Four NDSU students are competing for the first time in the national Bateman Case Study competition. The contest challenges Public Relations Student Society of America members to create and launch a grass roots public relations campaign. The goal of the 2009 campaign is to educate middle school students about the importance of planning for college.

The NDSU campaign, “Where Are YOU Going?” is being implemented in various churches, middle schools and teen organizations during February. The campaign includes an interactive game, public service announcement, Internet scavenger hunt and middle school night at a Fargo Force game on Feb. 21.

“The Bateman competition has given our team the opportunity to witness firsthand the amount of work involved with creating and executing a public relations campaign. We strongly believe in the cause we’re promoting and hope our work will spark the interest of middle school students and their parents, as planning for college is more important now than ever before,” said Kodee Gartner, Bateman team member.

The Bateman Case Study competition was established in 1973 to provide society members an opportunity to exercise the analytical skills and mature judgment required for public relations problem-solving. Public relations professionals judge each campaign for research, planning, implementation and evaluation excellence. The winning team will receive $2,500 and a trophy.

For more information on the Bateman competition, or the 2009 case study client, Consumer Bankers Association, visit www.collegeboundaid.com or www.prssa.org.