by Molly Chapple
The College of Journalism and Mass Communications Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) brought home four awards of excellence Thursday at the Nebraska Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Paper Anvil Awards in La Vista on Dec. 6.
The 2016-2017 Bateman team, led by professors Phyllis Larsen and Sheri Sallee, won Best in Show in the student category for “Redirect the Conversation,” an advocacy campaign on the importance of mental health. Members included Erin Lenz, Cassie McCormick, Bari Pearlman, Karley Powell and Elizabeth Snyder. The team also placed third in the national PRSSA competition last spring.
Work of the Bateman team also won the following awards at this year’s Paper Anvil event:
-Award of Excellence, Outstanding Classroom Campaign
-Award of Excellence, Outstanding Strategy to Address a Problem
-Award of Merit, Outstanding Campus Event
“This is the third year in a row that Bateman teams have won Best in Show, and the students deserve a lot of credit for their work," Sallee said. “But the greatest prize is the difference they’ve made on campus and in the community on important social issues such as affordable housing, mental wellness and support of student veterans."
Additionally, University of Nebraska–Lincoln PRSSA won the following awards:
-Award of Excellence, Outstanding PRSSA Chapter Project for “Share the Love Blood Drive” for the Nebraska Community Blood Bank
-Award of Excellence, Outstanding Relationship-building Project for PRSSA’s Mentor Program
-Award of Merit, Outstanding Newsletter for the PRSSA Alums + Friends newsletter
-Award of Merit, Outstanding Community or Nonprofit Event for “Lincoln CAN” for the Food Bank of Lincoln
“Our client partnerships create great hands-on learning experiences in PRSSA,” Larsen said. “These awards recognize students’ hard work as well as the efforts of everyone who has taken time to mentor them.”
Megan Simonsen, a senior advertising and public relations and anthropology double major, also received an Award of Merit, Outstanding Professional Development for her work at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
Finally, Monique Farmer, director of communication at Omaha Public Schools and a CoJMC part-time instructor and alumna, was recognized as Professional of the Year. Farmer graduated from CoJMC in 2014 with her master’s degree.
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