By: Natalie Batten
As a public relations student, I am always looking for opportunities to enhance my resume and practice the skills I am learning in the classroom. One unique way to get involved is to participate in the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition.
The Bateman Competition is a national event that began in 1973. Every year, more than 75 collegiate teams compete to address the case study by creating a campaign and implementing the tactics over the one month implementation period.
Each team that enters the competition can have up to six students and works with a faculty advisor as well as a professional advisor. This provides a great opportunity to learn from a professional in the field as well as work closely with faculty members and other students in the major in an environment outside of class.
This year, the client is the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the nation’s largest non-profit that exclusively focuses on serving those suffering from lymphoma through funding innovative research, education programs, outreach and patient services.
CMU PRSSA’s Bateman Team has been hard at work generating ideas over the last few months and we are currently in our implementation period. Our goal is to increase awareness of the Lymphoma Research Foundation on CMU’s campus by engaging with our campus community.
The CMU Bateman Team is hosting a podcast called Lymphoma Talks, where once a week we feature a discussion with someone who has been impacted by lymphoma. We are also hosting two tabling events with information about the Lymphoma Research Foundation, and making cards for lymphoma patients. We are also hosting a Blaze Pizza fundraiser to raise money for the Lymphoma Research Foundation. A full list of our activities can be found below.
For more information on the work we are doing, visit: www.cmuprssa.com/fireupred
If you are a college student with a PRSSA chapter at your school, look into joining the Bateman Competition next year! Information usually comes out in the fall. It is a great learning experience and opportunity to practice the skills you are learning in your classes by creating a public relations campaign to address a real issue in the world.
