Instead of learning about PR from textbooks and lectures, seniors in J428 Public Relations Planning and Research are benefiting from hands-on experience.

Their classroom was transformed into a fully functioning PR agency when students teamed up this fall in a competition for the best communications strategy for two local nonprofit organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana and Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County.

And this week, students put their semester-long work to the test as they pitched their ideas to the two agencies. Dressed for success and armed with elaborate presentations, they took their ideas to their clients.

"I'm trying everything I can to bring the real world into the classroom," said Jim Bright, Ralph Winslow Visiting Professor who joined the faculty last summer after a career in Ford Motor Co.'s public affairs division. "I wanted to help these students be the best they can be. I want them to be attractive to potential employers."

Bright chose the two organizations because of his personal connections to them. While at Ford, he helped connect the company's employee-volunteers with Habitat for Humanity in Southeast Asia following the December 2004 tsunamis and was impressed with Habitat's work. His connection to Big Brothers Big Sisters is more personal. He says that organization transformed his life when he mentored his own "little brother" 25 years ago.

Regardless of the enthusiasm of the professor and his students, the organizations' leaders initially balked at the prospect of working with students. Bright said some recalled being disappointed by the students' lack of organization and preparation during their previous partnerships with students from other schools. Bright finally was able to convince them that his PR students were different.

Now, the two organization's administrators have had a chance to see this for themselves.

"I think Jim's students took their roles very seriously and started working hard from the minute the semester began," said Kerry Thomson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County. "Their ideas and the work they did reflect that. They did a great job with planning ahead and not waiting until the last minute to start thinking through things."

After a semester of planning and strategizing, students are spending the last weeks of the semester presenting their projects to the organizations, who then will vote for the best one.

"Making it competitive made us work harder," said senior Meghan Sanders. "It pushed us."

Sanders is part of the Gamma Agency, which presented its proposal, "Birds of a Feather Donate Together," to Habitat for Humanity Tuesday. After learning that the organization was looking for more land as well as more community involvement, the team decided that a proposal for a yearly event would be the most effective way to accomplish the goals of raising money and awareness.

"We're not even going to anticipate any kind of failure, because that's not our style," said senior Sherhara Williams during the presentation.

Each team's proposal was kept strictly confidential throughout the semester, and opposing teams were not even allowed to watch their competitors' presentations. Final decisions will be made Thursday, but representatives from Habitat already are excited about what they have seen so far.

"I was really impressed with their presentation skills," said Tony Proudfoot, vice president of the Board of Directors at Habitat. "There were several people who presented that did as good or better job than professional presentations from professional ad agencies. There were several of them that I thought could really fit in as an account executive at an agency somewhere."

While the Gamma Agency focused on the single auction event, other groups took a more varied strategy. Big Picture Communications zeroed in on the student population with its plan to provide consistent donations from IU and raise awareness of the relevant social issues to the student community.

Students from Alpha PR chose to maximize the impact of upcoming Habitat for Humanity events, including the opening of its new office, the building of its 75th home and an interfaith build.

"They have a new perspective that we don't usually get -- the student perspective on how things in Bloomington work, a lot of fresh ideas from a different generational point of view," said Thomson.

Students already are recommending the course to other seniors who are interested in public relations careers.

"It's not that I want to win for the grade," said senior Lauren Preston, another member of the Gamma Agency. "It would just be so cool to see our project really happen."

Bright believes that while the organizations each will pick only one winner, they likely will take fragments from each group's strategies and implement them in their own way.

"We know we're doing something special, because we're not aware of any other university doing something like this," said Bright. "We expect the competition to be fierce."


UPDATE:
Professor Jim Bright reports that Dec. 7, two teams emerged as victors in the J428 PR Planning and Research class competition to land clients.

Big Picture Communications used a strategy aimed at getting Habitat for Humanity on the student sign-off sheet at IU. Account executive Katie Ly led team members Megan Denney, Meghan Lucas, Danielle Mendelson, Sarah Parkman.

Agency Z convinced Big Brothers Big Sisters that a plan to double IU student participation in Bowl for Kids Sake, an annual fundraiser, was the best strategy. Team members were account executive Mandy Johnson, Coleen Atley, Kelly Ginty, Christopher Jesse and Ashley Lough.