Public relations activities in building corporate reputation in universities: A comparison of public and private universities

Public relations, which has been in existence for a very long time, is an important management function for organizations in today's competitive environment. Public relations, known as a positive recognition and promotion tool, is becoming an indispensable interaction tool for both the private and public sectors to achieve their goals. Today, with the increase in the number of universities opened, the rise in the level of education, the importance of scientific achievements, globalization and the development of the free market economy, a great competitive environment has emerged among both public and foundation universities. As a result of this competitive environment, it has become imperative for universities to be in good relations with their internal and external stakeholders, to create a positive corporate reputation, and to leave a favorable impression on the public by being more visible in the media. Universities, which serve both in the public and private sectors, undertake tasks such as striving for the development of the society in which they are located and raising individuals who will shape these developments. Successful fulfillment of these tasks is only possible by adapting to the strategic management functions of public relations and paying due attention to target audiences. In this respect, both foundation universities and state universities need a public relations unit with a solid infrastructure, formed by experts in their field, in order to be successful. With this research, it was aimed to investigate the extent to which public relations activities, which are of great importance for public and foundation universities, are implemented by universities and whether this implementation phase shows a difference between public and foundation universities. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the foundation university included in the study implements more public relations activities than the public university and has a more comprehensive corporate communication unit as a structuring