Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) has partnered this year with Qatar Shell for one its integrated marketing communications courses – Case Studies in Public Relations and Strategic Communications.
"This exceptional partnership with Shell Qatar connects our students with some of the most talented communications professionals in the region,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO at NU-Q. The dean said, “Shell’s communications activities and efforts to foster corporate social responsibility, are a model in the region and we’re honored to be working with them.”The course provides students with a better understanding of the structure of a communications operation, including areas such as internal communication, crisis management, media analytics, and corporate social responsibility. Professional communicators from Shell lectured a series of classes providing the students with a first-hand look at how integrated communications strategies work in the real world.
Rob Sherwin, general manager corporate affairs and deputy country chairman of Qatar Shell commented: “I’m delighted that my colleagues and I have been able to engage with the Northwestern University in Qatar students during this course. We’ve all been impressed by the level of interaction in the classes and the quality of the discussion. It’s clear that Northwestern is developing graduates with skills and knowledge that will be immediately applicable in the world of corporate communications – whether in agency or in-house roles.”
The course, taught by Gregory Bergida, an adjunct assistant professor at Northwestern and director of student affairs, also welcomed other respected local media professionals for lecturers and case studies. The course covered internal communication, media relations, crisis management, and other topics. NU-Q is expanding its faculty ad offerings in strategic communication as a response to a felt need in a country where businesses and government ministries are seeking trained personnel in this field.
Silma Suba, a student in the class, appreciated the expertise provided by the speakers from Shell. “I believe that having several speakers from Shell come to our class, representing various aspects of PR and crisis communication and management, was extremely informative and impactful to our class. Each session,” Suba said, “has been a great learning experience and have provided an opportunity for us to network and exchange contacts with professionals in the field.”
Shell, the largest foreign investor in Qatar, has a fully integrated corporate affairs team encompassing external and internal communications, media and social media, government relations, community liaison and Corporate Social Responsibility. The majority of the team are Qatari nationals.
