This campaign aimed to raise awareness of the lack of diversity and inclusion in the public relations industry. Key strategies included organizing an industry panel on diversity issues, creating social media content, and speaking to students at local high schools and community colleges. The campaign was successful in educating students at San Jose State University and beyond. Pre- and post-surveys showed increased understanding of the diversity gap. The campaign sparked ongoing conversations around strategic career decisions and curriculum changes. It also provided resources for interested students and plans to continue outreach efforts.

1. #WeArePRxSJSU
#DiverseVoicesSJSU

2. TableofContents
ExecutiveSummary
Research
TargetAudience
KeyMessaging
Challengesand
Opportunities
Strategies
Evaluation
Budget
Conclusion
Impact
Longevity
Appendix
1
2
3
3
4
5
6
7
7
8
8
9+

3. ExecutiveSummaryThe PRSA Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to attracting and retaining public
relations students from all cultures and supporting them in their professional development. The
PRSA Foundation also assists in acquiring scholarships, grants and internships for deserving
students. Recently, PRSA Foundation published “Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership,” a book
featuring 40 multicultural professionals who share their experiences and their thoughts on the
lack of diversity and inclusion in the public relations and communications industry.
There is a major diversity gap in the public relations and communications industries today.
According to the 2018 United States Bureau of Labor, 86.8 percent of public relations
professionals identified as white, 10 percent as Hispanic/Latinx, 7.1 percent as Black/African-
American, and 4.9 percent as Asian.
In addition, census projections show that racial minorities will compromise a minority-majority
by 2045. The slow decline of the white population means that in order for organizations to reflect
the general population, they will need to attract and keep more diverse talent.
As demographics shift in the workforce overall, diversity is quickly becoming a focus in the
communications field. The lack of diverse talent limits the number of perspectives that the
business has at its disposal, giving it a disadvantage with key demographics.
However, just having a quota of non-white professionals in an organization is not the focus for
more savvy organizations. Organizations are looking to retain these populations, provide
mentorship and leadership development.
Luckily in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is no shortage of diversity among students.
However, attracting and retaining those students in the communications field is a challenge.
Research shows that the communications industry is widely seen as white and female. To
comply with census projections about minority growth, there is a need for more balance in
demographics and providing them with the resources to succeed will be the biggest challenge.
Another area that needs to be addressed is the disconnect at the professional level. While
women make up a large majority of the communications field, on average they are paid less and
take up fewer seats on executives boards. The goal of this project is to create the dialogue on the
importance of diversity and inclusion and ultimately, to inspire change.
1#DiverseVoicesSJSU

4. Research
Our team conducted primary research by surveying San José State University's diverse public relations and
communications students. The survey demonstrated that 25 percent of respondents identified as white, 35
percent as Hispanic/Latinx, 29 percent as Asian and 6 percent as black. The industry standards currently have
5 percent of public relations specialists identifying as Hispanic/Latinx, 4 percent as Asian and 11 percent as
black. It is important to note that these results are from San José State University, a school that’s ranked as
above average in diversity rates compared to many schools in the United States, according to College Factual.
Our survey also found that 94 percent of students felt included in their classroom environment which could
be attributed to the level of diversity at San José State University. According to the survey, approximately 80
percent of respondents felt that similar interests were the most important part of finding a mentor,
surpassing gender and race.
A recurring theme demonstrated in our survey was that people associated the public relations profession as
“white” and “female.”
Primary Research
2
To better understand the diversity and inclusion gap in the public relations and communications industry,
we utilized research organizations and trade publications such as the Institute for Public Relations and
“PRWeek.” This research helped us understand the diversity gap and the many obstacles that need to be
addressed and changed within the industry.
Our secondary research showed us that one of the most important steps to presenting the public relations as
a potential field for underrepresented groups, we had to highlight why it is relevant to have diverse
communicators. In addition, at the intersection of race and gender, individuals face further inequity.
According to “The Holmes Report,” race and gender make an enormous impact on average salary according
to the study, which found that non-white men make $10,000 less than their white counterparts and women
of color make almost $16,000 less. We also found that there lack of female leadership in the industry. Even
though a large majority of the workforce is women, they make up less than a third of global agencies’
executives. According to a study by the Institute for Public Relations, one of the biggest barriers is educating
men on how drastic the gap is.
Secondary Research
Today, the public relations industry is 88 percent white, 8 percent African-American, 6 percent Hispanic-
American, and 3 percent Asian-American but according to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2020, 36 percent of the
U.S. population will be comprised of blacks, Asians or Pacific Islanders, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native
Americans. This massive gap in representation will lead to ignorance of the wants and needs of a large
audience, leading to ineffective campaigns for an increasingly multicultural nation.
.

