Ashland University PRSSA students receive Honorable Mention in national Bateman Case Study Competition

The National Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) organization announced the finalists and honorable mention entries for the 2020 Bateman Case Study Competition on Tuesday, April 24. This national competition centers around designing, developing, implementing and evaluating a major public relations campaign for a real world client. The client this year was the US Census Bureau and student campaigns focused on ensuring that key publics are counted, counted only once, and counted in the correct place for the 2020 Census. 

For the first time ever, an Ashland University team was selected to receive an honorable mention accomodation for their CountAUIn campaign. Less than 25% of all campaign submissions for this national competition are selected for recognition by the 34 judge panel, with the top three finalists competing for a scholarship. This year's honorable mention accomodations represented 14 colleges and universities across the United States and included Ashland University, Syracuse University, DePaul University,  Eastern Illinois University, Washington State University, Kent State and Ohio University among others.  

Every Bateman competition team was tasked with understanding and reaching undergraduate students at their academic institution with key campaign messaging, and then selecting a second public to focus on based on demographic and psychographic information about their community population. The CountAUIn team selected Ashland County Amish and Old Order Mennonite residents as their second public for this campaign after careful primary and secondary research of these segments. To reach campaign objectives, a variety of strategies and tactics to engage AU students were utilized including coffee sleeve advertising, pledge cards, radio and newspaper articles, free promotional pens, tabling events, and an interactive and informational Instagram account. To reach the Amish and Old Order Mennonite population of Ashland County, a group without technology, the campaign utilized two-step theory to focus on building relationships with community opinion leaders, sending out informational letters to the houses of Amish and Old Order Mennonite residents living in Ashland County, and posting info-graphics about the census in community areas frequented by this public.The CountAUIn campaign met, and exceeded, the overarching goal as well as the specific objectives of the campaign due to strategic research, planning, careful execution of the strategies and tactics, and implementation of crisis management contingency planning due to the COVID-19 disruptions. The campaign reached 79% of the Amish and Old Order Mennonite population in Ashland, Ohio and 49% of the Ashland University’s undergraduate population with key messages and engagement opportunities.

Public Relations and Strategic Communication students involved on the campaign team included: Juliet Touma, Rachel Miller, Michaela Godfrey, Samantha Reffner, Kathleen McKay and advisor Shawn Orr.

Congratulations to the Spring 2020 Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society Inductees

Lambda Pi Eta Insignia 

Each year, the Ashland's Chapter of Lambda Pi, the official honor society of the National Communication Association, inducts eligible undergraduate and graduate students into its ranks.  To qualify for membership, students must meet rigorous academic standards.

Current Members

Camille Pollutro, President

Jonathan Larabee

Seth Miller

Dean Paolucci

Spring 2020 Inductees

Graduate Students

Pamela Ciccarello

Darnae Langford

Andrea Thompson

Undergraduate Students

Esther Abel

Cassandra Amick

Madison Graver

Ashley Helenthal

 Jaime Jackson

Kristine Lawson

Rachel Miller

Cameron Ridenour

Stephaine Slack

Juliet Touma

Correctional Education Students

Clifford Abshire
Terry Bradley

Tremaine Brown

Shawn Burtis

Amber Butler

Nathan Carter

Denise Chaisson-Lapeyrouse
Paul Cote

Crystal Clark

Sarah Clark

Dale Conner

Daniel Cosma

Kimberly Cox

Niketra Deloach

Tiffany Dickerson

Shelia Eddy

Ronnie Edwards

Randall Fields

Joey Foster

Dana Francis

Pamela Fruge

Kimmy Gable

Elrick Gallow

William Georgius

Kyle Gibson

Labrandon Giles

Amanda Grayson

Vicki Hawks

Michelle Higgins

Gregory Himel

Claude Holbert

Jeremy Holmberg

Cherylethia Holmes

Marquayle Jackson

Douglas Jamison

William Jobe

Ashley Johnson

Barry Johnson

Nathaniel Kelly

Brian Keyes

Deqwane King

Christopher Konkel

Denise Kruse

Jason Lambert

Joshua Lathers

Christopher Lyons

Lee Machina

Travis Marcell

Jeffrey Mayforth

Telisa McCauley
Jirrico McKee

Trina McQueen

Samantha Metzgar

Eric Miller

Christopher Myers

Robert Paige

Alairis Payne

Jeffrey Peel

Matt Platt

Andre Randolph

Quentin Rhine

Tyrone Rogers

Jamey Rose
Andrew Sanders

Waylon Sauls

Joshua Shadd
Rachel Shoaf

Michael Snelling

Charles Snyder

William Spitzig
Derrick Stafford

Amber Swain

Roy Tate

Russell Thoms

Troy Thornton

Megan Titus-Jones

Bradley Totten

Randal Trahan

Dewayne Vasquez

Jedediah Velas

Duane Washington

Christen Wesley

Harold Whitt

Miles Wood
Michael Yambra

Amy Yang

Congratulations on your academic excellence, Lambda Pi Eta members!

