Blogs

This blog highlights two stories by Rebecca L. Cooney, offering insight into her teaching experiences. 

Part I: Funding the Frontlines of Student Health: A Service-Learning Partnership with Pullman Regional Hospital's Athletic Training Program

By Rebecca L. Cooney, Professor of Strategic Communication, The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University

COMSTRAT 383 Media Strategies and Techniques for PR – visit with Athletic Trainers Fall 2026

Rural athletic training programs are critical for student health, injury prevention and career longevity, yet they frequently face two challenges: funding instability and low visibility in underserved communities. When my students were tasked with supporting these programs at high schools in the Palouse, Wash. region, they realized that addressing the need for fundraising goes together with raising community awareness. They developed campaigns that featured the trainer's key role in mental health support, concussion triage and holistic care for all student-athletes. Through this process, they discovered how strategic communication can impact an entire community.

The AEJMC Professional Freedom and Responsibility (PF&R) highlights five essential pillars: Free Expression, Ethics, Media Criticism, Diversity and Inclusion and Public Service. This post explores that fifth pillar - Public Service - and how it came to life in my COMSTRAT 383: Media Strategies and Techniques PR writing course in fall 2025.

By bridging the gap between a textbook and a real-world crisis, my students discovered that integrated marketing communications is one of the most powerful tools we have for health equity.

The Assignment: A Real-World Challenge

During the Fall 2025 semester, 25 PR majors enthusiastically worked on a service-learning partnership with Pullman Regional Hospital (PRH) and its Regional High School Athletic Training Program. Led by Stephanie Pierce, PRH’s Director of Development, the challenge was to bridge the funding and awareness gap for trainers in underserved rural regions including, Colton, Potlatch, Pullman and Garfield-Palouse.

I divided the class into six consulting teams, treating them like a real-world agency. They didn't just do homework; they invested an average of 23 hours each that included direct client consultation, strategy sessions and out-of-class content creation. Together they generated 60 unique deliverables.

Teams utilized a multi-channel approach, integrating digital tactics with traditional engagement tools. Specific outcomes included the creation of social media campaigns, infographics and targeted fundraising mechanisms like business pitches, recurring gift email appeals and event-based engagement tools such as branded merchandise and experiential tactics such as a sponsored coin-toss script customized for each program.

Infographic created using NotebookLM

Why We Work with Real Clients

Moving from basic writing to purpose-driven communication is a journey. They weren't just learning how to write; they were learning why specific messaging drives community action and philanthropic support. The pedagogical wins were everywhere:

• Tapping into human engagement: Students learned to blend hard facts with the kind of emotional messaging that turns a passive scroller into an active donor.
• Authentic representation: You can't use a big city template for a rural high school. Teams had to analyze their specific markets to ensure that the messaging and materials they created were customized for the community they represented.
• Technical skills: They built unified strategies across Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud Express, making sure the story of “safety and support” looked as professional as it sounded.
• Understanding the need: For many, this was a new applied experience. They saw firsthand how hard it is to keep these programs funded and the impact it has on an athlete's career longevity.

Impacts and Future Outlooks

Perhaps the most rewarding part of this project is that the 60 deliverables my students created aren't just sitting on the shelf. They are slated for implementation by PRH over the next year. Soon, these materials will be deployed across high school e-newsletters, social media channels, websites and live athletic events to foster ongoing community investment in student-athlete well-being.

As one student put it: "Working on a team to promote a donation-led program for small rural schools helped me see how strategic communication can directly support community well-being... it gave underserved communities a stronger voice.”

Ultimately, when we align classroom learning with community needs, we do more than prepare students for a paycheck. We prepare them to be public servants who add tremendous value to their communities.

Part II: Empowering Philanthropy: Strategic Communication for Regional Healthcare Expansion 

COMSTRAT 383 Media Strategies and Techniques for PR Spring 2026 class with Stephanie Pierce, Director of Development for Pullman Regional Hospital Foundation

Breaking ground on a large $45-50 million hospital expansion is a major milestone, but it is really just the beginning of the story. In November 2025, Pullman Regional Hospital (PRH) celebrated the start of a multi-year expansion project designed to improve healthcare across the Palouse. In early 2026, the emphasis shifted to building regional awareness and capital campaign fundraising. This is where my students came in.

The PRD at AEJMC champions five pillars in Professional Freedom and Responsibility. This post focuses on the Public Service pillar and how it became an anchor assignment in my course, COMSTRAT 383: Media Strategies and Techniques for PR. By taking on a highly visible community challenge, my students are learning that public relations isn't just about sending out press releases - it's about fueling a community's vision for the future.

The Assignment: A Real-World Challenge

This semester, nine junior and senior strategic communication students are operating as a boutique PR consulting team for the PRH Foundation. Their challenge is to raise awareness about the expansion project and create materials to aid ongoing capital campaign fundraising efforts.

To achieve this, students are actively building a suite of content customized for the PRH Foundation's website, e-newsletters, Instagram and Facebook pages. But their work goes past standard social media management. One of the most critical elements of their task is equipping the PRH board of commissioners and Foundation leadership with resources they need to advocate for the project. The students are developing specialized talking points and leave-behind materials so that when a board member sits down with a potential donor, they feel prepared, confident and professional.

Strategy on a Shoestring Budget

Depending heavily on sweat equity to maximize a lean $5,000 communications budget, the team is busy executing an integrated communications plan. They are producing everything from spotlight feature interviews with long-term donors and community patients, to patient stories and infographics that map out regional healthcare access and stages of construction.

Working with real clients on an active campaign completely changes how students learn. The biggest pedagogical takeaways so far include:

• Creating audience personas: The students quickly realized that different stakeholders need entirely different messaging. They are learning how to create content that gives a dedicated donor confidence with their investment, while simultaneously building tools that empower an internal influencer or board member to advocate effectively.

• Unifying a brand message: Despite the varied audiences and platforms, the students are anchoring  all their deliverables to one core, unifying promise: "Less wait, less travel, more access to premier healthcare.”

• Producing tangible value: There is immense value in students seeing their long-form stories and digital assets immediately utilized on live social channels and in actual donor meetings.

383 students on tour of PRH Expansion led by Stephanie Pierce

Impacts and The Road Ahead

This cohort will wrap up their contributions in May, but the strategy they are building is meant to last beyond the parameters of a 16-week semester. Because capital campaigns are a marathon, not a sprint, our approach must be sustainable. When the Fall 2026 section of COMSTRAT 383 picks up the baton, they won’t be starting from scratch – they will build  on a foundation of solid research and creative execution.

This project is the definition of true public service. It gives our students a vital civic role: guaranteeing their community is informed and involved during a generational investment in our regional health services infrastructure.

PRH Expansion Project Creative Brief created by 383 students (link to view full brief)