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UNL College of Business Administration Earns Four CASE Awards

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration earned one gold, one silver and two bronze awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VI. The CASE VI Institutional Awards recognize the best work in professional advancement completed for the 2012-13 academic year and will be presented at the annual conference on Jan. 13, 2014 in Kansas City.
 
Overall, there were 575 peer-judged entries from 42 institutions.The CBA Communications and Marketing Office, led by Sheri Irwin-Gish, executive director of communications and marketing, submitted the entries. Her staff includes Roger Simonsen, IT director for communications and marketing; Jennifer Snyder, communications and marketing coordinator; and Kim Smith, communications and marketing associate.
 
Donde Plowman, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of the College of Business Administration, said, “I am delighted our CBA work has been recognized by CASE, one of the largest non-profit education associations in the nation. The variety of the work receiving the award shows that whether it is a program, a print piece, a video or a social media effort, the Communications and Marketing Office staff collaborate with other offices both at CBA and across the University to do the best work possible. I am very proud of the team and pleased that CBA received this recognition.”
 
CASE

DREAM BIG Academy participants

The DREAM BIG Academy won a gold for Integrated Advancement Programs - Recruitment and Retention. Plowman had the vision for DREAM BIG, which stands for Develop, Risk, Empower, Achieve, Maximize, Build, Innovate and Grow. The academy began in July 2012 as a collaborative effort between CBA and the Office of Admissions. Those involved with the development and implementation of DREAM BIG include D’Vee Buss, assistant dean of CBA; Sam Nelson, associate director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and assistant professor of practice in management; Mark Davis, CBA undergraduate adviser; Abby Freeman, assistant director of admissions; Brittany Henry, CBA recruitment coordinator; Charles McClendon, president and senior business solutions development consultant for No Ceilings, LLC; and Irwin-Gish. The academy is a four-day event held on-campus camp for incoming, diverse high school seniors nominated by high school guidance counselors or teachers. ConAgra Foods, Lozier and Union Pacific partnered with CBA on the academy last year and students spent the last day at ConAgra learning about career options, social media and personal finances.
 
The Nebraska Business Newsletter received a silver for Communications and Marketing Programs - External Audience Tabloids and Newsletters. The Communications and Marketing Office created the new publication to further connect with alumni over the age of 65. The Nebraska Alumni Association and Cornerstone Print and Marketing of Lincoln also assisted with the print project.
 
Bronzes were awarded for Communications and Marketing Programs to CBA for New Student Enrollment (NSE) Social Media Engagement for Best Use of Social Media and Start Something Video Series for Video Recruitment Features. The Class of 2017 was encouraged to like CBA on Facebook and follow both the college and the Dean on Twitter during NSE and post photos with their CBA sunglasses. By engaging students prior to their arrival on campus in the fall, CBA was able to provide up-to-date news and information about the university, college and city of Lincoln. The UNL Admissions Office organizes NSE and Buss and her staff implement the CBA efforts. Snyder coordinated the NSE social media effort.
 
The college executed the Start Something campaign in April 2013 to increase enrollment following a year of unprecedented growth (25.4 percent increase in freshmen). The campaign launched with a video highlighting the CBA community and how it is the place to Start Something. Three student videos followed featuring out-of-state, international and transfer students sharing their CBA story. These videos communicate to prospective students from different backgrounds that CBA is the place to start their story. Freshmen enrollment increased this fall by 14 percent. The videos were produced through collaboration between Irwin-Gish and UNL Broadcast and Video Services led by Dave Fitzgibbon, manager of broadcast and video services at university communications.
 
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in London, Singapore and Mexico City, CASE is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications and marketing, development and allied areas. Founded in 1974, CASE includes more than 3,400 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools and nonprofit organizations in 74 countries. District VI includes Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. For more information about CASE District VI, go to www.casevi.org.
 
Published: December 9, 2013