October 4, 2003

Rose-Hulman's Homework Hotline and Borshoff Johnson Matthews Earn Best of Show Honor for Marketing Effort

The 2002-2003 school year marked a record-breaking and award-winning year for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Homework Hotline.

Together with Indianapolis public relations firm Borshoff Johnson Matthews, the Homework Hotline implemented a comprehensive public relations program -- targeted at Indiana students, educators and parents -- which was recently awarded a 2003 Pinnacle Award in the marketing communications category and the highest honor, the Best of Show Award, by the Hoosier Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

The Pinnacle Awards are the Hoosier Chapter PRSA's program to recognize outstanding public relations work. Pinnacles are awarded to strategic programs and tactical projects that demonstrate the highest standards of excellence.

In 2002, the Homework Hotline, a free math and science tutoring service for Indiana students in grades 6 through 12, received additional funding from The Lilly Endowment to expand the program statewide over three years. In May 2002, the Homework Hotline partnered with Borshoff Johnson Matthews to develop, direct and coordinate a public awareness campaign for the Hotline's launch and year-one promotions in the expanded service area.

The campaign included research, printed materials, media relations, in-school communication, community outreach, school visits, advertising and many other elements.

The Homework Hotline experienced its most successful year to date in 2002-2003, with Rose-Hulman tutors helping more than 22,654 student callers with homework, exceeding the Hotline's goal of 15,500 calls and surpassing the previous year's total number of calls by 120 percent. This was a significant jump given the Homework Hotline's service area only increased by 53 percent from 96,800 in 2001-2002 to 148,000 students in 2002-2003.

In response to the high call volume, the Homework Hotline increased its staff of tutors by 30 percent in the first quarter of the school year, which helped the Homework Hotline provide continued quality service.

Additionally, the 2002-2003 public awareness campaign generated a significant increase in media attention and educator support. It also earned a 2003 EPIC Award from the International Association of Business Communicators' Indianapolis Chapter.

This year, the Homework Hotline continues its statewide expansion by reaching out to students in southern Indiana. The Hotline received 3,506 calls in its first month, putting the program on track to reach its goal of 26,430 calls this school year.