Texas State Bateman team selected

November 12, 2015

Heyamya

The Public Relations Department in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University has selected its 2016 PRSSA Bateman National Case Study Competition team. The will begin planning its campaign for client the Student Veterans of America. SVA is working in partnership with the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations and Edelman.Team members are seniors Tammy Garman, Jericka Desire Christianna King, Kelsey Heitzmann and Jaelyn Lyles. All are public relations majors.“I’m proud to say we’ve assembled another outstanding Bateman team,” said Chuck Kaufman, Bateman coordinator, who works with the team in tandem with his Public Relations Campaigns course. “But this team, particularly, brings some very special qualities from diverse experiences that should enhance their creative and strategic thinking. They all are highly motivated individuals in very special ways.”Garman, who is minoring in Aerospace Studies, is wing commander at the University’s Air Force Reserved Officer Training Corps, Detachment 840th, and a recipient of the Sons of the American Revolution Medal of Honor. Garman also is a Dean’s List student and a New Student Orientation Leader.King is a minor in international studies and has worked at several retail jobs in San Marcos. She is the reigning Miss Black Texas State University. Previously she was the assistant public affairs officer for the Arnold Air Society’s U.S. Air Force Association.Heitzmann is a Dean’s List communications studies minor and has studied abroad in Great Britain, German and France. She has served as both an Orientation Leader and Resident Assistant at the University. Kelsey has worked with the South by Southwest Music Festival, Phi Beta Chi sorority and the Victoria Generals baseball club of the Texas Collegiate Baseball League.Lyles has worked as the PR chair/webmaster for Mu Phi Epsilon; interned with the American Diabetes Association; and worked in the Office of the President at Texas State University.In addition, Kaufman also named alumna Rebecca Hind Gough, an account executive with Weber Shandwick in Austin and a former Bateman participant, as a professional outside adviser to the team.Planning begins immediately with implementation taking place between Feb. 15 and March 15. Case studies are due to the PRSSA national office on April 8. The goals of this year’s Bateman Competition are to increase awareness on college campuses and in communities about veterans who are students around the globe, as well as to increase the support and networks for these deserving individuals, PRSSA announced from its New York headquarters.“As the number of veterans in college continues to increase, so does the need for university administrators and the public to gain a deeper understanding of their issues,” said Jared Lyon of Student Veterans of America. “Just like traditional students — there is no singular journey for the student veteran. Our goal at Student Veterans of America is to change the public perception surrounding veterans at the crossroads between military-to-civilian transition to a longer view from degree completion to meaningful employment. We believe that veterans bring with them a wealth of knowledge, experiences and diversity, and we are thrilled to partner with PRSSA to ensure that every veteran becomes an informed consumer of their GI Bill benefits and to communicate the value that veterans bring to higher education, employers and to our communities.”