Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

William P. Ehling ’43, G’52, G’54 Dies; Founded Public Relations Department

Wednesday, February 12, 2014, By Wendy S. Loughlin
Share
in memoriamNewhouse School of Public Communications

William P. Ehling ’43, G’52, G’54, professor emeritus and founder of the public relations department at the Newhouse School, died Feb. 7. He was 93.

William Ehling

William P. Ehling

Ehling taught at Syracuse University from 1954 until his retirement in 1991. During his tenure, he served as the director of graduate studies at Newhouse, and was also the University’s director of public relations and head of the Office of Information Services from 1954–1963.

In 1968, he established the Syracuse chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), one of the first PRSSA chapters in the country. The chapter was re-named in his honor in 1990, and remains active today, with more than 200 members.

With Betsy Plank, he co-authored the 1987 report of the Commission on Public Relations Education, which set the standards for undergraduate education. And he was a contributor to James E. Grunig’s watershed study “Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management.”

He was a member of the Public Relations Society of America, which awarded him the Silver Anvil for Outstanding Educator of the Year in 1988; the International Communications Association; the International Association of Business Communicators; the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications; and the American Sociological Association.

Ehling was a consultant on research methodology, communication theory, management strategies, conflict resolution and environmental issues.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Newhouse (then the School of Journalism) and the College of Arts & Sciences, and master’s and doctoral degrees from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Born in Bectelsville, Pa., he had lived in Syracuse since 1939.

Burial will be private, with a graveside service for the family this spring.

Notes of remembrance may be sent to Maria Russell, public relations chair, at mprussel@syr.edu.

  • Author

Wendy S. Loughlin

  • Recent
  • Syracuse University Press Participating in Path to Open Program
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Cristina Hatem
  • A&S Chemistry Professor Receives Award From the American Chemical Society
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By News Staff
  • ‘Guys and Dolls’ Opens Syracuse University Department of Drama 2023/24 Season
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Joanna Penalva
  • Libraries Add MindSpa Wellness Rooms
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Cristina Hatem
  • iSchool Professors, Students Honored With ALISE Awards
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Anya Woods

More In Media, Law & Policy

Broadcasting Legend Bob Costas ’74 Shares Tips, Stories From Hall of Fame Sportscasting Career

Even Bob Costas ’74 can strike out occasionally in the broadcast booth. During an appearance Friday at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the decorated sportscaster shared a story from his iconic career about a regrettable mistake that he…

Maxwell Sociologists Receive $1.8M From the NIA to Study Midlife Health and Mortality

A team of Maxwell School faculty led by Jennifer Karas Montez and Shannon Monnat have been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support their research on geographic disparities in midlife mortality. Montez, University…

Languages Unlock Opportunities for English for Lawyers Alumna

Languages act as a guide for communicating our goals and dreams. It’s how we make sense of the world and connect with the communities around us. Become fluent in a variety of languages, and it’s like collecting keys that unlock…

Law Student Tyriese Robinson Named Inaugural Recipient of the NDNY FCBA Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66, L’71 Law Scholarship

The first recipient of a scholarship established in honor of the Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66, L’71 is second-year law student Tyriese Robinson. The Northern District of New York (NDNY) Federal Court Bar Association (FCBA) Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66,…

Robertson Fellows Aspire to Serve as Foreign Service Officers

Interested in careers in the foreign service, Zoe Prin and Forrest Gatrell took advantage of internships and other opportunities as undergraduates that exposed them to the inner workings of government, policymaking and service from differing vantage points. While Gatrell obtained…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.