Glen M. Broom

Dr. Glen Broom literally wrote the book on public relations, and the definition of public relations that he penned in Cutlip and Center’s Effective Public Relations stands today as the hallmark definition for the field.

After serving on the faculty for more than 30 years, Dr. Broom retired from San Diego State University in 2008 having educated more than 3,000 public relations students. He remained involved on campus as a professor emeritus with the School of Journalism & Media Studies until his death in 2019.

Dr. Broom’s legacy includes having published more than 50 scholarly articles and papers. In 1987, Dr. Broom received the prestigious Pathfinder Award from the Institute for Public Relations for his lifetime of contributions to public relations research. He was named 1991 Outstanding Educator by the Public Relations Society of America.

Awards aside, Dr. Broom is known as pioneer in the practice and from the podium. He forged a model that emphasized research-based public relations to his students and in his scholarship.

The director of the Broom Center, Dr. Kaye Sweetser, APR+M, Fellow PRSA, said that “Glen Broom had the largest impact on the practice of public relations since Bernays.”