This year, the Communication Studies Department had to cancel its in-person Recognition Night, during which we highlight and celebrate the academic achievements of our students. Though we're unable to get everyone together in person, we're incredibly proud of our students' accomplishments and are shouting them from the roof- or blog-tops! Be sure to check back all week long to read about the other fantastic things our students have achieved this year!

This Year's Bateman Case Study Team

Each year, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) hosts the Bateman Case Study Competition, which provides college students across the country the opportunity to gain experience planning a comprehensive public relations campaign with a real-life client. The US Census Bureau was selected by PRSSA as the campaign client for this year’s competition.

Five AU public relations students participated as part of campaign team CountAUIn in this years competition. The campaign was dedicated to assisting the U.S. Census Bureau by working to ensure college students and other select publics understand the importance of completing the Census and how and when that is done. Given the importance of this initiative, the US Census was selected by PRSSA as the campaign client for this year’s competition. Given the importance of this initiative, the US Census was selected by PRSSA as the campaign client for this year’s competition.

Despite facing additional challenges due to the suspension of all face-to-face classes and activities, the Bateman Team remained dedicated to the goals of this year's campaign: to educate and engage.

The first public every Bateman team was tasked with understanding and reaching was undergraduate students at their academic institution. The second public, Ashland County Amish and Old Order Mennonite residents, were selected after careful research of the Ashland community.Team members conducted primary and secondary research to understand what these populations knew and did not know about the census and how to best reach each population with key messaging strategies. 

#CountAUIn coffee sleeves

To reach campaign objectives, a variety of tactics to engage AU students were utilized including coffee sleeve advertising, pledge cards, radio and newspaper articles, free promotional pens, tabling events, and an interactive and informational Instagram account. To reach the Amish and Old Order Mennonite population of Ashland County, a group without technology, the campaign utilized two-step theory to focus on building relationships with community opinion leaders, sending out informational letters to the houses of Amish and Old Order Mennonite residents living in Ashland County, and posting info-graphics about the census in community areas frequented by this public. 

The CountAUIn campaign met, and exceeded, the overarching goal as well as the specific objectives of the campaign due to strategic research, planning, careful execution of the strategies and tactics, and implementation of crisis management contingency planning due to the COVID-19 disruptions. The campaign reached 79% of the Amish and Old Order Mennonite population in Ashland, Ohio and 49% of the Ashland University’s undergraduate population with key messages and engagement opportunities. 

This was a yearlong project for these communication studies students; however, the campaign implementation dates were limited to March 1-20. Students will learn the results of the national competition from PRSSA by the end of April.

2020 AU Bateman Team Members

To learn even more about the work this year's AU Bateman Team has done, check out these (one, two) articles in AU's student newspaper, The Collegian! 

This year, the Communication Studies Department had to cancel its in-person Recognition Night, during which we highlight and celebrate the academic achievements of our students. Though we're unable to get everyone together in person, we're incredibly proud of our students' accomplishments and are shouting them from the roof- or blog-tops! Be sure to check back all week long to read about the other fantastic things our students have achieved this year!

Best of Luck to Our COM Studies Students Presenting at URCA!

Ashland University’s College of Arts and Sciences is going virtual for the eleventh annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Symposium which will feature 41 presentations and exhibitions given, one of which will be given in part by Communication Studies students.

Josie Giordano and Calandra Moore, COM Studies students, along with Alec Mueller, Sophia Lowe, Rainnell Vernon, and Heather Maltbie, will be presenting The Importance of Post-Care Physician Surveys and the Relationship to Host Site.  The abstract for their poster, which is sponsored by Communication Studies faculty member Dr. Gwen Hullman, reads:

Patients visit multiple doctor review websites to find a new healthcare provider. The value of ratings typically lies in the recurring themes present across multiple raters, as opposed to uncorroborated outlying reviews or a very low number of reviews. Additionally, reviews and rating tools can be sponsored by different organizations, such as a third-party review site or the doctor’s health care affiliation organization’s website. The present study compares 100 employer-sponsored website ratings and reviews to third party ratings and reviews of the same physicians for consistency, number of raters/reviewers, and the presence of recurring themes in the reviews (physician  competence, office staff, wait time, office cleanliness). Data are subjected to t-test analysis and thematic analysis.

The Symposium will take place tomorrow, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and is free and open to the public through various Zoom meetings which are listed on the schedule at ashlandurca.blogspot.com.

This year, the Communication Studies Department had to cancel its in-person Recognition Night, during which we highlight and celebrate the academic achievements of our students. Though we're unable to get everyone together in person, we're incredibly proud of our students' accomplishments and are shouting them from the roof- or blog-tops! Be sure to check back all week long to read about the other fantastic things our students have achieved this year!

