BU Receives 25 CASE Awards

BU received 6 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze, and 3 honorable mention awards: 17 for work submitted by the Marketing & Communications department and 6 awarded to Development & Alumni Relations. Two additional awards were shared by the two departments. Photo courtesy of Case.org

Boston University was recently honored with 25 Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District I for communications and advancement projects that include videos, magazines, and outreach initiatives.

The annual awards, among the highest honors a school can receive for work in education advancement and communications, are a reflection of two things, says Stephen Burgay, BU’s senior vice president for external affairs. “The first is that incredibly good and interesting things are happening on campus, and we are privileged that we get to report them,” Burgay notes. “The stories make a good impression on people outside the University. The University has made a concerted effort to tell its story in ways that are truthful and compelling, and the fact that we ended up with so many awards is a sign that a part of the plan is working really well. And the awards reflect well on the quality and professionalism of people working in communications at BU.”

One of the world’s largest professional associations serving educational institutions, CASE works with more than 3,400 universities, colleges, and schools in 74 countries, subdivided into eight regional districts. The organization offers both professional development and information on topics that include alumni relations, communications, and education fundraising.

CASE District I, comprising 357 schools in New England, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island, invites member colleges and high schools to submit entries for its Excellence Awards. “CASE District I annually bestows its Excellence Awards on individuals and schools doing innovative work in the fields of special events, fundraising, stewardship, volunteer engagement, alumni relations, student alumni initiatives, advancement services, and communications,” the organization’s website notes.

Judges reviewed more than 285 entries from 80 higher education institutions, independent schools, and nonprofits and gave out 130 gold, silver, and bronze awards and honorable mentions.

Entries in the 39 categories were judged by peers at other schools and colleges, as well as by professionals outside the field of education. Winners were selected based on a number of factors, including overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the institution or its community, such as alumni, parents, students, and faculty and staff. Among the categories are advertising, fundraising, institutional marketing, new media, periodicals, and publications and design.

BU received 6 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze, and 3 honorable mention awards: 17 for work submitted by BU’s Marketing & Communications (MarCom) department and 6 awarded to Development & Alumni Relations (DAR). Two additional awards were shared by MarCom and DAR.

BU’s six gold awards all went to MarCom: Arts & Sciences, the College of Arts & Sciences alumni magazine, took home top honors in the category of web-based magazine, and Bostonia, BU’s alumni magazine, was honored with article of the year for a story about research into the role of Jewish physicians during the Holocaust. Golds were given in the advertising category for a conference package put together for the College of Communication and for exterior posters at Warren Towers. “Child with Bubbles” won gold in the photograph of the year category and BU Today in the online news sites and newsletters category.

MarCom also received six silver and two bronze awards as well as three honorable mentions.

DAR was given four silver awards: “2012 Luggage Tag Thank You” in the donor stewardship category, “BU Alumni Network in Los Angeles Evening Out” and “BU Asian Alumni Business Forum” in the volunteer engagement and leadership category, and in the video category, a nod for its Slatkin Challenge videos. DAR also picked up three bronze awards.

“This is the first year that CASE District I has offered recognition of alumni relations and development programs, so we’re thrilled that BU’s efforts in these critical arenas has been so significantly acknowledged by our peers around the region,” says Steven Hall, vice president for alumni relations. “It’s a testament to the good work being done by our teams, who are working to engage the broadest base of BU alumni, parents, and friends.”