a pedigree of winning

By: Jorden Shevel
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Two things go together for Kent State PRSSA and the national Bateman competition, putting out high-quality work and getting recognized for it.

Bateman clients change annually and so do the objectives of the study but one thing has been the same since 2013. Kent State remains at the top of the judge’s list.

The two teams Bateman Gold and Bateman Blue have 4 members of Kent PRSSA. Bateman Gold members are Linden Miller, Margaret Baah, Samantha Farland, and Katherine Null. Bateman Blue members are Kayla Proctor, Jorden Shevel, Jada Miles, and Hailey Barnett. 

This year the Bateman students will work with The Census to develop a PR plan to reach some of their more secluded audiences. The Census has a big responsibility so they rely on the help of a lot of third parties to do the communications and raise awareness about the Census. This effort, alongside their communications campaign, seems to be the most effective strategy for them up to this date.

Kent State has had lots of success with Bateman over the past decade. One KSU team placed second in the nation in 2018. In 2019 and 2017, both KSU Bateman teams earned honorable mentions. In 2014 and 2016, one team received an honorable mention. In 2013, the Bateman Blue team placed second in the country out of 68 teams.

All this success means good things to come after for participating students. Members of Bateman go on to do great work in internships and PR jobs because of their experience with Bateman. 

Creating and implementing a PR strategy is something students in the curriculum don’t often get to do. There are two classes in the four years PR students take at Kent State that touch on the actual strategy of public relations. The first, PR Case Studies is taken at the beginning of the curriculum and the last, PR campaigns is taken at the end of the curriculum.

This is why Bateman is such a good opportunity for students in the middle of their time at Kent State. It’s a hands-on experience for sophomores and juniors to be able to put what they have learned about PR to the test. It also puts these students ahead of others when taking the final PR class because they have already had more experience implementing a PR campaign than their classmates.