Loyola University New Orleans School of Mass Communication has selected five students to represent the university in the annual Bateman Case Study Competition, organized by the Public Relations Student Society of America. The annual competition challenges students from universities across the nation to tackle a comprehensive public relations campaign for a nonprofit organization.

The 2010-11 team is comprised of Janece Bell, Rebecca Molyneux, Kelsey Morris, Kelsey Pabst and Dominique Webb. J. Cathy Rogers, Ph.D., associate professor of mass communication and supervisor of the public relations sequence at Loyola, advises the Bateman competitors.

This year, teams must effectively and creatively expand brand awareness for specific financial literacy programs, designed to help low and middle income Americans better plan their financial future. The students will conduct research, develop a grassroots public relations plan and facilitate financial literacy sessions that are tailored to meet the needs of the surrounding community.

On May 12, the top three Bateman teams will present their campaigns to a panel of Ally Financial Inc. representatives and PRSSA members. Loyola students have dominated the national competition for more than a decade, winning six times and placing in the top three nearly every year.

“The students on this team have the requisite skills, creativity, maturity and understanding of financial literacy to give me confidence that they will create an award-winning campaign relevant for New Orleans,” said Rogers.

PRSSA’s mission is to “serve our members by enhancing their knowledge of public relations and providing access to professional development opportunities; to serve the public relations profession by helping to develop highly qualified, well-prepared professionals.”

For more information on Loyola’s Bateman Team, contact Rogers at 504-865-3297 or crogers@loyno.edu.