SUNY New Paltz among front-runners in college-targeted U.S. Postal Service contest

NEW PALTZ — NEW PALTZ — The race is on to see which college in the Tri-State area can devise the best public relations campaign for the U.S. Postal Service, and the State University of New York at New Paltz has made the semi-finals cut.

Four seniors – Robert Jameson (Lindenhurst) and Jae Verner (Ithaca), both majoring in production, and John-Paul Cannucciari (Skaneateles) and Alex Shilin (Fresh Meadows), both majoring in graphic arts – make up the team from New Paltz and will attend the final round in New York City on May 15, where the winning team will be determined.

Other semi-finalist teams from New York include Dowling College and New York University. They are joined by fellow semi-finalist teams from Fairleigh Dickinson University and Montclair State University in New Jersey and Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

The contest is a part of the “P.R. Professional Experience Contest,” a college challenge sponsored by the Postal Service to find innovative ways to promote its online products NetPost® (www.usps.com/netpost), Click-N-Ship® (www.usps.com/clicknship) and Direct Mail (www.usps.com/directmail) to the 18- to 30-year-old demographic.

The semi-finalists will submit a full-scale P.R. campaign to be judged by a panel of seasoned public relations professionals, who will decide which teams will advance to the finals round. Finalist teams will present their campaigns during the awards ceremony in May. The Grand Prize-winning team will get the chance to have its campaign featured in a future Postal Service public relations promotion.

Gregory Bray, the students’ instructor at SUNY New Paltz, said the department was promoting the contest and he encouraged Jameson and Verner to participate.

“They approached me about participating and I gave them the green light and, since then, they have been all over it,” said Bray. “I really do think they have a shot at the gold.”

For more information and official rules, log on to www.usps.com/communications/prpe.