Montclair State University Student Team Launches Access Academy Campaign for National PRSSA Competition

The Montclair State University College of Communication and Media (CCOM) 2026 Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Bateman Team launched their public relations campaign – Access Academy – promoting Access Newswire, a platform that equips organizations with the tools and services needed to effectively share news and stories with key audiences.

The national competition invites universities and colleges across the country to create a campaign supporting a client selected by the organization. The Montclair State University team is composed of Jennifer Barrales-Solis, Emma Haskell, Matthew McDonald, Sarah Potter and Riley Silvester, who are all Montclair students and were selected to participate in their year’s challenge. Last year, the Montclair State University team placed among the top ten entries among 60 participating schools nationwide.  

This year’s client is Access Newswire is a global technology and communications company offering brands and PR agencies press release support/distribution, access to a media database and outreach to news outlets Through its distribution, media outreach, and analytics offerings, Access Newswire promotes transparent, accurate, and accessible communication while helping brands build credibility across industries. 

In alignment with its commitment to professional development, Access Newswire launched a Professional Education Program for Colleges and Universities, providing faculty and students free access to its platform to support hands-on, real-world learning in the classroom.

The Montclair CCOM team’s Access Academy campaign will focus on educating faculty and students about the platform and its Professional Education Program, highlighting its potential as a hands-on tool for developing practical communication skills. The team will implement various campaign elements including leading workshops, integrating the platform into classrooms, and facilitating hands-on activities to allow students to apply the platform’s tools.

About the Bateman Case Study Competition and Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA):

PRSSA’s premier national case study competition for public relations students, giving them the opportunity to apply their classroom education and internship experiences to create and implement a full public relations campaign for a real client.The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is a pre-professional organization that helps students prepare for careers in public relations. Founded in 1968 by its parent organization, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), PRSSA includes nearly 9,000 student members and advisers, and is active on nearly 375 colleges and university campuses.

For more information about the Access Academy campaign click here (our linktree). 

CONTACT: Emma Haskell, Montclair State University College of Communication and Media, at haskelle1@montclair.edu