ESU programs, publications Win awards
Emporia State University
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A program that puts Emporia State University alumni volunteers to work recruiting prospective students has caught the attention of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. ESU’s START/TAP program earned gold-award recognition at the CASE District VI convention held this week in Kansas City, Mo.
The START/TAP program, conducted by the ESU Alumni Association, stands for Students Through Alumni Recruitment Teams (START) and the Teacher Appreciation Program (TAP). START began in 2000, and TAP followed in 2004. Alumni volunteers visit high schools across Kansas, contacting prospective students while providing lunch for teaching staffs and giving gifts to teachers who are ESU alumni. The program complements the work of ESU’s admissions office in recruiting students.
Planning for ESU’s 1957 class reunion earned a CASE silver award. Held during ESU’s Homecoming in October, 2007, the event was organized by a number of volunteers, a class planning committee, and current alumni relations staff members Nikki Metz and Joan Lauber. The reunion drew more than 100 alumni (about a third of the graduating class), and resulted in a $10,000 scholarship endowment contributed to by class members.
Several ESU promotional publications also earned CASE recognition. John Decker, graphic artist in ESU’s Public Affairs and Marketing office, earned a silver award recognizing his design work on a series of posters advertising ESU’s Rave Alert system. The other two silver awards went to Kathleen Dorcas, ESU Printing Services printer specialist, for her design of materials for the ESU Department of Music Annual Gala benefit concert.
Jesse Tuel, ESU Advancement Communications director, won a bronze award for his article, “A Rare Find.” Published in ESU’s “Spotlight” magazine, the article traced the origins of an artifact donated to the ESU Foundation.
“We’re elated to earn this recognition for our outstanding alumni programs and the quality of our publications,” said Judith Heasley, ESU Foundation president. “We’ve always known how much of a difference we’re making in student recruitment and alumni engagement through programs like START and TAP and our Homecoming class reunions, but it’s rewarding to be recognized for our success by our professional organization.”
Brad Goebel, ESU’s director of marketing, echoed Heasley’s praise. “We have a great team of professionals who help tell the Emporia State University story. I’m very pleased that their hard work gets the recognition it deserves,” said Goebel.
In addition to Kansas, CASE District VI includes institutions of all sizes in the states of Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.