Public Affairs

The Communication and Media Department at AUK arranged a fieldtrip to STC, a Kuwait-based telecommunications company, to familiarize students with PR departments in multi-national organizations and provide them with the opportunity to gain real-life experiences. Professor Iqbal Al-Haddad, instructor of communication, accompanied the students and planned the trip for those enrolled in her Public Relations Writing, Introduction to Mass Communication, International Case Studies in Public Relations, and PR Campaigns courses. 

In his presentation to the students, the STC HR manager discussed the organization’s structure, introduced the board of directors, and discussed the roles of their executive managers. The STC PR managers also walked students through their internal and external PR and corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. A tour of the offices was then given to the students. 

“I believe that a trip of this kind adds a lot of benefit and value to the students where they can relate what they studied to the actual world. The majority were very much impressed of what they have seen and how the PR activities were implemented and executed, catering to various target audiences and for different causes,” stated Professor Al-Haddad. The students’ feedback was positive; many appreciated the opportunity to see their majors and coursework through a practical lens.  

The COMM major is designed to help students become better consumers and producers of public information, strengthen their understanding of the role of communication in their personal, professional, and civic lives, and prepare them for private and public-sector leadership positions in communication-related and other fields.
  
To accomplish this, the communication and media program employs a flexible approach, exposing students to various branches such as advertising, journalism, public relations, and others. Laboratory courses sharpen students’ skills, lectures provide firm theoretical grounding, and internships enable students to view the profession from a variety of perspectives.