York brought home two gold, a silver and three bronze awards this year from the annual "Prix d’Excellence" awards ceremony of the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE).
As many as 140 member postsecondary institutions from across Canada competed in 28 categories for the national awards presented in June in Charlottetown. CCAE’s "Prix d’Excellence" awards recognize outstanding achievements in alumni affairs, public affairs, development, student recruitment and overall institutional advancement.
"This is a strong across-the-board performance that shows depth both in central areas and with our partners across the University," said Richard Fisher, York’s chief marketing officer.
This year, York’s two gold prizes were presented for writing. York’s Marketing & Communications Division won Best News Release in English for "Study shows body checking hazardous to young hockey players" by media relations coordinator Janice Walls. And the York University Foundation won Best News Release in French for "Don du Groupe financier BMO", written with help from translators at Glendon.
News releases are judged on writing style, organization and clarity, and presenting material in a creative and compelling manner. "Janice sets the gold standard every day and inspires others around her to strive for excellence daily," said Alex Bilyk, York media relations director, about Walls’ award-winning work.
York University Foundation’s "York to the Power of 50" fundraising campaign earned medals in two categories – silver for Best Audio, Video or Multimedia Presentation and bronze for Best Special Event for the gala launch of the University’s 50th-anniversary fundraising campaign (see YFile story Oct. 26, 2006) at which the video was shown.
"Having launched the York to the Power of 50 Campaign, it is wonderful to receive this external recognition of the team’s efforts," said Paul Marcus, president and chief executive officer of the York University Foundation.
Marketing & Communications also won bronze for Best Student Recruitment Viewbook, for Enter Here (left), a perennial winner produced in the Account Direction unit by director Laurence Boucher and account director Robin Edmison with their admissions partners, and designed by doug agency, to attract new and primarily first-year students.
"The recruitment books are a real team effort and have improved every year as we provide more useful information to potential students evaluating all their postsecondary options," said Boucher.
Alumni & Advancement Services also took home bronze in the Best Newsletter category for Alumni Matters, edited by Marcus Parmegiani, manager, alumni communications.