“The new BE (Blanquerna-Emerson) Center for Global Communication is part of our vision and a challenge for the future”, said Dr. Carbonell, “not only will it be a project between Europe and the US, but it will also be a worldwide network”.

Dr. Pelton stated that “at Emerson we build bridges, not walls. We understand that the future is global”. “This Center will be an example of what we teach our students: Creativity, Critical thinking, Collaboration and Communication. These four Cs are the ones the world cannot live without. The ones that will shape this century”, he added.

The Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication, a pioneer in Europe

With its three major branches: Engagement, Research and Education, the Emerson-Blanquerna Center for Global Communication will be one of the first hubs of knowledge in Europe in this field. This center will gather organizations and companies from all over the globe to innovate in the area of strategic communication and public relations and business communication.

It gives support to undergraduate (Global Communication Management Degree) and graduate degrees (MA -Strategic Management in Global Communication) and is also a leader in professional participation in this field through initiatives such as the IPRA Golden World Award for Excellence in Public Relations 2018.

Democracies in Europe and the USA

Within the framework of a discussion on “Trends among Democracies in Europe and the USA", Dr. Lee Pelton talked together with Dr. Josep Maria Carbonell in the Auditorium of our School about trends and threats in western democracies and the role of the media.

Dr. Pelton talked about the reason behind the growing division in the US, while Dr. Carbonell focussed on the European point of view, talking about the rise of populism in European countries. “There is a need for ethical requirements in public relations and international relations”, said Dr. Carbonell, answering a question from the audience, which referred to the responsibility of communicators.

“It is time for reflection in the field of the media”, added Dr. Pelton. “It is important to educate people, so they can understand on their own, which news is true and which is not”, he stated. He asked the audience, “should a journalist be influenced by his or her own opinion if the journalist perceives something as harmful or should he or she maintain a position of neutral reporting? What is a journalist's duty?”. The question remains open for the next Emerson-Blanquerna conferences.

The project will be lead by Gregroy Payne, Emerson, and Enric Ordeix, Blanquerna who will be acting as Academic Directors. The Global Director, will be Scott Ratzan, from Harvard Kennedy School.