5. 3
TargetAudience
Primary
College students studying public relations and communications.
Secondary
Young people ages 13-17 from diverse high schools interested in learning more about the public
relations and communications fields.
KeyMessaging
The key message of our campaign is that the public relations industry needs to be more diverse. Given that
business is growing increasingly globalized, it is vital that a company’s communications team and affiliated
agencies reflect the audience they hope to reach.
By recognizing the diversity gap in the public relations and communications industry, it creates space for
change. The public relations industry is founded on building and maintaining relationships with a variety of
different stakeholders and these stakeholders come from different backgrounds whether it be through race,
age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, veteran status, or ability status.
In an increasingly globalized business market, communicating respectfully is the smart thing to do. In order
to achieve common ground and know where audiences and stakeholders positions and views are, it’s vital
that the internal team trying to reach them are diverse themselves. The racial representation of the industry
is made up less than a quarter of minority groups and although women makeup 70 percent of the industry,
they make up less than 30 percent of leaders in the executive suite. There are significant crises that are
culturally insensitive and in order for there to be a mutually beneficial relationship with a brand and its
diverse audiences, there needs to be diverse internal team.
Diversity and inclusion benefits everyone. It is necessary that organizations make all their employees feel a
sense of belonging as this will increase retention rates at companies and draw larger pools of individuals to
apply. When people of all identities are encouraged to express themselves and be their authentic selves at
work , not only do they prosper, but so do their teammates, the organization and their target audience.
#DiverseVoicesSJSU
#WeArePRxSJSU
That is why we chose these two key messages for our campaign:

6. 4
ChallengesOpportunities
PRSA holds a diversity month in August each year, so the PRSSA chapter at San José State University (SJSU)
pre-planned six diversity and inclusion related events from August through October, prior to the
announcement of the Bateman case study competition. This posed a challenge for our team because many of
our resources in terms of professional contacts and event ideas had already been used, making it difficult to
give students information that they had not already received, as well as professionals they had not already
seen.
Challenge One
Although we were frustrated at having already used many of our resources on events that would
have applied to this competition perfectly, it allowed for us to think outside of the box. We were able
to offer a different perspective to public relations students that had attended many PRSSA led
events during the fall semester.
Opportunity
Challenge Three
We had a difficult time obtaining “Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership,” because we did not have a large
budget. Without physical copies of the book, we found it hard to promote because despite living in an age
of technology, some people prefer to see, feel, and flip through a book before purchasing.
Challenge Two
This campaign targeted a very specific group of people, and with only 120 public relations students at our
university, our audience was rather limited. There is a large number of communications students at San
José State University; however, it was difficult to get professors to promote the campaign as many of their
classes are general education classes with a mix of majors. A second challenge was that the school of
communications does not have an organized club like PRSSA, so were only able to reach communication
students through direct emails through their department. This can be a challenge as many students may
not open these emails or actively check their emails.
Instead of simply focusing on the public relations department at SJSU, we reached out to
community colleges and high schools in the area. As we have a diverse community, we visited high
schools and colleges with diverse student bodies and educated them on the public relations
industry and the need for diversity and inclusion in the field.
Opportunity
This gave us the chance to get creative with our digital marketing strategy via social media. Our
social media campaign directed traffic to our website and the book link for people to purchase.
Opportunity

7. 5
StrategiesObjective One
Raise awareness and educate students, faculty and professionals on the the lack of diversity and inclusion
in the public relations industry.
Bridge the gap between professionals and students, creating a dialogue on diversity and inclusion
and its importance.
Strategy One
Organize a panel with industry leaders Jon Iwata (IBM), Oriana Branon (Alaska
Airlines) and Netta Conyers-Haynes (Google) to discuss diversity issues in the
industry and how students can be prepare themselves.
Tactic A:
Create flyers and marketing materials to share with students, faculty and
professionals.
Tactic B:
Engage with the SJSU student population and create a dialogue about why diversity and inclusion
matters to them personally.
Strategy Two
Create posters asking what diversity means to students and have them write it out
for others to not only read but share their own feelings towards it
Tactic A:
Use social media posts to create discussion on how students can empower
others and use their voices.
Tactic B:
Use social media (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) as a platform to push our message about
diversity and inclusion in the public relations and communications industry
Strategy Three
Post graphics, testimonials and book quotes to inspire individuals and inform them
on the diversity gap in public relations and communications.
Tactic A:
Use our social media to direct traffic to our website to provide further
information about diversity and inclusion.
Tactic B:
Objective Two
Provide useful information about the diversity and inclusion challenges in the communications profession
to interested students and faculty.
Speak to prospective communications and public relations students that about diversity and
inclusion.
Strategy One
Speak to students at Evergreen Valley College and De Anza Community College to
educate on public relations and diversity and inclusion.
Tactic A:
Speak to students at Yerba Buena High School to educate them regarding
public relations and diversity and inclusion.
Tactic B:

