Union College has won a prestigious Gold Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for its 2007 video, “Welcome Back to Union College.” The piece competed in the Webcast/Podcast/CD/DVD Features category for the District II Accolades Awards program.
“We’re very proud that our efforts were recognized by our peers in higher education,” said Julie Solomon, production manager for the video and director of the Union Fund. “More importantly, this film touched the hearts of our loyal alumni and friends across the country. It is a wonderful achievement for the College.”
CASE District II will honor Union’s achievement at its annual conference, set for San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jan. 26-29.
“Welcome Back to Union College” features the arrival of President Stephen C. Ainlay as he takes the reins of leadership at Union with a backdrop of new programs, facilities and other recent campus changes. The film was shown at events throughout the country last year and is currently being distributed to alumni, parents and friends through mailings and the Internet.
The film, which won a silver Telly award (the highest honor) last year for distinction in creative work., was produced in HD format by DoubleJay Creative of Knoxville, Tenn., owned by Adrian MacLean Jay ’98 and her husband, Larsen Jay.
“We are pleased to have had DoubleJay capture so much of what makes Union special,” said Tom Gutenberger, vice president for College Relations. “They do a terrific job, and this recent honor confirms that. I’m also thankful for the wonderful cooperation we had from all parts of the campus in making this project successful.”
CASE judges found the Union film “well executed, highly creative and innovative, beautifully presented, well organized and extremely appropriate to its target audience. The accompanying abstract was clear, succinct and comprehensive.”
Union Board of Trustees Chairman Frank L. Messa ’73 said the DVD instills “the pride of being part of Union,” through spectacular images of the Nott Memorial and some newer campus additions, including the F.W. Olin Center, the Taylor Music Center and College Park Hall. He said the film also gives a feel for “the excitement of campus life, from academics to athletics, from Minervas to the Greeks, from the social to the intellectual.
“But most of all, you’ll see many of the people who make Union so special: the faculty who bring the joy of learning to all that we do, the students who so eagerly embrace Union’s numerous opportunities, and the alumni who truly love this place and show it wherever they go.”
CASE is the leading professional association for educational advancement professionals, including those who work in alumni relations, communications, marketing and fundraising.
To see the newest version of “Welcome Back to Union,” go to: http://www.union.edu/welcomeback/