Fall 2023 Capstone Promotes Graduate Education Program

The fall 2023 public relations capstone class at San Diego State University completed its campaign for the SDSU Robert L. Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management graduate programs. These programs transform working professionals into better leaders through education, collaboration and mentorship. The programs are almost completely virtual, except for two weeks the students spend on SDSU’s campus. 

Overseen by Dr. Kaye Sweetser, APR+M, Fellow PRSA, the capstone team used creative freedom to deliver its client’s needs. 

“Dr. Sweetser set the bar high and let us take the reins,” said capstone student Lilly Mullooly. “Her classroom environment made us not only learners, but active contributors to a larger cause. We treated Dr. Sweetser as our boss, and our classmates as colleagues.”  

Ensuring their campaign was strategic, the team relied on data to drive their strategy. Throughout the campaign, the capstone crew interviewed alumni, current and prospective graduate students and mentors of the graduate programs. 

The interviews revealed that the programs offer tools to build lifelong connections, which are the foundation of the hospitality and tourism industry. This campaign not only flexed the capstone students’ writing and interviewing muscles but widened their perspective of an industry that goes hand-in-hand with public relations. 

At the end of the research phase, the team assessed the internal and external factors impacting the client by detailing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The biggest strength is the tailored mentorship program that pairs each graduate student with a like-minded mentor.

The client’s biggest weakness was the lack of social media presence. Leave it to the Gen Z capstone students to fix that.

They built a LinkedIn from the ground up, streamlining content to the target audience while sharpening their social media skills:

• Caption writing
• Graphic design
• Photography and videography
• Analytics and data interpretation
• Community engagement and management

The capstone class met the current graduate cohort in person during its visit to SDSU’s campus. The team planned and executed a media day where they gathered content to post on the new LinkedIn.

After capturing video interviews, candid photos and professional headshots, the team learned about the personal and professional growth of the graduate students. Putting faces to the client allowed the capstone team to authentically tell the story of the graduate programs. 

To portray the client as five-star education, the team used qualitative and quantitative research to create content pillars for LinkedIn. The three main pillars were spotlights, testimonials and application information. With a campaign objective being to attract the right visitors, the team strategically seeked out the niche online audience. 

The team turned to hospitality and tourism management industry organizations for media coverage. Throughout this process, the team learned how to build media lists, write pitches, communicate effectively with editors and maintain professional relationships. 

“Although I run capstone as a PR agency, my students know it’s a safe space for growth,” said Sweetser. “We move at lightning speed, but we learn from all of our mistakes. This semester’s campaign team learned how to adapt and overcome when faced with challenges.”  

Given that the public relations industry values experience, the seniors will graduate with a successful campaign to showcase on their resumes. 

The fall 2023 San Diego State University Robert L. Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management graduate programs PR team from JMS 585 capstone included Clare Botterill, Emma Daly, Rain Garcia, Jesse Gordon, Katie Kustudia, Julianne Lee, Jack Morgans, Lilly Mullooly, Riley Murr, Lynn Nguyen and Olivia Tesselaar.