with his talk, “Notes from the Field: The Secret Life of a Passport,” in Des Moines, Iowa.

Merle’s lecture also marked the beginning of the Central Iowa PRSA Institute, a daylong seminar for professional communicators in Iowa.  He spoke about his first-hand international experience and shared his perspective on American professionals encountering multinational issues.

“Visiting the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Drake University proved to be a successful experience,” Merle said. “The opportunity allowed me to meet faculty, students and public relations professionals, and talk about both research and practice.”

“Dr. Merle has an impressive and diverse professional background in journalism as well as public relations,” Drake University assistant professor of public relations David Remund said.  “He’s not only worked on both sides of the media, he has done so on several continents. Plus, he is now a resident teacher-scholar at Florida State University; he knows and understands how to help college students and the general public truly understand PR practice from both U.S. and international perspectives.  He was uniquely qualified to be our first visiting scholar and we are so grateful he was willing and able to accept our invitation.”

In addition, Merle spent the week at Drake, visiting public relations, politics and business classes, working with students to recognize how these disciplines intersect and their importance in global communication today. He also met with various student groups, faculty and athletics administrators during his time on campus.

“In some classes, he delivered lectures on specialized topics related to international PR, advertising and marketing,” Remund said.  “In other classes, he met with teams of students to critique projects they have in development, and to offer advice and guidance. He helped students expand their thinking beyond the traditional American norms.”

“This visit also presented me with a golden opportunity to develop collaborative research with a group of dynamic faculty in public relations,” Merle said. “I am grateful and honored that Professor Remund invited me to his campus for a week.”

Merle has worked previously as a professional journalist covering domestic issues and international affairs for global news organizations. He has covered definitive world events like 9/11 in New York City, the London subway attacks, and the 2004 Olympics in Athens.