I’d do it all over again at USC

by Dr. Juan-Carlos Molleda

When people ask me about my studies at USC, I find my experience is an easy one to share. My academic interests matched up immediately. Professors allowed me to maintain and refine my research focus and pursue an outside concentration in international business as a multidisciplinary approach for studying global public relations. Each of them made an impact in my academic experience: Drs. Erik Collins, Ronald Farrar, Alan Fried, Augie Grant, A. Jerome Jewler, Rick Stephens, Judy VanSlyke Turk and Lynn Zoch.

The doctoral seminars were focused and small enough to offer plenty of interactions with an impressive group of domestic and international doctoral students and dedicated faculty. My main academic adviser, Lynn Zoch, became a long-lasting friend. The school’s friendly and competent staff always proved helpful.

My thick Spanish accent never bothered undergraduate and graduate students. On the contrary, I felt they wanted to learn about my personal and professional background. For some, it was a first encounter with a “foreigner.” I always thought it was a privilege to teach and learn from U.S. and international students, which wasn’t part of my original plan when I arrived in the United States to learn English and seek specialized education to become a better-qualified public relations professional back in Venezuela.

USC faculty and staff treated me as a colleague. They gave me every opportunity a doctoral student can think of to succeed in future academic or professional endeavors, that is, teaching, research and service options. They trusted me and never underestimated my skills or capacity. At times, I thought I wasn’t up to the task, yet my assigned duties and responsibilities made me competitive in the job market. Today, I use the same advising and coaching model with my master’s and doctoral students.

My transition from USC graduate student to tenure-track academic professional at the University of Florida went smoothly. I realized the importance the quality of education and advice I received during my doctoral studies played in my success as a newly appointed assistant professor at a top research institution. Two mentors have been on my side from USC to UF: VanSlyke Turk and Zoch. VanSlyke Turk moved overseas and then took a position at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Zoch went to the University of Miami and came back to USC, yet they have never lost contact and have been present at every step of my professional and personal life.

I keep fond and unforgettable memories of USC faculty, students, staff and friends. When my official USC cap and gown didn’t arrive on time for commencement, Rick Stephens jumped in and lent me his well-kept regalia. I was pleased by my appearance in Stephens’ cap and gown, and so were my 23 family members and friends who came from Venezuela, other parts of South Carolina and Virginia to witness such an extraordinary event in our family history.

I’m the only member of my family to have earned a doctoral degree. Yes, a piece of black cloth, funny hat and Superman-like cape made an immense difference that day.

Zoch, my adviser, and her husband, Greg Ballantyne, who is also my dear friend, hosted my graduation party. Their living room became a Latin dance floor. Their pool flooded with kids swimming and jumping. My family and friends still ask me about Lynn and Greg and wish them happiness and good health.

I carry many memories. My classmate and now colleague Lee Bollinger and I were asked to leave a restaurant because we were conducting interviews without authorization of the staff. We thought being a patron of the establishment gave us such rights, but we were wrong. Lee invited me to her home in North Augusta many times. We had great conversations about her family and my family back in Venezuela over lunches, dinners and spirits. She was always concerned about my well-being and interested in learning more about the Latin American culture.

A member of my dissertation committee, Erik Collins, sat with me for a couple of days to read each word of my doctoral research study. He gave me extremely useful feedback that allowed me to meet graduation deadlines.

When my Kuwaiti classmate Mohammad Al-Buloushi went to a country farm to butcher a lamb, he would reserve a leg for me. Another Kuwaiti classmate, Yousef Al-Failakawi, frequently hosted a group of us to study statistics. His wife graciously cooked an array of mouth-watering Middle Eastern treats that kept us, for the most part, on task.

My roles and unique experiences kept expanding at USC. I helped with the coordination of a baby shower for my dear friend and officemate Dayo Abah. In my country, a shower is a women’s affair. At USC, it just became a friendship affair. Recently, I received a message from Dayo, who is an assistant professor at Washington and Lee University. She congratulated me for my recently awarded tenure and promotion. She is a successful USC alumna and mother of two children. The USC family is growing.

I’ve been lucky since I arrived in the United States 12 years ago. My master’s adviser, Vincent Hazleton from Radford University, put me on my way to USC. Judy VanSlyke Turk and Lynn Zoch were instrumental in me getting a job at a top research institution. Now it’s my turn to give back to both institutions. For instance, I recommend my master’s students pursue doctoral studies at USC or our doctoral candidates apply for jobs there. The connection is alive and thriving.

Molleda's research interests include: Public relations in Panama; building partnerships and coalitions for social change with global strategic public relations; coordination and control mechanisms in transnational organizations to manage cross-national conflict shifting or crises that cross borders; and impact of the socioeconomic and political environments on the practice of public relations in Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.

A member of the 2006 Public Relations Society of America’s International Professional Interest Section, Molleda also serves as coordinator of the PR Landscape project of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. He acts as 2006-2008 secretary of the International Communication Association’s Public Relations Division and is the co-founder of Latin & Hispanic Strategic Communications Inc.