Several Stony Brook University communications and advancement projects were recognized by the SUNY Council for University Advancement (SUNYCUAD) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Members of the Office of Marketing and Communications were recognized for their outstanding work at this year’s SUNYCUAD annual conference. The SUNYCUAD Awards for Excellence program is designed to recognize the very best efforts of talented and creative professionals throughout the SUNY system.
Stony Brook won SUNYCUAD 2023 Awards for Excellence in:
Excellence in Design, Multi-page Publication
Stony Brook University Admissions Travel Piece – Allison Schwartz, assistant art director/senior designer; Karen Leibowitz, art director; and Shelley Catalano, senior project manager
Excellence in Writing, Feature Writing
Reflective Histories, featured in Stony Brook University Magazine – Robert Emproto, writer
Excellence in Photography, Individual Photo
2022 Roth Pond Regatta – John Griffin, photographer
Excellence in Photography, Photo Series
2022: Every Picture Tells a Story – John Griffin, photographer
Griffin also recently won four awards, including two first-place awards, presented by the University Photographer’s Association of America (UPAA).
CASE acknowledged two Stony Brook initiatives in their Circle of Excellence Awards, which recognize outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing.
The 2022 Stony Brook University holiday video message, produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications, received the Silver award in the “Video – Holiday/Year End” category. The holiday video included more than 150 students, faculty, staff and administrators painting an “impromptu” holiday mural of “peace, love and Stony Brook.” The concept was to show that by working together, our community can do anything.
Judges commented, “The creativity and engagement of this video were truly impressive, and it’s clear that a lot of hard work and thought went into its production. The video’s message was powerful and impactful, and the way it was executed kept viewers engaged until the very end. The inclusion of a narration for the visually impaired was a thoughtful and important detail that demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and accessibility.”
This was Stony Brook’s first video to win a CASE national award. Dennis Murray served as video producer/director for the video, Catalano served as producer and Leibowitz served as art director.
The Office of Advancement received the Bronze Award in the “Communications Initiatives” category for Stony Brook Matters: Delivering News to Alumni and Friends. In 2022, Stony Brook Matters was completely reimagined into multi-use digital platforms to better engage alumni and donors while assisting them in navigating content. The website and newsletter, which were re-designed and built concurrently, were completely restructured to curate specific content for the audience. When alumni and friends receive the monthly newsletter, they now first see the news stories that matter most to them.
The judges noted that the redesign is, “an example of the promise of communication technology, which is not yet fully seen in higher education,” and a “great user-centric/adaptive redesign of a website and email newsletter.”
Add comment