ORANGE, Calif., April 21, 2005 – A team of four Chapman University public relations students advised by Professor Janell Shearer has received national recognition in the 2005 Bateman Case Study Competition sponsored by the Public Relations Student Society of America.

The team’s challenge was to produce a public relations campaign encouraging college students to consider what constitutes ethical behavior in academic performance and to strengthen their commitment to such behavior.

The campaign, developed by team members Sorrel Geddes, Noelle Novoa, Kathleen Remington and Laura Fitzgerald, was built around the theme of “Don’t Ignore Your Core,” which reminded students that their actions affect their character, or the core of who they are. The team also created a coalition named C.O.R.E. or Coalition on Renewing Ethics.

Two Chapman teams competed in the Bateman competition this year. The second team, consisting of Vanessa Latin, Cherish McDowell, Tori Klein, Jessica Denny and Jenny DeGree, created a campaign titled “OC: Originality Counts.” They focused on the idea that rather than copying the ideas of others, students should develop their own original ideas.

Both teams researched existing Chapman policies and surveyed students about their attitudes toward plagiarism and cheating. They discovered that the university was in the process of drafting a new Code of Ethics.

The CORE team began by inviting campus organizations as well as faculty and administrators in academic units to join C.O.R.E. They also created an academic integrity website, invited Chuck Haggerty, former president of Western Digital and Chairman Emeritus of UCI to appear with team member Noelle Novoa on Chapman President Jim Doti’s “Dialogue with Doti” cable show, and hosted Chapman alumnus and former UCLA basketball coach and ESPN analyst Steve Lavin for a talk about ethics.

The team calculated that they created more than 500,000 impressions on campus during their campaign.

“The knowledge and experience I gained from working on this campaign was enough of a reward for me, however, to be nationally recognized is a great surprise and honor,” said C.O.R.E. team member Kathleen Remington. “It is very exciting to know that our efforts not only made a difference in the Chapman community but also were nationally recognized.”

Sixty-three teams from around the country entered the competition this year; 14 teams were recognized nationally for their efforts. Chapman's degree program in public relations is part of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

In the 10 years that Chapman has participated in this national competition, Chapman teams have placed nationally seven times, including a first place win in 1995. “I am very proud that Chapman public relations students have been able to achieve consistently at this level in the national arena,” says Shearer. “It’s a real thrill for the students to see their creative planning and communication strategies recognized in competition with students from across the country.”