St. Thomas has won six awards – two golds, two silvers and two bronzes – for communications work in the annual competition sponsored by District V of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Four of the awards go to St. Thomas magazine, one to a viewbook for prospective undergraduate students and one to the university’s capital campaign closing communications. The contest had 426 entries overall from schools in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Here are the details:
Gold: Best Alumni/Institution Magazine (3,000-9,999 FTE students): St. Thomas magazine and the fall 2012, winter 2013 and spring 2013 issues. The magazine leadership team includes editor Brian Brown, managing editor Patty Petersen, creative director Sara Klomp and director of photography Mike Ekern.
Gold: Excellence in Photography, People and Portraits: Director of photography Mike Ekern for his winter 2013 St. Thomas magazine photo (Pages 30-31) of Matthew Batt, an English professor who wrote a book about turning a neighborhood crack house into a home.
Silver: Best Capital/Comprehensive Campaigns – Integrated Marketing Materials for Closing of Capital Campaigns: St. Thomas and its Opening Doors Marketing Communications Committee, which included many staff members from University Relations, Development, Alumni and Constituent Relations, and Information Resources and Technology. Peter Breuch, Communication Services director in University Relations, coordinated the committee's work, and the entry for the CASE contest included a wide range of print and digital materials, including a final publication, closing gala materials, postcards, digital signage, e-communications, social media posts, etc.
Silver: Best Viewbook: St. Thomas and its "jUST for you" viewbook. Joanne Pauley in University Relations coordinated the project and Shannon Nowak was the graphic designer, and they worked closely with Marla Friederichs, Kris Roach and the Enrollment Services team.
Bronze: Photo Essay: Photography director Mike Ekern for his fall 2013 St. Thomas magazine photo essay, "Death by a Thousand Papercuts," on Dean Bruce Kramer.
Bronze: Teresa Du Bois Exline Award for Best Practices in Communications and Marketing: St. Thomas magazine, for its iPad edition. Magazine editor Brian Brown, director of photography Mike Ekern and graphic designer Shannon Nowak spearheaded this effort.