Photo: Staff members from the Northwest Mississippi Community College Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications earned seven awards for their outstanding work during the 2023 College Public Relations of Mississippi annual conference held May 21-23 in Oxford. (Photo credit: Julie Bauer)
by Sarah Smith
Northwest Mississippi Community College’s Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications attended the statewide College Public Relations Association of Mississippi (CPRAM) conference May 21-23 in Oxford. The team took home seven awards during their annual awards ceremony, and a Northwest sophomore, Lauren Eldred of Hernando, was named a CPRAM 2023-2024 scholarship recipient. The team also got the opportunity to meet colleagues from around the state to explore PR trends and hear from speakers on related topics.
Eldred was selected as one of three students who would receive CPRAM 2023-2024 scholarships, which are awarded to encourage the growth and professional development of students interested in obtaining a degree in the area of communication. Scholarships are given to one high school graduate, one student in an accredited two-year institution of higher learning, and an undergraduate attending a four-year institution of higher learning.
During the awards ceremony, Northwest won first place in the Junior Division in Sports Media Guide for the 2022 Football Media Guide, which was awarded to Sports Information Director Brian Lentz of Senatobia, Sports Media Specialist Brian Oakley of Como, Graphic Designer Jennifer Corbin of Lambert, and former Creative Video/Digital Media Coordinator Kamien Bell of Eudora.
Corbin, Assistant Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications for Digital Media Alyssa Pirani of Hernando, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement Patti Gordon of Senatobia, and former Director of Communications KayLeigh Mitchell of Memphis were awarded first place for best Public Relations Campaign for their 2022 WHEMN Conference materials and publicity campaign.
Northwest also served as a creative partner with the University of Mississippi in the Senior Division, where the two schools took first place in Creative Partners for the DeSoto Center Path 4 2022 Campaign. Director Emeritus Julie Bauer of Hernando, Mitchell, and members of the University of Mississippi Division of Outreach were awarded first place.
A second place award went to Corbin for best Single Piece of Artwork-Sports for her work on the Ranger Cheer wall graphic. Pirani and Associate Vice President of Community Relations Dr. Andrew Dale of Nesbit won second place in Social Media for Northwest’s Facebook page. Bell earned second place for “Spring ’22 Graduation Wrap-Up” video in the Non-Sports Promo/Hype Video category. Former Communications Specialist Natalie Ehrhardt of Como won second place in News Story for her story “Nursing Alumnae Nurses of the Year.”
