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Kent State PRSSA chapter earns prestigious award
2/23/2009

It can take years for public relations practitioners to be recognized by their peers for their outstanding work. But for PRSSA students at Kent State University talent has been acknowledged early. These future PR professionals snagged their first PRSA East Central District Diamond Award before even graduating.

The KSU Golden Flashes earned a Diamond Award in the public service tactics category. They received the award for their awareness and registration initiative for Donate Life Ohio's Do It Now College Competition. The competition was created to help increase the number of organ and tissue donors in the Ohio Organ Donor Registry.

The objectives of the award-winning campaign included creating awareness among residents of Cuyahoga, Geauga and Portage counties about the need for organ, eye and tissue donations. The team sought to motivate residents to register as organ donors. The ultimate goal: 10,750 new registered donors by May 2008. Campaign strategies included engaging key publics through face-to-face communication, Web-based communication and media relations.

The efforts of KSU PRSSA garnered news coverage in regional and campus print and broadcast media, as well as in national online publications. A photo of a campaign event even ran on the Reuters board in New York City's Times Square. Ultimately, the campaign influenced the addition of more than 12,500 new organ and tissue donors to the Ohio Donor Registry from September 2007 to May 1, 2008. In addition to its Diamond Award, the team also won first place in the Do It Now College Competition.

"This award is evidence of KSU students' desire to prepare for their PR careers - both in and outside the classroom," said Greater Cleveland PRSA Chapter President Rick Batyko. "Being recognized in a competition geared to seasoned professionals is a testament to the strength of the PR Kent program."

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