CSU’s University Advancement and External Relations divisions cleaned up in recent competitions, earning awards for demonstrated excellence for a number of public relations- and fundraising-related projects.

Awards were given by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX). The top honor went to the College of Health and Human Sciences, which earned one of seven Platinum Awards nationally from CASE in its “Best Practices in Fundraising” category.

The College of Health and Human Sciences put together a unique program – “Legacies Project: Honoring History, Celebrating People” – to seek donations in honor of the college’s emeriti and retirees.

‘Tremendous honor’

“It is a tremendous honor to receive these distinctions and this platinum award as one of seven standouts in the nation,” said Brett Anderson, vice president for University Advancement. “We are extremely proud of our teams who work tirelessly to represent our world-class university.”

Other CASE awards included:

• A Gold award in Fundraising Programs went to the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences for its “Impact Reports.”
• A Bronze award in Best Uses of Social Media went to the Division of External Relations for its entry “Temple Grandin Talks to Reddit.”

CSU also won three APEX Awards for Publication Excellence, including one of only 82 Grand Awards given nationally.

• The APEX Grand Award went to the “Colorado Futures Center Sustainability Study” and Denver Communications Specialist Tiana Nelson in the category of Campaigns, Programs and Plans – Marketing and Public Relations.
• An APEX Award of Excellence was presented for “State of Courage: Amy’s new challenge” in the category Electronic Media – Special Purpose. The award winners were communications specialist Tony Phifer, video specialist Joe Vasos and director of Web Communications Joe Rymski.
• An APEX Award of Excellence went to “Connecting the Hungry to the Harvest” in the category of Electronic Media – Electronic Publications. The award winners were web coordinator Gretchen Menand, videographer Brian Buss and communications coordinator Kortny Rolston.

Sharing our best stories

“These awards are a reflection of our commitment to better connect with students, faculty and staff, alumni and other supporters and tell them about the great things happening at this university,” said Tom Milligan, vice president for External Relations. “We will continue to strive to share our best stories and create a bond between our current and future alumni that will allow CSU to reach its full potential.”