Professor Se Ra Choi was recently welcomed into the Advertising Public Relations program at Grand Valley State University. Choi recently moved to Michigan from Colorado and is currently finishing her Ph.D. from Colorado State University in Public Communication and Technology. She is primarily focused on strategic communication, specifically artificial intelligence’s place in crisis communications. Choi’s recent studies have focused on how organizations should respond in instances where AI fails.

Choi was drawn to GVSU to teach because of its Advertising and Public Relations Program and the faculty in it. Choi met fellow GVSU professor Timothy Penning at a conference and learned about the opportunities at the university. Choi expressed that she enjoys the support of the other professors in the communication field. 

Last semester, Choi taught Fundamentals of Public Relations, CAP 220. CAP 220 focuses on covering the “role of public relations in society, public relations principles and their application, procedures for planning and implementing public relations campaigns, the identification of publics and the strategies for influencing them,” described the course description. During the course, Choi focused on covering the basics of public relations and the assignments aimed to give her students a better understanding of the public relations field. The course is offered at GVSU every semester and is three credits. 

Hanna Bernhardt was in Choi’s CAP 220 course during the fall semester. Bernhardt said the course experience was positive.

“My experience in her class was always enjoyable,” Bernhardt said. “Her class was one I looked forward to.”

Crisis communication and crisis management are two important aspects of Choi’s career and she uses her expertise while teaching courses at GVSU.  According to Rockdove Solutions, crisis communication refers to “the technologies, systems and protocols that enable an organization to effectively communicate during a major threat to its business or reputation.” Crisis communication focuses on handling crises before they occur and managing them when they do take place. 

In CAP 220 students were assigned a project specifically in relation to crisis management. Berhardt said that through the project, she was able to learn more about Choi’s area of study and the importance of crisis management in society. Berhardt said crisis communication is important with social media’s popularity and feels those in crisis management are needed to keep crises at bay.

Students expressed that Choi has been an excellent addition to the GVSU Advertising and Public Relations team. Choi plans to continue her work on crisis communication and crisis management during her time at GVSU.

Choi said she had a positive experience with GVSU students. She appreciated her students’ enthusiasm about the communication program.

“The students that I met from my classes are really passionate about advertising, PR and marketing in general,” Choi said. “Those passions (and) those feelings make me energetic and motivate me to mentor them. That’s the things that I like.”