Jessalynn Strauss
Associate Professor of Strategic Communications and Chair of the Department of Strategic Communications
Department: Strategic Communications
Email: jstrauss2@elon.edu
Phone number: (336) 278-5343
News & Notes
Education
2010, Ph.D., Communication and Society, University of Oregon
2004, M.A., Mass Communication, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
1998, A.B., English/History, Duke University
Employment History
2020-present, Associate Professor, Elon University
2013-2020, Assistant Professor, Elon University
2010-2013, Assistant Professor, Xavier University
2004-2006, External Relations Representative, Robertson Scholars Program
2000-2002, Blood Donation Coordinator, American Red Cross Central NC Chapter
1998-2000, Director of Marketing/Acquisitions Editor, Carolina Academic Press
Courses Taught
Strategic Writing
Public Relations and Civic Responsibility
Strategic Research Methods
Great Ideas: Issues and Research
Current Projects
Challenging corporate social responsibility: Lessons for public relations from the gaming industry
This book, examining corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the casino gaming industry, will be published as part of the Routledge for New Directions in Public Relations Research book series in 2014. The book will provide several case studies of CSR in the gaming industry and will consider what it might mean for a casino corporation to be "socially responsible" in today's complicated global landscape.
Tweets from Sin City: Examining the use of social media by Las Vegas casinos
This research examines the use of social and mobile media, primarily Twitter, by Las Vegas casinos. It examines the way that the gaming industry has adopted the use of social media and other “new” communication technologies as a means to promote recovery after the 2007 economic recession, by which the gaming and tourism industries (especially in Las Vegas) were hit particularly hard.
Examining the impact of local TV coverage of corporate social responsibility
This research explores the potential interaction between local television coverage of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and civic engagement. Research done by Strauss (2010) on corporate social responsibility in the casino industry in Las Vegas, NV suggests that there may be a relationship between citizens’ perceived involvement of local corporations in the community and those citizens’ own feelings about and involvement in community support. This follow-up research attempts to define any potential relationship between these two and further understand the interaction between them.
Publications
Strauss, J. R. (2018). “The Business of Gambling: How Press Releases Helped Legitimize the Gaming Industry in Las Vegas.” In All In: Gambling in the Twentieth Century United States, J. Cohen and D. Schwartz (Eds.). University of Nevada Press.
Strauss, J. R. (2018). “A Time and Place: The Las Vegas Mob Museum’s Experiential Public Relations.” In Public Relations Beyond Text, S. Collister and S. Roberts-Bowman (Eds.). Routledge: London, UK.
Strauss, J. R. (2017). “Making a Case for Religious Freedom: The Church of Scientology Responds to Claims Made in an Unauthorized Biography of Tom Cruise.” Journal of Media and Religion, 16(2), 39-50.
Strauss, J. R. (2017). “Transparency Signaling in CSR Press Releases in a Vice Industry.” In Handbook of Investor Relations and Financial Communications, A. Laskin (Ed.). John Wiley and Sons.
Strauss, J. R. (2017). “Inspiring Employees through CSR: Lessons from a Gambling Giant.” In Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Ethical Public Relations: Strengthening Synergies with Human Resources, D. Pompper (Ed.). Emerald Publishing Ltd.
Lambert, C. A.; Strauss, J. R.; and Tindall, N. T. J. (2016). “Public Relations in Popular Culture: A ‘Scandal’ on Primetime Television.” In Popular Culture in Perspective, A. F. Herrmann and A. Herbig (Eds). Lexington Books.
Stansberry, K., & Strauss, J. R. (2016). “A Cavalier approach to public relations: The unconventional image restoration of LeBron James.” Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 5.
Strauss, J. R. (2015). “Becoming respectable: A history of early social responsibility in the Las Vegas casino industry.” UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, 19(2).
Strauss, J. R. (2015). Challenging corporate social responsibility: Lessons for public relations from the casino industry. Routledge: London, UK.
Stansberry, K., & Strauss, J. R. (2015). “Standing out in a neon crowd: How Las Vegas casinos use Twitter to establish brand personalities to cultivate relationships with “fans” and brand advocates.” PRism, 12(1).
Strauss, J. R. (2014). “Changing clothes in the phonebooth.” In E. M. Furtak & I. Renga (Eds.), The Road to Tenure: Interviews, Rejections, and other Humorous Experiences. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Strauss, J. R. (2013). “A history of casino public relations in Las Vegas.” Journal of Gaming, Tourism, and Leisure Research, 1(1), 39-55.
Strauss, J. R. (2013). “From the Last Frontier to the New Cosmopolitan: A history of casino public relations in Las Vegas.” In D. Schwartz, (Ed.), Frontiers in chance: Gaming research across the disciplines. Las Vegas, NV: University of Nevada Las Vegas Gaming Press.
Strauss, J. R. (2013). From the Last Frontier to the New Cosmopolitan: A history of casino public relations in Las Vegas. Public Relations Review, 39(2), 124-130.
Strauss, J. R. (2011). Public (relations) disturbances and civil disobedience: Why I use “The Yes Men Fix the World” to teach public relations ethics.” Public Relations Review, 37(5), 544-547.
Strauss, J. R. (17 March, 2011). “Got philosophy?” Vegas Seven.
Strauss, J. R. (10 February, 2011). “The power of yesterday: Why preservation is essential to progress — even in Vegas.” Vegas Seven.
Strauss, J. R. (22 September, 2010). “What would I tell my daughter? A feminist—and Vegas fan—weighs in on the public advertising of the outcall trade.” Vegas Seven.
Strauss, J. R. (2010). Capitalising on the value in relationships: A social capital-based model for non-profit public relations. PRism 7(2): http://praxis.massey.ac.nz/prism_on-line_journ.html
Awards
August 2009, First place poster award, AEJMC Public Relations Division poster session.
August 2009, Fourth place paper award, AEJMC Graduate Education Interest Group