By Sarah Ashley Smith-Hutchinson
Northwest Office of Marketing and Strategic Communication staff (L-R) Director Emeritus Julie Bauer, Graphic Designer Jennifer Corbin, Sports Information Specialist Mary Grace Black, Associate Vice President of Community Relations Dr. Andrew Dale, Communications Specialist Sarah Ashley Smith-Hutchinson, Graphic Designer and Communications Specialist Kevin Pitts, and Assistant Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications for Digital Media Carly Fox. Photo by Carly Fox:
Northwest Mississippi Community College’s Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications staff won 20 awards at the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi’s annual conference hosted this year on Northwest’s Senatobia campus May 18-20.
This year’s theme was CPRAM Storytellers, which focused on the impact that storytelling has not only on Mississippi but the mission of higher education in Mississippi. The sessions provided a wide array of topics.
“I am deeply grateful to our keynote speakers, Marshall Ramsey, Stafford Shurden, Otis Sanford, Alice Maxwell and Erin Mark, for investing their time, expertise and personal experiences into our members,” said Dr. Andrew Dale, associate vice president for Community Relations at Northwest and current CPRAM president. “Each brought a unique perspective that challenged us, encouraged us and reminded us of the important role communicators play in telling the stories of our institutions and communities.”
Northwest won first place and second place respectively for their Northwest Now spring and winter issues. Creators who worked on these issues include Graphic Designer Jennifer Corbin of Lambert, Director Emeritus Julie Bauer of Hernando, Communications Specialist Sarah Ashley Smith-Hutchison of Southaven, Assistant Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications for Digital Media Carly Fox of Senatobia, Graphic Designer and Communications Specialist Kevin Pitts of Senatobia, Sports Information Director Caleb Burggraaf, former SID Brian Lentz of Senatobia, Sports Media Specialist Brian Oakley of Como, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement Patti Gordon, Associate Vice President of Community Relations Dr. Andrew Dale, and Video Coordinator and Digital Media Specialist Matthew Mixson of Senatobia. The group also won first place for their summer President’s Report.
Corbin and Pitts won first for their work on the Heindl Center Annual Sponsorships brochure in the brochure category. Pitts won first place for his Castle Baseball Facility graphics in the environmental design category.
Oakley won first in sports feature story for his piece “2025 Rangers Look to Continue Winning Ways” and second in sports news story for his work covering the College National Finals Rodeo with his story “Despite Final Night Struggles, Smith and Collier Finish Top 10.” He also won second place for sports photograph “CNFR Finish.”
Oakley, Mixson, Burggraaff, and Sports Information Specialist Mary Grace Black of Southaven won first place in sports social media account for the college’s Facebook account Northwest Rangers Athletics.
Fox won first place for fine arts photograph “Duo Mundi” and second for “Little Shop of Horrors.” She also won first place for her student life photograph, “Catch us on the Slip Slide” and second place in sports promo/hype videos for her work on the UCA/UDA sports video.
Smith-Hutchinson and Fox won first in portraits for their portrait series “Pathfinder Promo Photography,” and second for their portrait series “Cap and Gown Photos.” They also won third place in the social media post category “The Sky is the Limit.” Fox, Smith-Hutchinson, and Mixson won first in the social media account category for Northwest’s Instagram.
Smith-Hutchinson, Fox, Director of Learning Resources Dr. Melissa Wright and Director of Workforce Solutions and Community Services Beth Morgan won third in the wildcard print category for the MAIN A.I. print campaign.
Mixson won second for wildcard mixed media “The Perfect Rangers Documentary,” third for “Bobby Ray Franklin Tribute Video” and third for his general video “2025 Move In.”
“I could not be more proud of Northwest’s Communications team,” said Dr. Dale. “Their creativity, professionalism and dedication rival any public relations and marketing team in the state. That excellence was reflected in this year’s CPRAM awards, where Northwest earned nine first-place honors and 20 total awards – the most first-place finishes of any community college represented.”
In addition to all the wins, Dr. Dale served as this year’s CPRAM president and hosted the conference along with the rest of the CPRAM board which included two other Northwest Rangers, Fox and Smith-Hutchinson as co-awards chairs.
“This year’s conference was especially meaningful as Northwest had the opportunity to host CPRAM on our campus,” said Dr. Dale. “It was a privilege to welcome colleagues from across Mississippi to Senatobia, showcase our beautiful campus, and give them a chance to experience the hospitality and sense of community that make this area so special.”