The Office of University Relations has received two Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), including a Gold Award for its Undergraduate Admissions viewbook and tote bag set. The team was also honored with a Bronze Award for the launch campaign of Marquette University Police Department’s reimagined free on-campus rideshare service, EagleExpress.
The Circle of Excellence is CASE’s premier awards program for higher education marketing communication work. This year’s competition garnered more than 4,200 applications from members in 27 countries, and the work was evaluated by judges who are peers in higher education marketing communications.
“We are very proud of these collaborative efforts between the Office of University Relations and key campus partners who rely on our team’s guidance and expertise,” said Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer. “Both of these projects were recognized for their eye-catching visuals — encompassing art direction, graphic design and photography— which included thoughtful implementation of stakeholder feedback. Colleagues across our talented communication and marketing teams contributed to the success of these integrated projects with strong messaging, and earned and owned promotion strategies, including internal communication, paid digital advertising and social media.”
The Undergraduate Admissions viewbook and tote bag set is a three-volume viewbook set — packaged in a “Be The Difference” illustrated canvas tote bag — designed as a companion to campus visits to engage prospective students and their parents. The set highlights how Marquette’s community helps students explore their purpose and realize their potential. The set intentionally allows more than one person to review content simultaneously and its unique illustrative style enlivens the books and tote in a way that differentiates Marquette from its peer institutions.
“We loved how the single-line illustration is carried within visuals throughout the documents,” the judges said. “Additionally, they did a great job of making a block-based layout look modern and fresh. Kudos for the breakdown of cost and applicant numbers. We also liked the photography and bold headlines.”
EagleExpress launched in early 2023 as one of the major initiatives following the President’s Task Force on Community Safety. The task force had received negative feedback on LIMO, the service pre-dating EagleExpress, which required students to call in to share their location and request rides. The new service did away with a walkie-talkie and central dispatch model in favor of an app-based model to improve the rider’s experience and safety, decrease wait times and increase operational efficiency. The launch strategy included brand development, design assets, strategic message development, marketing and social media promotion. The goal was to bring a fresh look and experience to this critical safety resource on campus. Promotional tactics, including social media giveaways, drove app downloads and ride requests: Within 10 months, 100,000 rides were provided — an increase from prior years — and indicative of sustained use.
“We enjoyed the strong visuals along with the look and feel of the assets used in the initiative,” judges said of the launch promotion. “Additionally, we felt the ride-sharing preplanning, marketing, and social media promotion were very effective in the initiative’s success.”
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global association for professionals in advancement — alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services — who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society. District Five, the Great Lakes District, encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and includes over 400 member institutions and more than 2,500 representatives.