8. 6
Objective Three
Develop sales ideas for the book “Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leaderships” and/or fundraising ideas for the
PRSA Foundation.
Enlist support from advisors and alumni.
Strategy One
Contact the San Francisco Public Relations Roundtable to email professionals that
would be willing to purchase a book to donate to San José State students.
Tactic A:
EvaluationObjective One
Diverse Voices SJSU was able to spread the message about diversity and inclusion in the public relations
and communications departments at San José State University through a successful diversity and inclusion
panel. Our featured guest was Jon Iwata, former Vice President at IBM and contributor to “Diverse Voices:
Profiles in Leadership.” He was joined by Oriana Brannon (Camacho) of Alaska Airlines, and Netta Conyers-
Haynes of Google Maps. The panel was moderated by Dr. Shaun Fletcher, former head of internal
communications for Apple. The diversity and inclusion panel we hosted gained the attention of 25 students
and faculty members interested in the topic. We also filmed the panel and used clips of it on our social
media so that people that did not attend could still benefit from the panel.
Our social media campaign successfully generated a reach of 500 and over 7,000 impressions across our
platforms.
Objective Two
Our team went to a high school and two community colleges to speak to them about the importance of a
diverse and inclusive workforce in the public relations and communications professions. We conducted a
pre and post-survey to get feedback from students and got 69 responses. Before the presentation, 37
percent of the students believed there was a diversity gap and 26 percent knew what diversity was. After
the presentation, 93 percent felt there was a gap and 95 percent said they knew what public relations is is.
San José State University has a partnership with the East Side Union High School District called the East
Side Promise where students who meet specific requirements from 15 schools will be admitted to the
university. During the campaign, we went to Yerba Buena, a high school within that school district, and
visited an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) class. AVID is a program to prepare students
for college and to have the resources they need to succeed. According to US News World Report, Yerba
Buena's total minority enrollment is 99 percent. We presented to students about diversity and inclusion, as
well as the public relations and communications industries so they can learn more about potential career
paths and the diversity gap. We were referred to speak to another class past the campaign date, which we
completed and for the 41 students that provided their emails to receive more information, we will continue
our outreach to them through PRSSA SJSU.
*Note: We did not survey the students we spoke to after, and none of the numbers included in this entry are from any activity done outside of
the month-long campaign.

9. 7
This campaign successfully educated San José State University students about the importance of diversity
and inclusion within the field of public relations and why everyone’s voice needs to be heard. Through our
efforts, we were able to communicate to our community that the change starts with us and that we must
act as a whole to make strides towards a more diverse community within the public relations industry. In
addition, we were able to reach out to those who don’t know what public relations is and educate them on
a potential career avenue. Overall, we utilized our existing diverse community to address how the lack of
diversity and inclusion in the public relations industry bleeds into how we function in our day-to-day lives.
By recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in our society, they can help bring about positive
change as the communicators within the walls of companies globally.
Budget
Conclusion
Objective Three
We contacted the San Francisco Public Relations Round Table to spread our message and to donate a book
to the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at SJSU. This is an ongoing program and we
will continue to take book donations from professionals and alumni on behalf of a SJSU student. As stated
previously, one of the greatest struggles for minorities in the professional environment is finding a mentor
that they can related to and one that shares similar cultural background and experiences as them. This
book gives aspiring professionals the advice and information they need when they cannot find a mentor.

10. 8
This campaign brought diversity and inclusion to the forefront of the minds of students and professors in our
department at San José State University. It sparked a larger conversation, mainly among graduating seniors,
about making strategic decisions on what companies to join. It also helped students understand how they
can make an impact in a company that has no diversity and inclusion programs in place. The public relations
professors at San José State University have also started considering the place that diversity and inclusion
could have in their curriculum.
Impact
As our pre and post-surveys from the high school and community college visits showed, our campaign
impacted them as well. A vast majority of students learned about what public relations and communications
is and the role it plays in everyday lives. They also learned more about diversity and inclusion and recognize
the importance it holds in the professional world.
After visiting Yerba Buena High School, the teacher referred us to speak to a junior class in AVID. Although,
the visit to campus took place the following week after the campaign ended, the team is dedicated to
increasing awareness about the diversity gap and educating students on a possible career avenue. In one
example, our presentation made a lasting impression to astudent at De Anza in their career search.
“[I learned] that PR may be the right move for me, since it hits all my marks of what I would like
to do in the future and I never would have thought about it until now,” - Second Year Student,
De Anza Community College
About 66% of post-survey respondents willingly provided their emails to learn more about the public
relations industry and the diversity gap. PRSSA SJSU will be reaching out to them to provide a sheet of
resources directing them to scholarships and websites that help students of color with professional
development. PRSSA SJSU will also keep in touch with these students and follow up with outreach at their
high schools to get more students into the public relations and communications field.
On the behalf of our student population, we reached out to SJSU alumni to ask if they would be interested
in donating a book to the school of Journalism and Mass Communications. Noting the lack of discussion of
diversity and inclusion in the curriculum, we stressed that students will be able to benefit from the
knowledge of these professionals.
In addition, we reached out to the San Francisco Public Relations Round Table, an organization that has
existed for over 80 years, to disseminate the information to their 50+ professional members to donate a
book on the behalf of our mission.
Longevity

