Honorable Mention Repeat for Fisher’s PR Students

Students in St. John Fisher College’s Tom Proietti Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) received national recognition for the second year in a row for their participation in the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition.

Ava Brugger ’19, Lindsey Garrant ’20, Kaitlin Hawkins-Rusch ’19, Colleen Senglaub ’20, and Alyssa Whitley ’19 received an honorable mention for their campaign, “Play With Purpose,” on behalf of this year’s client, With Purpose, a national nonprofit organization that works to raise awareness about the lack of funding and research for pediatric cancer in America.

Fisher’s PRSSA Bateman Team was one of 20 teams to receive an honorable mention out of 84 entries, in addition to the three finalists. Other schools to receive honorable mentions include Syracuse University, University of South Carolina, and University of Florida. This is the second year that Fisher’s chapter participated in the Bateman competition, and the second year they’ve received an honorable mention.

“The Bateman competition gives students an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom, and to present their work to be judged by a panel of professionals in the field of public relations,” said Arien Rozelle, assistant professor in the Department of Media and Communication and advisor for PRSSA and the Bateman Team. “That our students have earned this recognition again speaks volumes about the quality of education they’re receiving and about their level of ambition, professionalism, and skill. I’m proud to be their advisor and they should be so proud of the hard work they’ve put into this campaign, which has resulted in a tangible outcome for their client.”

Fisher’s Bateman team began work on their campaign in early November and spent several months researching, planning, executing, and evaluating their “Play With Purpose” integrated campaign. The campaign included a series of on-campus posters, social media presence, and a culminating event at local venue Radio Social. The event featured representatives from CURE, a nonprofit that supports Rochester families that have been impacted by childhood cancer, and guest speaker Dr. Jessica Shand, M.D., M.H.S, an expert in pediatric cancer at Strong Memorial Hospital’s pediatric hematology/oncology department. As a result of their hard work, the campaign increased awareness of With Purpose on campus by 38 percent.

The Bateman Case Study Competition is PRSSA’s premier national case study competition for public relations students and gives students an opportunity to apply their classroom education and internship experiences to create and implement a full public relations campaign.