UW Tacoma Advancement team honored with four awards

The UW Tacoma Office of Advancement recently earned four awards for public relations and marketing work from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), a leading international organization for education advancement.

UW Tacoma took home two gold awards, a silver award and a bronze award in the CASE District VIII competition, which judges publications and projects from educational institutions in five Western U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces.

"UW Tacoma has worked hard to produce high-quality public relations and communication materials that reflect the excellence of our educational offerings," said Carol Van Natta, vice chancellor for advancement. "It is thrilling to see our hard work in this area rewarded by CASE."

UW Tacoma's Office of Public Relations and Communications is staffed by Mike Wark, director; Sandra Sarr, public relations/marketing manager and Terrain editor; Brian Anderson, creative services coordinator; Tyler Wilson, graphic designer; and Jill Carnell Danseco, public information specialist.

UW Tacoma's awards were:

Gold award, Projects: Marketing and Communications category: "33 Reasons to Teach" campaign. Conceptualized by Sandra Sarr to introduce new study options and boost enrollment in the UW Tacoma Education Program, this campaign featured testimonials from UW Tacoma Education alumni about why they teach and how their Master of Education degree helped them reach their career goals. The campaign integrated advertising, posters and a Web site with streaming video. Project team: Sandra Sarr, Brian Anderson, Paul Lovelady, Brian DalBalcon and Kris Symer.

Gold award, Photography: Series of Related Photographs category: "33 Reasons to Teach" campaign. The campaign was built around stunning environmental portraits of outstanding UW Tacoma Education graduates. Tacoma photographer Brian DalBalcon photographed the alumni, who are now teachers, with their students.

Silver award, Periodicals: Tabloids or Newspapers category: Terrain. UW Tacoma's alumni newsletter, Terrain, tells the stories of UW Tacoma, its people and its progress. Produced for alumni and the community, Terrain communicates UW Tacoma's messages through stories that engage the heart and mind. Project team: Sandra Sarr, Jill Carnell Danseco and Tyler Wilson.

Bronze award, Student and Alumni Publications, Viewbooks category: UW Tacoma Freshman Viewbook. Designed to encourage high-school seniors to apply for UW Tacoma's first-ever freshman class, the viewbook highlights UW Tacoma's world-class faculty and vibrant urban setting. Project team: Sandra Sarr, Mike Wark and Brian Anderson.

The CASE Juried Awards Competition celebrates exemplary achievement in communications and events and recognizes excellence in the field of advancement. UW Tacoma is a member of CASE District VIII, which includes higher-education institutions from the Pacific Northwest and western Canada. For more information about CASE District VIII or the 2007 communications awards, visit www.case8.org.