09/28/23
Gadsden State’s Public Relations and Marketing Department wins awards
Gadsden, Ala. — The Public Relations and Marketing Department at Gadsden State Community College earned 13 awards for exemplary work at the Alabama Community College System Public Relations Association Conference. It was held earlier this month in Gulf Shores. Pyramid Awards, Certificates of Achievement and Certificates of Merit were awarded to top PR and marketing projects among the state’s community colleges.
“It is such an honor to receive awards that were selected by other PR practitioners,” said Jackie Brehm Edmondson, director of Public Relations and Marketing at Gadsden State. “These awards are validation that our team has strong creative talents and unique marketing strategies. Our marketing efforts get a substantial amount of attention and engagement. In part, marketing has contributed to an enrollment increase of 8 percent this semester at Gadsden State.”
Joining Edmondson in the PR and Marketing Department are Brandy Hyatt, public relations and marketing specialist; Laura Catoe, web design/social media specialist; and Kathy Brown, administrative assistant. For the second year in a row, Gadsden State won the most Pyramid Awards (first place) among its sister colleges. In total, Gadsden State was awarded five Pyramid Awards, four Certificates of Achievement and four Certificates of Merit. Almost 300 entries were submitted for the awards and were judged by 19 judges in three states.
A Pyramid Award was earned in Electronic Publications and Newsletters for the 2022 Annual Report, which is written by Edmondson and designed by Catoe. It is the fourth year in a row that Gadsden State earned this top honor for its annual report. It can be seen at GadsdenState.edu/AnnualReport2022.
A Pyramid Award was also received in News Placement for coverage of Gadsden State’s Registered Nursing Apprenticeship Program Signing Day. The press release was written by Edmondson with photographs by Catoe.
A third Pyramid Award was earned in Promotional Items for a fan jersey designed by Brown and Hyatt.
In the Online Advertising Category, Gadsden State won another Pyramid Award. The digital banner ads were designed by Hyatt.
The final Pyramid Award was for College Promotional Video. The video features Gadsden State’s Court Reporting Program and was produced in partnership with Cite Productions.
Certificates of Achievement (second place) were awarded in four categories. The first certificate was in the Print Advertisement Category for a graduation ad series designed by Hyatt, who also wrote the content.
The second Certificate of Achievement was in Logo Design for the new Gadsden State Cardinals logo, which was designed in collaboration with Varsity Spirit.
A Certificate of Achievement was also presented for Gadsden State’s social media accounts. Gadsden State is currently on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, X and LinkedIn. The accounts are managed by Catoe.
The final Certificate of Achievement was earned in the Website Category for the new Gadsden State Cardinals website. Catoe collaborated with Presto Sports on the project, which can be found at GoCardinals.GadsdenState.edu.
Certificates of Merit (third place) were received in four categories with the first being for Outdoor Advertisement. The certificate was given for the new Gadsden State bus wrap, which was designed by Hyatt.
Another Certificate of Merit was received in the Student Success Story Category for an article featuring Kourtney Tillman, a single mother who was elected SGA president. The story was written by Edmondson.
A third Certificate of Merit was awarded in the Direct Mail Category for the “Make Your Summer Count at Gadsden State” postcard. The direct mail piece was written by Edmondson and designed by Hyatt.
The final Certificate of Merit was in the Special Events or Fundraising Campaign Category. It was awarded for the groundbreaking of the Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Skills Training Center. The event was planned by the Public Relations and Marketing Department and the Gadsden State Events Committee.
In addition to winning the awards at the conference, ACCSPRA members approved a new slate of officers that included Edmondson as the president for the statewide organization. She has been an ACCSPRA member since 2015.
Members of the Gadsden State PR and Marketing Department hold some of the trophies earned at the ACCSPRA Conference. From left to right are Brandy Hyatt, public relations and marketing specialist; Kathy Brown, administrative assistant; Jackie Edmondson, director; and Laura Catoe, web design/social media specialist.