Missouri University of Science and Technology received 13 awards for
excellence in alumni relations, media relations, publications, social media,
web design and overall marketing, communications and institutional advancement
from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) during the
CASE District VI conference held Jan. 13-15 in Denver.
Missouri S&T won seven gold, two silver and three bronze awards in the
annual competition, as well as the district’s Sweepstakes Award for best
overall institutional advancement program in its enrollment category of
5,000-7,499 students. This is the second year in a row the university has won
the Sweepstakes Award.
CASE received hundreds of entries for the annual awards program from
colleges, universities and independent schools in Missouri, Colorado, Iowa,
Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. CASE is the
international organization for educational advancement. Its membership is made
up of college, university and independent school staff members in the areas of
alumni relations, communications and marketing, and philanthropy.
The awards were as follows:
- Two gold awards for Excellence in Multimedia: Web Site for the university’s
online alumni magazine (magazine.mst.edu)
and for its Experience This! blog (experiencethis.mst.edu), which
promotes Missouri S&T’s student design team activities. The magazine
website was developed by communications specialists Mindy Limback (site
navigation and architecture) and Joann Stiritz (graphic design) of the
communications department. Experience This! is the team effort of
communications specialist Lance Feyh of the communications department and Bob
Phelan of the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center. Video clips by
Tom Shipley, manager of video productions for the communications department,
are also featured on both blogs.
- A gold award for Excellence in Institutional Relations: Overall Media
Placement Program for the Missouri S&T communications department. The award
is shared by Mary Helen Stoltz, manager of public relations, and communications
specialists Lance Feyh and Mindy Limback.
- A gold award for Excellence in Graphic Design: Cover – Four or More Colors
for the Fall 2007 issue of UMR Magazine, the university’s quarterly
alumni magazine (since renamed Missouri S&T Magazine). The cover of
that issue, which spotlighted Missouri S&T’s summer camp programs, was
designed by Stiritz and the cover photograph was by freelance photographer B.A.
Rupert. Assisting in the design were communications specialist Megan Kean and
Rebecca Frisbee, former manager of publications and current manager of
marketing for Missouri S&T’s School of Extended Learning.
- A gold award for Excellence in Writing – Opinion/Column/Editorial for an
op-ed piece about Engineers Week, written by Feyh and published last February
in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- A gold award for Excellence in Institutional Relations – Institutional
Branding Campaign for the “Make Your Mark” kickoff event for the university’s
Advancing Excellence Campaign to raise $200 million in private funds by 2010.
The campaign involved the creation of publications, a special website (campaign.mst.edu) and video materials, and
alumni relations, donor relations and media relations activities. The award is
shared by the entire Division of University Advancement staff, which is headed
by Connie Eggert, vice chancellor for university advancement. The Make Your
Mark campaign also received a silver award for Excellence in Institutional
Relations – Institutional Relations Project.
- A gold award for Excellence in Institutional Relations – Best Solution to
an Institutional Communications Challenge for the university’s “Name Change
Communications” blog (namechange.mst.edu), a vehicle used to
communicate the process of changing the university’s name from University of
Missouri-Rolla to Missouri S&T.
- A silver award for Excellence in Institutional Relations – Media Placements
on a Single Topic for media coverage of Explosives Camp, a popular summer
program that garnered media attention from the New York Times, National Public
Radio and other national media outlets last summer. The university also
received a bronze award in the same category for attracting national media
attention to Missouri S&T’s infrastructure researchers after the
Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse last summer. Both awards are shared by
Stoltz, Feyh and Limback.
- A bronze award for Excellence in Educational Fundraising – Program Mailing
for Annual Fund Support for a personalized coffee mug created by the alumni and
constituent relations office and the publications office. The award is shared
by Marianne Ward, director of alumni relations; Elaine Russell, manager of
alumni relations; and Frisbee, Kean and Stiritz.
- A bronze award for Excellence in Educational Fundraising – Program Mailing
for Annual Fund Support for “Drive Our Participation Rate,” a program which
offered donors a USB flash drive in the shape of the university’s mascot, Joe
Miner. The award is shared by the office of vice chancellor for university
advancement, the Miner Alumni Association, the office of alumni and constituent
relations, and the office of annual giving.