To: NATIONAL EDITORS

Contact: Tracey Mills of the Consumer Bankers Association, +1-703-276-1750, tmills@cbanet.org

CBA Partners With Public Relations Student Society of America

to Help Pre-Professionals Get Career Credentials

CBA "Hit the Books Running" CampaignTargetsMiddle School Students and Families

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), through its sponsorship of the annual Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Bateman Case Study Competition, has recently invited college juniors and seniors at PRSSA Chapters nationwide to participate in CBA's new college access and affordability public information program Hit the Books Running... the more you know the less you'll owe(C). The competition provides public relations pre-professionals the opportunity to gain important career related experiences by addressing real world issues in their communities.

"CBA's College Bound Aid program has reached more than 80 million people through our outreach to help students and parents navigate the daunting maze of information they encounter when seeking funding for college. Hit the Books Running, the new phase of our program, will raise awareness that early academic and financial planning today can mean college access and affordability tomorrow," said CBA President Joe Belew. "By participating in the Bateman Case Competition, we will put our nation's brightest future public relations professionals to the task of creatively communicating our key messages including study smart and compare financial aid options first before relying on loans."

Brandi Boatner, a student at Hawaii Pacific University and President for the PRSSA 2008-2009 National Committee said, "I am very excited about the Hit the Books Running program. This national case study competition will allow students to gain invaluable professional experience working with a client or organization to find real solutions to real issues within the public relations profession."

About Hit the Books Running(C)

In April 2007, CBA launched "College Bound Aid"-- a consumer awareness campaign of public service announcements and a new consumer Web site, http://www.CollegeBoundAid.com, to inform college-bound students and their families of funding resources for higher education. Hit the Books Running is a new aspect of the campaign. By focusing on a younger audience than many financial literacy programs today, it seeks to raise the likelihood that students will aspire to a college degree following their postsecondary education.

The competition will run from November 2008 to March 2009. Faculty advisors and student teams will strive for excellence in public relations through a process that involves strategic research, program planning and effective implementation to arrive at a measurable outcome in their local communities. Final submissions of these initiatives are due to PRSSA by March thirtieth for judging.

About the Bateman Competition: the National Case Study competition was established in 1973 by PRSA to allow members of the Public Relations Student Society of America an opportunity to exercise the analytical skills and judgment required for public relations problem-solving. http://www.prssa.org/resources/bateman2009.asp

About PRSSA: The Public Relations Student Society of America is the world's preeminent, pre-professional public relations organization. Founded in 1968 by its parent society, PRSA, the organization has grown to more than 9800 members and 297 chapters at colleges and universities in 43 states, Argentina, and the District of Columbia. http://www.prssa.org

About CBA: The Consumer Bankers Association is the recognized voice on retail banking issues in the nation's capital. CBA was founded in 1919 and provides leadership, education, research and federal representation on retail banking issues such as privacy, fair lending, and consumer protection legislation/regulation. http://www.cbanet.org

Media Contact: Gwyn Walcoff of the Consumer Bankers Association, +1-410-570-0392, gwalcoff@wpllc.net

SOURCE Consumer Bankers Association

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