A team of five public relations majors from Kent State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) earned an honorable mention in the Public Relations Student Society of America’s annual Bateman case study competition.
The Bateman Blue team was one of 16 entrants out of 70 from across the country that earned honorable mention. This is the second time in three years and the third time since 2008 a PRKent Bateman team was recognized with an honorable mention. In 2013, a PRKent Bateman team placed second nationally.
Each year, the Bateman competition calls for PRSSA college chapter teams to research, develop, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign. This year’s competition challenge called for increasing awareness and understanding of Student Veterans of America (SVA), a non-profit that supports student veterans in their transition from the military to college life.
The Bateman Blue team consisted of the following five undergraduates:
- Taylor Meade, a junior from Kettering, Ohio
- Danie Minor, a senior from Gambrills, Maryland
- Brenna Parker, a junior from Delaware, Ohio
- Nicholas Sewell, a senior from Massillon, Ohio
- Gabrielle Woodard, a senior from Mansfield, Ohio
PRKent alumna Jenn Yokley McElhatten, 09, a former Bateman team member who now serves as digital editor for Ernst & Young in Cleveland, served as Bateman Blue’s professional adviser.
Tim Roberts, JMC’s undergraduate studies coordinator and Bateman faculty adviser, noted the team’s depth of research and creative strategies and tactics.
“Their research drove their campaign and, obviously, impressed the judges," he said. "They also reached outside campus with an impressive community awareness campaign in Kent and Portage County.”