Our mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground strategic communication practice, education, and policy and to share this information in ways that are beneficial to researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and the public.
The Gregory Chair was endowed with a bequest from Maxine Wilson Gregory, an alumna of the Missouri School of Journalism, who died in New York City in 1995. She graduated from MU in 1930, after having earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. Mrs. Gregory worked as an editor on various book projects after graduation. She and her husband traveled extensively around the world and felt at home in many cultures.
Shelly Rodgers, Ph.D., the Maxine Wilson Gregory Chair in Journalism Research, is internationally recognized for exceptional research productivity and impact in top advertising and health communication journals. She leads a team that includes doctoral students at the Missouri School of Journalism and undergraduate and master’s students from across the University of Missouri.
What We Do
Our mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground strategic communication practice, education, and policy and to share this information in ways that are beneficial to researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and the public.
The Gregory team conducts four broad types of research that address using strategic communication for social good to improve people’s daily lives.
- We collect, analyze, and provide data that describe how well strategic communicators are doing. We analyze content on frequency and nature of strategic communication messaging in various formats, including advertising, public relations, health communication, and news. Results are used to inform follow-up interviews, surveys, and/or workshops for further message improvement.
- We conduct an annual Gregory Survey to understand where advertising needs improvement and how these improvements might be made. Our annual survey provides nationally representative data on how U.S. consumers think about and react to advertising for social good. Results provide a snapshot of how consumers and industry are doing at specific points in time.
- We fund development and rigorous testing of theoretical models and new approaches for improving advertising outcomes for all consumers. We support development of theoretical and practical solutions for advertising and strategic communication starting with early design stages through pilot studies and rigorous testing at scale.
- We support advancement of theory and research through specialized training and development of methods and measures. We fund doctoral training on leading-edge topics for future working researchers and educators. Our empirical work on new methods and measures ensures continued advancement in the accuracy, usefulness, and cost-effectiveness of strategic communication data collection and research.
The Gregory Scholars Program
Research is made possible through Gregory funding of programs, such as the Gregory Scholars Program.
This is a high-impact research opportunity for University of Missouri undergraduate and graduate students who want to make a difference in the lives of underserved populations while fulfilling their dream of obtaining higher education.
Students who are part of the Gregory team use the data we collect to gain deeper understanding of the nature and context of needed improvements in strategic communication. With Gregory support, student researchers learn what works for improving consumer interest, understanding, and behavior, and industry and policy.