It's Recognition Week!

Each spring, the Communication Studies Department holds a Recognition Night, during which we highlight and celebrate the academic achievements of our students. 

In light of Ashland University cancelling face-to-face classes and postponing commencement activities in order to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we have had to cancel our in-person celebration.  

While we can't get everyone together in person, we still want to celebrate the accomplishments of our students!  Whether it's making it to the finish line and graduating, being inducted to the National Communication Association honor society, Lambda Pi Eta, working on the Bateman Team, or presenting at URCA, we're incredibly proud of our students. 

We're so proud, in fact, that we want to shout it from the rooftops! Or in this case, blog tops?  

This week, during which our Recognition Night was slated to take place, we will highlight the scholarly activities that our students have undertaken this semester.  Be sure to check back all week long to learn about the fantastic things our students have achieved!

Professor Shawn Orr's Article Featured on eCampusNews

An article written by Communication Studies faculty member Shawn Orr was featured on the front page of eCampusNews, an electronic publication focusing on technology and innovation in higher education.  

Orr's article, 5 tips to teach online - from an instructor doing it now, provides quick strategies to help instructors "[utilize] digital tools to ensure continuity of learning for our students." Tips include setting realistic expectations (for students and for ourselves), celebrating successes, and, of course, communicating!

Check out the full article here!

AU PR Students Participate in Bateman Case Study Competition, Educate about the Census

A group of AU public relations students are participating in the Bateman Case Study Competition, which assists the U.S. Census Bureau with ensuring college students and other select publics understand the importance of completing the Census and how and when that is done. More about AU's Bateman Team and the work its students are doing can be found here.

With the suspension of face-to-face instruction for the spring semester, the Bateman Team faces additional challenges. Though we have to change our tactics in light of students not being on campus, the goals of the campaign remains the same: to educate and engage.

To help achieve these goals, the Bateman students have created the Instagram account @count_au_in, which includes educational posts about the Census, and opportunities for AU students to engage with each other around this information. The account will be deactivated on March 21. Be sure to check it out to learn more about the Census!

PR Students Partner with Veteran's Affairs

Public Relations students are working with the Ashland University Veteran's Affairs office this semester on the creation and implementation of a campaign to build connections with fellow veterans and AU students. These opportunities to get involved in real-life projects help develop students into successful public relations professionals. 

Have a Great Spring Break!

Students in Shawn Orr's COM 205: Intro to Public Relations class kicked off the last class before spring break with a pancake breakfast. The maple syrup was brought in by student Abby Rohr from her family's maple tree farm (available at Sweet Fire Sugar Bush), and students enjoyed a time of eating and networking.

The Communication Studies Department wishes everyone a safe and relaxing spring break!

PRSSA Meeting Slated for Monday, March 16

PRSSA meetings are open to any AU student interested in communication and public relations. 

COM Studies Professor Performs at Suffrage Celebrations

Communication Studies Professor and Director of the Online Communication Studies Program Dr. Deleasa Randall-Griffiths was recently featured on Good Morning Tulsa for her portrayal as suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt during the city's Women's Suffrage Commemoration events.

Events of the day, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th

Dr. Randall-Griffiths as Carrie Chapman Catt
Sharon King Davis as Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Rebecca Marks Jimerson as Ida B. Wells

Amendment, included Living History performances, during which Dr. Randall-Griffiths gave a keynote portrayal of Chapman Catt, a march and rally, and opening of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum's "Votes for Women: Striking a Four-Letter Word from the Constitution" exhibit.  Additional Living History performances were given by suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ida B. Wells, and Susan B. Anthony.

This event is one of a number for which Dr. Randall-Griffiths is slated to portray Chapman Catt, including a Living History Performance as part of Ashland University's Symposium Against Indifference.  Her performance at AU, which takes place Monday, March 2 at 7:00 pm in the Hawkins-Conard Student Center Auditorium, will include an in character monologue and Q&A.  The third portion of the performance will be an out of character Q&A session, which will allow Dr. Randall-Griffiths to comment on broader topics and themes surrounding the suffrage movement.  This event is free and open to the public. 

PRSSA Chapter Hosts Popular Career Talk

Lenroy Jones, director of
AU's Career Services

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) hosted a standing room only LinkedIn event on Monday, February 17, where students learned how to build a great student profile, create a professional network, and use LinkedIn to find an internship or job.

Lenroy Jones, director of Career Services at Ashland University, led this interactive and information-packed session. Students from the American Marketing Association joined PRSSA students during the session in a collaborative effort to highlight and promote the impact social media has on today’s organizations.

AU's chapter of PRSSA provides opportunities for AU students interested in communication and public relations to enhance their education and broaden their network.