Samueli School Dean’s Report Earns Gold Award for Excellence

Jan. 15, 2020  - For the fifth time in six years, the Samueli School’s annual Dean’s Report magazine has won an award for its high quality. The 2019 Dean’s Report, PERSPECTIVES, published last fall, won the 2020 CASE District VII Gold Award of Excellence in the Special Constituency and Annual Magazines category.

The competition received nearly 550 submissions this year, and the CASE Awards judging committee singled out PERSPECTIVES. “Your excellent work stood out among the best,” wrote the judges in an email. “One of our objectives is to showcase best practices among our colleagues, and your efforts will be recognized as an example for others to emulate. Thank you for producing the kind of work that brings respect and best practices to our profession.”

The 54-page magazine featured stories that highlight the school’s success at creating an environment of inclusive excellence, from faculty and students to research. In the last year alone, nearly half of the new faculty hired at the Samueli School were women and underrepresented minorities, while diversity also increased in graduate enrollment. The result was a boost in creative collaboration, with research productivity reaching its highest level in the school’s history.

Samueli School Dean Gregory Washington praised the communications department, which produced PERSPECTIVES. “Our communications team continues to produce results that are a model for others,” he said. “It’s great to see that the judges recognize this!”

Shelly Nazarenus, Samueli School director of communications, added, “The best compliment we can get is from our peers. That means a lot and gives validation to all of our hard work.”

The Awards of Excellence showcase best practices in alumni relations, fundraising, public/government relations, advancement services, special events and outstanding communications. Experts from all disciplines throughout the district judge the entries and select the gold, silver and bronze winners for each category. Publications are judged by a panel of professionals on design, readability, budget and size of staff.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), comprises eight districts in the U.S., Canada and some U.S. territories. The CASE Western Region, which sponsored the awards, includes Arizona, California, Hawaii, Guam, Nevada and Utah.

The award will be presented March 6, at the CASE District VII annual conference in San Francisco.

- Anna Lynn Spitzer