University of Nebraska–Lincoln Takes First Place in PRSSA’s 2022 Bateman Case Study Competition

Students Launched Campaigns Promoting Lymphoma Awareness

NEW YORK, May 13, 2022 – PRSSA, the foremost organization for students interested in the public relations and communications fields, announced today that the University of Nebraska–Lincoln was named the winner of the 2022 Bateman Case Study Competition. Earning second place was the University of Florida followed by Brigham Young University in the third-place spot.

This year’s Bateman Case Study Competition challenged students to implement a public relations campaign for the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the nation’s largest nonprofit devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through education programs, outreach initiatives, and patient services. Campaigns centered on raising awareness around the resources currently available to those touched by lymphoma, the most common type of blood cancer, with a particular focus on educating adolescents and young adults.

“I’m amazed by the creative and inspiring campaigns our students produced for this year’s Bateman Case Study Competition,” said Dr. Felicia Blow, APR, 2022 PRSA Chair. “The number of people reached by these campaigns is astounding to me and every single team that participated in the competition this year is a winner for the work they did to educate their local communities about lymphoma and its impact.”

The Bateman Case Study Competition originated in 1973 as a national case study allowing PRSSA members to exercise the analytical skills required for public relations problem solving. In 1983, the name of the competition was changed to honor the memory of the late J. Carroll Bateman, APR. Bateman was a past president of PRSA and was instrumental in the founding of PRSSA.

PRSSA received 51 entries from colleges and universities across the nation. The top three finalists presented their campaigns virtually to a panel of judges comprised of representatives from PRSA and the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln team created a campaign called “1 is Still 1,” which focused on the idea that every individual person matters. The campaign’s tagline “Lymphoma sucks. Advocate for every 1” was a direct call-to-action designed to rally UNL students together to change the narrative and raise awareness about lymphoma’s impact on the young adult population. The team of six utilized digital media, campus connection points, and campus partnerships to drive its message. By the end of the campaign, the number of UNL students who were aware of the Lymphoma Research Foundation increased by 22% and those who were informed that lymphoma is one of the most prevalent young adult cancers increased by 31%. The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN) student government unanimously approved a resolution advocating for the “1 is Still 1” change.org petition, which empowered 200 UNL students to collectively advocate that the National Institutes of Health allocate more funding toward young adult cancer research. 

“We worked incredibly hard to create a comprehensive campaign that helped amplify the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s efforts to erase lymphoma from college campuses,” said UNL team member Delani Watkins. “It meant so much to us to work on behalf of an amazing organization that is ensuring people everywhere are aware of lymphoma and its impact.”

The Gators Chomp Lymphoma campaign, implemented by The Gator 5 Bateman Team at the University of Florida, was primarily designed to reach students and young adults in the Gainesville area. Through a combination of 20 events, social media marketing and more than 50 strategic partnerships, the University of Florida team engaged and empowered more than 110,000 individuals in its community. Traditional materials such as bookmarks, leaflets, stickers, posters and radio PSAs were also produced to increase awareness and interaction among peers. The awareness pledge the team created ultimately received more than 200 individual pledges to continue spreading awareness about the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s work and mission.

Brigham Young University’s "Lymphoma is a #YoungCancer” campaign raised awareness of lymphoma within the BYU college community and surrounding area. As part of its campaign, the team turned the traditional cancer ribbon upside down, creating the shape of a Y. This resonated with BYU students since the university is nicknamed “the Y” and more importantly encouraged students to look at lymphoma with a new perspective. Throughout the campaign, the team utilized social media, a website, interactive booths, cancer research information sessions, QR code blitzes, and other tactics to effectively reach its target audiences. By the end of the campaign, the team received over 7,000 impressions on its digital materials, ensured over 6,000 people learned that lymphoma is a cancer prevalent in young adults, encouraged over 800 people in the community to take its pledge, and educated over 1000 community members on the Lymphoma Research Foundation and its impact.

“Each year, nearly 90,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) ages 15 to 39 years old are diagnosed with cancer, and lymphoma accounts for nearly 1-in-5 cancer diagnoses among young people,” said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer, Lymphoma Research Foundation. “We are grateful for the time and effort put in by all the teams to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by AYA lymphoma patients and know that the ideas developed will help the Foundation support this demographic in a meaningful way.”

In addition to the three finalists, 11 entries received honorable mention:

• California State University, Long Beach
• Central Michigan University
• High Point University
• Kent State University – Blue Team
• Kent State University – Gold Team
• Louisiana State University
• Montclair State University
• Temple University
• University of Georgia
• University of Oregon
• West Texas A&M University

About the Public Relations Student Society of America 
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the foremost organization for students interested in public relations and communications. Since 1968, PRSSA has served hundreds of thousands of student members, offering educational programs, resources, scholarships, and mentorship opportunities that prepare students for a successful career in communications. For nearly 50 years, the organization has hosted the Bateman Case Study Competition, which challenges student teams to implement a public relations campaign for an actual client. With nearly 375 Chapters globally, PRSSA is active on college and university campuses across the U.S., as well as Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.prssa.org.

About Lymphoma Research Foundation
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nation’s largest nonprofit devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services.  To date, LRF has awarded more than $67 million in lymphoma-specific research.  For additional information on LRF’s research, education and services, visit http://www.lymphoma.org.

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Media Contact:
Vinica Weiss
(212) 460-1479
vinica.weiss@prsa.org