Kent State Public Relations Students Place Second in National Competition

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) named a team of Kent State University students as the second-place finisher in the national PRSSA 2013 Bateman Case Study Competition. The team consisted of five Kent State seniors majoring in public relations, and its team name was KSU Blue. The announcement was made May 10.

KSU Blue had been named one of three national finalists – out of 68 teams from across the country that submitted entries – in the competition. Eighty teams originally entered the competition.

KSU Blue and the two other finalist teams presented their campaigns via Skype to a panel of PRSSA judges in New York City to determine the final rankings.

The PRSSA Kent State Chapter will receive $1,500 as a result of KSU Blue’s second-place finish. The team also will be recognized at PRSSA’s National Conference in Philadelphia in October.

Each year, the Bateman Case Study Competition calls for PRSSA college chapter teams to research, plan, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign between January and March. This year’s case study involved childhood bullying.

The KSU Blue team – Kirsten Bowers of Findlay, Ohio; Wezley Garlick of Middletown, Del.; Mary Kate Garvey of Blacklick, Ohio; Caitlin Potts of Boardman, Ohio; and Lyndsey Sager of Munroe Falls, Ohio – created and implemented a plan at Rootstown Middle School in Rootstown, Ohio, that focused on the proactive roles bystanders can take to diffuse bullying situations.

“The Bateman competition pushes students to use research to drive strategies and tactics, and Blue’s campaign succeeded at Rootstown and with the PRSSA judges because of the outstanding, in-depth research,” said Tim Roberts, team faculty advisor and Kent State lecturer. “These students and our school have a lot to be proud of.”

Erin Orsini, a 2011 Kent State public relations graduate and associate at True Digital Communications, served as the team’s professional advisor.

The student team from Loyola University of New Orleans, the 2012 national Bateman winner, took the title again this year.

About PRSSA
In 1968, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) founded the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). The purpose of PRSSA is to cultivate a favorable and mutually advantageous relationship between students and professional public relations practitioners. PRSSA includes more than 11,000 students organized into 300-plus chapters in the United States and one in Argentina. For more information about PRSSA, visit www.prssa.org.

About PRSSA Kent State Chapter
More than 60 students are members of the award-winning PRSSA Kent State Chapter, which offers numerous opportunities for professional development, networking and career preparation. The programming complements the curriculum of Kent State’s public relations program and provides relevant experience for future public relations professionals. PRSSA Kent State has received six national PRSSA Teahan awards for its programming and service efforts. The chapter and its officers also have received numerous university student leadership honors. For more information about Kent State’s PRSSA Chapter, visit www.prssakent.com.

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Photo Caption:
The Public Relations Student Society of America named a team of Kent State University students as the second-place finisher in the national PRSSA 2013 Bateman Case Study Competition. Pictured from left are professional advisor Erin Orsini; Kent State students Wezley Garlick, Kirsten Bowers, Caitlin Potts, Lyndsey Sager and Mary Kate Garvey; and faculty advisor Tim Roberts.


Media Contacts:
Jennifer Kramer, jlkramer@kent.edu, 330-672-1960
Bob Burford, rburford@kent.edu, 330-672-8516