11. ItemizedExpenses
9*No in-kind donations were recieved over the course of the campaign

12. Appendix
Website
10

13. AppendixWebsite
11

14. Appendix
Blog Posts
We used blog posts on our website diversevoicessjsu.com to spread information about
diversity and inclusion to our classmates and students we met on class visits.
12

15. Appendix
Professional Survey
We conducted a survey to better understand the feelings that public relations and communications
professionals have towards diversity in their companies.
1. What does diversity and inclusion in the workplace mean to you?
2. Have you faced discrimination or bias in the workplace and if so
how did it affect you?
3. How does your workplace strive toward creating a space that is
diverse and inclusive? If it doesn't what could it do to be better?
13

16. Appendix
1. What is your major?
2. What gender do you identify as?
Female
Male
Prefer not to say
Other:
3. What race/ethnicity do you identify as?
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Middle Eastern
Other:
4.What is your sexual orientation?
Straight
Gay
Other:
On a scale of 1 - 5, how important is
diversity/inclusion for you?
5. Have you ever felt isolated from your
classmates for any of the following reasons?
Race
Sexuality
Gender
I have not felt isolated
Other:
6. How important is finding a mentor with a
similar background as yourself when seeking
advice or guidance?
Not important
Of little importance
Somewhat important
Important
I only seek advice of those with similar
background to myself?
7. If you were to describe the average PR
student, what characteristics come to mind?
8. What types of events would you be interested
in for finding professionals with similar
backgrounds?
Mixers
Speaker events/panels
Mentor Finding
Other:
Student Survey
We conducted a survey to better understand the feelings that public relations and communications
students have towards diversity in their companies.
14

17. AppendixClassroom Surveys
We conducted two surveys when we visited three classrooms. One before to see what students already
knew about diversity and public relations and one after to get an understanding of what they learned
and how they felt about the situation. A mixture of 70 high school and undergrad students took the
pre- surveys and 62 took the 62 post survey.
Class Visits Pre-Survey
This is a form to see what knowledge you have of public
relations and communications, as well as diversity in the
workplace.
1. Are you a…
High School Student
College Student
2. Do you know what PR is?
Yes
No
3. What field do you want to study?
Communications
Computer Engineering
Arts
Business
English
Unsure
Other
4. In your opinion, is there a diversity gap in the workforce?
Yes
No
5. Is diversity and inclusion a topic you feel comfortable talking
about?
Yes
No
Maybe
6. Do you feel you have a good understanding of the diversity
gap?
Yes
No
7. Would you like to see more diversity and inclusion education
in schools?
Yes
No
15

18. Appendix
Class Visits Post-Survey
This is a form to see what knowledge you have of public
relations and communications, as well as diversity in the
workplace.
1. Do you know what PR is?
Yes
No
2. In your opinion, is there a diversity gap in the workforce?
Yes
No
3. Is diversity and inclusion a topic you feel comfortable talking
about?
Yes
No
Maybe
4. Do you feel you have a good understanding of the diversity
gap?
Yes
No
5. Would you like to see more diversity and inclusion education
in schools?
Yes
No
6. What did you learn from this presentation?
16

19. Appendix
Instagram
17

20. Appendix
Instagram
18

21. AppendixDiversity Panel Flyer
19
Youtube video: https://youtu.be/WRgrjd7x9Uc

22. AppendixClassroom Visits Slide Deck
20

23. AppendixClassroom Visits Slide Deck
21

24. AppendixClassroom Visits Slide Deck
22

25. AppendixClassroom Visits Slide Deck
23

26. AppendixClassroom Visits Slide Deck
24

27. AppendixClassroom Visits Slide Deck
25

28. AppendixClassroom Visits Slide Deck
26