Senior VP of Award-Winning PR firm talks Ethics with Kean Students
Tchividjian with members of Kean PRSSA and PRSSA faculty adviser Prof. Sullivan.
By: Yuri Smishkewych | Published Dec. 2, 2015
Emmanuel Tchividjian is just the sort of professional that inspires students and professionals alike.
Not only is he senior vice president and chief ethics officer at Ruder Finn, Inc., a leading global communications agency located in New York City, but Tchividjian is often a guest speaker on ethics at other universities throughout the Tri-State area and in the national media, including CNN.
Tchividjian put theory to practice for students at Kean’s School of Communications Media & Journalism (CMJ) in an hour-long conversation about the ethical challenges often faced outside academia. The Kean Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) held the event on Oct. 27 in CAS building.
“When it comes to discussing ethics, they are questions within the classroom that are relatively easy to answer,” said Jeremiah Sullivan, Kean professor and PRSAA advisor, “however, be it in public relations or another field, in ‘the real world,’ sometimes things can become a bit more difficult. I think Emmanuel’s talk reminded us just how omnipresent that truth is.”
The event was a first for Kean’s PRSSA since its inception in 2014. According to the PRSSA website, the organization “aims to build the knowledge of students in the field of Public Relations […] to professionally advance in their careers, expand their network, and strengthen their leadership development.”
While the presentation and Q&A session was geared for communication students, the concepts that Tchividjian spoke about were of benefit to any student, regardless of their major. Some of the topics discussed included conflict of interest and insider trading, human rights, the environment and public safety.
“It’s always important to make first contact with professionals in your field,” said Henrietta Nwako, President of the Kean PRSSA, “they share their experiences and put what you’ve learned in a real-life context for you. It’s the real deal.”
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