PRSSA and the U.S. Census Bureau Partner for the 2020 Bateman Case Study Competition

NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2019 — The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), the foremost organization for students interested in the public relations and communications fields, today announced the U.S. Census Bureau as the subject of the 2020 Bateman Case Study Competition.

The competition challenges student teams to research, plan, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign centered on increasing participation in the 2020 Census. Participants will also help in the ongoing efforts to educate people about the value of the census, as well as inform their community about the source of quality data available from the Census Bureau about their communities.

“It was a great experience working with the U.S Census Bureau in 2010 and PRSSA is thrilled to partner with them once again for the 2020 Bateman Case Study Competition,” said Jeneen Garcia, Executive Director, PRSSA. “The opportunity to create a public relations campaign for the 2020 Census will provide a unique learning opportunity for our students. We look forward to seeing how the students will inform the public and encourage individuals across the U.S. to respond to the census.”

“We are honored to have been selected for next year’s competition,” said Michael C. Cook Sr., Chief, U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office. “We look forward to seeing the campaign ideas student teams from across the country come up with to ensure a complete and accurate count, particularly surrounding hard-to-count groups. Along with innovative campaigns, we hope students learn the importance of the census count and how census data impacts their local communities through federal funding, political representation and neighborhood revitalization.”

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.

Entrants in the competition will execute their campaigns in early 2020. Three finalists will present their work to an esteemed panel of judges in May, and the winning teams will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony and Dinner at PRSSA’s 2020 International Conference.

About the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the foremost organization for students interested in public relations and communications. Founded in 1967 by its parent organization, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), PRSSA includes nearly 10,000 student members and advisers, and is active on nearly 375 colleges and university campuses across the U.S. and in Argentina, Columbia, Peru and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.prssa.org.

About the U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau is the federal government’s largest statistical agency. It tracks statistical information about the nation’s population and economy. The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.

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Vinica Weiss
(212) 460-1487
vinica.weiss@prsa.org