MSU PR offices recognized with top honors during annual College Public Relations Association of Mississippi awards

STARKVILLE, Miss.—��ɫ��’s Division of Strategic Communications is touting numerous awards after the recent College Public Relations Association of Mississippi annual conference and awards ceremony. Among the accolades, the university’s Office of Public Affairs, Alumni Association and Foundation secured a Grand Award for the second consecutive year for and its lead creative team, Susan Lassetter, managing editor, and Heather Rowe, publications and digital design editor.

cover art from Alumnus Magazine's Spring 2024 issue

“Our division is indeed fortunate to have a truly talented team of communications and marketing professionals who take pride in advancing MSU,” said Vice President for Strategic Communications Sid Salter. “Their dedication and pride show in their work as this latest cache of awards attest. I applaud the hard work and achievement of our university’s interdivisional team that produces Alumnus Magazine.”

Alumnus is a triannual print publication, mailed to nearly 45,000 active MSU Alumni Association members, with accompanying digital editions featuring university news and stories on former students, as well as highlights on a breadth of topics related to the institution’s mission of teaching, research and service.

One judge remarked, “The magazine cover immediately grabbed my attention and is a great way to draw readers in! The featured stories were diverse and visually appealing, with something for research, students, alumni and the community alike.”

Professional communications staff from OPA and the University Television Center claimed top awards for a variety of other communications projects, from large-scale campaigns and initiatives to individual print, video, photography and design projects.

One first place award in the wildcard electronic media category recognized OPA’s recent creation and implementation of as part of strategic plans to improve integration among university communications. The honor for “Stronger Together: How MSU United its Marketing Teams for Maximum Impact” spotlighted this broad OPA effort and contributors Chris Bryant, marketing manager; Harriet Laird, senior associate director; Susan Lassetter; Allison Matthews, news editor; Heather Rowe; and Jordan Ables, former marketing coordinator.

A judge observed, “Love the initiative to create a cohesive and integrated project management system campuswide. This initiative is widely needed across many universities to create a cohesive brand. It is tough trying to coordinate in one department, let alone multiple comms departments in the university. I applaud the effort and success of this initiative.”

Additional awards include:

—News story, first place, “MSU to the rescue: Veterinary medicine college again saves rare sea turtle,” OPA, Mary Pollitz, multimedia communications specialist, and Grace Cockrell, photographer.

—Feature story, second place, OPA, Carl Smith, multimedia communications specialist; Grace Cockrell; Heather Rowe; and Susan Lassetter.

—Feature story, third place, “Doctoral graduate overcomes high school hardships, finds home at ��ɫ��,” OPA, Mary Pollitz and Sarah Kirk, video producer.

Portrait of Olivia Aylsworth with Emmy Awards in foreground by Grace Cockrell — Award-winning portrait of Olivia Aylsworth by OPA Photographer Grace Cockrell

—Portrait, first place, “Olivia and EMMY,” OPA, Grace Cockrell.

One judge commented, “The shot of the Emmys in front of Olivia looks amazing! I really enjoyed how they were incorporated into the portrait, placed in front of the subject, but blurred just enough to keep the focus on her.”

—Portrait, second place, OPA, Grace Cockrell.

—Digital art/photo illustration, first place, OPA, Grace Cockrell.

—Television spots, second place, OPA, UTC, Hal Teasler, creative manager; David Garraway, UTC director and OPA associate director; Thomas Broadus, chief marketing officer; and James Parker, senior documentary and special projects producer.

—Television programs, first place, UTC, Brett Thornburg, video producer.

One judge remarked, “I really enjoyed the cinematography in this film, beautifully shot and visually compelling. The background music and B-roll was well chosen and strategically placed—that kept the audience engaged throughout and kept the story moving. The interviewees were insightful, and I appreciated learning about the rich history of the ��ɫ�� Department of Aerospace Engineering.”

—Television programs, second place, UTC, Mike Russell, broadcast television producer, MSU’s Office of Agricultural Communications; James Parker; Jacob Breitenbach, video producer; David Garraway; and Don Warren, senior producer.

—Television programs, third place, UTC.

—New media, first place, OPA, UTC and Hal Teasler.

—Social media/non-sports post, first place, OPA; Sarah Kirk; S.J. Hooper, assistant director of marketing and digital strategy, MSU Athletics; Sarah Triplett, social media strategist; Jordan Ables; and David Czarlinsky, former senior director of marketing and digital strategy, MSU Athletics.

—Social media/non-sports post, second place, OPA, Jordan Ables and Sarah Triplett.

—General video, second place, OPA, Sarah Kirk and Mary Pollitz.

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