by Molly Roe
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) recently announced that five University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) College of Journalism and Mass Communications (CoJMC) students received an honorable mention for their “IGNITE THE i IN IMC” public interest campaign.
PRSSA awarded this national recognition as part of its annual Bateman Case Study Competition, which this year challenged college teams to develop a campaign on behalf of the PRSA Foundation whose mission is to increase diversity within the public relations profession.
One of 66 team entries, CoJMC students Mia Azizah, Rylie Kalb, Zach Kunz, Ray Price and Lauren Tritch were part of the 2019 CoJMC team.
“This national recognition is truly outstanding,” said Sheri Sallee who serves as the Bateman faculty adviser. “The college and campus impact also stand out. Our CoJMC students educated more than 600 future IMC professionals on the diversity deficit and engaged 262 to take the “I Act On Pledge” that’s a commitment of five steps to live out inclusion every day.”
The “IGNITE THE i in IMC” campaign focused on inclusion for all within integrated marketing communications (i.e., public relations, advertising and marketing) and advanced the idea that “inclusion starts with I, beginning with you.”
PRSSA recognized 18 campaigns with honorable mentions, including the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The following schools were selected as finalists and will present their campaigns to a panel of PRSSA judges on May 16-17 in New York: Brigham Young University – Team Blue, California State University, Long Beach and University of South Carolina.
Each year, the Bateman Competition chooses a nonprofit client that allows college students to create a full public relations campaign that can have a positive impact on their community. Past campaigns have included topics such as childhood cancer, mental health, student veterans and affordable housing. The CoJMC has earned a third place ranking and three honorable mentions awards in its five years of Bateman participation.