UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A team of advertising/public relations students crafted a Penn State “first” with an honorable mention performance in the annual PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition, a nationwide effort that challenges teams of students to research, plan, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign for an actual client.

The Nittany Lion Communicators developed on a campaign titled “News Better” for the News Literacy Project that was aimed at increasing news literacy among Black Gen Z and millennial news consumers by working with student organizations, employee resource groups and alumni affinity groups.

Team members were Leah Krall, Jacob Malizio, Alexandra “Ali” Morrison, Magdalena Nygard and Malorie Sugar. Also, Katie Blitz, a member of the Ad/PR Alumni board in the Donald P. Belisario College of Communications, served as the group’s professional mentor.

“This team was a dream to work with. They asked all the right questions — in their research, of each other, of me, of their professional advisor. It was obvious they were both curious and competitive, and I think that helped them maintain the energy needed to revise, revisit and continually tweak their strategy,” said Tara Wyckoff, an assistant teaching professor of advertising/public relations. “Replicating the real-world iterative process of campaign planning, this team allowed the campaign to evolve based on research and feedback and shifting circumstances. I couldn’t have queued up a more practical way to demonstrate the PR process, or a more coachable team to lead the charge.”

The team also collaborated with faculty, staff and alumni to garner feedback and test ideas for the competition.

First established as the National Case Study in 1973 and later renamed to honor the late J. Carroll Bateman, APR, the competition annually draws more than 75 entries each year, giving students real-world experience that can translate to résumé additions, portfolio pieces and even jobs.

After an extensive judging process, three finalists were chosen to present their campaigns to the sponsor, who receives the right to ideas presented. Penn State was among 12 teams that were recognized with an honorable mention.