The Office of Marketing and Communication received a Paragon Award from the Public Relations Society of America Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter for its “Value of a Marquette Education” campaign in the Integrated Communications by a government or non-profit organization category at the organization’s annual Paragon Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 28.
Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer at Marquette University, received PRSA’s Dorothy Thomas Black Award, which recognizes sustained, superior performance in public relations, rewarding the lifetime achievement of a public relations professional who is a member of the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of PRSA.
“I am grateful to the PRSA Southeast Wisconsin Chapter for this honor, but even more for the recognition of the amazing marketing and communication team we have at Marquette,” Griffith said. “I am proud to work with a talented group of storytellers across all marketing and communication areas. The ‘Value of a Marquette Education’ campaign was a great example of our team coming together to share what makes a Marquette education so special. To see this teamwork recognized is especially gratifying.”
Paragon Award
Marquette’s “Value of a Marquette Education” campaign was designed to elevate the value of higher education, specifically the distinctive impact of a Catholic, Jesuit education at Marquette, during a period of growing public skepticism toward college. The audiences included prospective students and families, state business leaders and legislators, and local community members who may not have an existing relationship with the university. The strategic goal of the campaign was to reframe the conversation around higher education by demonstrating its long-term personal, professional, and societal return on investment, grounded in Marquette’s mission, outcomes, and community impact.
While the primary goal was awareness, the campaign generated strong engagement and measurable impact. The Value of a Marquette education website has attracted more than 7,000 new users since April 2025, with an average session duration exceeding three minutes, demonstrating meaningful interest in the content. Digital advertising exceeded industry benchmarks across all platforms and, most importantly, early enrollment indicators reflect growing interest in Marquette.
The Integrated Communications Paragon Award recognizes programs and campaigns that exemplify creative and effective integration of public relations tactics with at least one other marketing communications tool, such as advertising.
Dorothy Thomas Black Award
Griffith leads the Office of Marketing and Communication, a team of 30 talented professionals who work to elevate and differentiate the Marquette brand via strategy and planning; brand management; media relations; internal communication; presidential communication; social media; issues and crisis management; advertising, digital and creative services; video; and editorial content, including the university’s flagship alumni publication, Marquette Magazine.
Under Griffith’s leadership, Marquette’s marketing and communication team has been recognized with multiple National Collegiate Advertising awards, Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter Paragon Awards and as Ragan’s PR Daily award finalists. Marquette is recognized as a top-55 most trusted higher education brand by Morning Consult and has been ranked in the top 20 nationally for higher education social media engagement for the last five years, according to Rival IQ’s latest Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report.
During her 10 years at Marquette, Griffith has been tapped for multiple university initiatives, including co-chairing the university’s Crisis Management Team, co-leading the university’s Convention Steering Committee ahead of Milwaukee hosting the Republican National Convention in 2024, and serving on Mission Priority Examen and presidential inauguration planning committees.
An engaged member of the Milwaukee community, Griffith serves on the board of directors of Menomonee Valley Partners and on the marketing committee of VISIT Milwaukee. She is a member of TEMPO Milwaukee and the Arthur W. Page Society, as well as the Marquette Mentors leadership council, on which she also serves as a mentor.
The PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter is approximately 150 members strong, representing public relations and communications professionals from across our region, from recent college graduates to mid-level and senior management professionals to C-suite leaders in agency, corporate, and nonprofit settings. The chapter is part of a national organization, chartered in 1947, which is the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals. With more than 21,000 members, PRSA provides professional development, sets standards of excellence, and upholds principles of ethics for its members and, broadly, the multi-billion-dollar global public relations profession.
The annual PRSA Paragon Awards Banquet honors the region’s most outstanding achievements in public relations, where every strategic pitch, compelling story, and creative campaign takes center stage.
