(SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Oct. 19, 2016) The University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) has recognized two SUNY Empire State College marketing campaigns, its first-ever Statewide Open House and its 24-Hour Giving Challenge, as category winners at the gold level.

The college’s statewide open house won gold in the broadcast advertising campaign category, broadcast advertising division, and the 24-hour challenge won in the streaming/on-demand content category, interactive media division.

Both marketing campaigns also are in the running for division and best-in-show awards, which will be presented during UPCEA’s upcoming marketing and enrollment management seminar, held in early November.

“Our team in the Office of Advancement was so excited to learn of this recognition,” said Walter Williams, the college’s vice president for advancement. “The SUNY Empire State College 24-Hour Challenge has become one of the college’s signature fundraising events and greatly looked forward to by our alumni and friends. Its success was driven by the commitment our donors have to the unique mission of SUNY Empire, but would not have been possible without an innovative campaign that featured emails, Twitter, Facebook contacts and a dedicated website that allowed participants to interact and stay up to date on all of the day's events.”

“I would like to congratulate the marketing team and planning committee for all of their efforts with developing the concept, the creative and execution of a successful Statewide Open House,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Clayton A. Steen. “We are thankful for this acknowledgment and we look forward to continuing to enhance and expand on what we envision becoming a signature event for Empire State College.”

Digital Marketing Coordinator Michelle Traver, who worked on the Statewide Open House campaign, said, “There were many moving parts, many minds and many hands on this project. As a fairly new member of the SUNY Empire State College community, I am so pleased to be working with a marketing team that has the ability to pull together a consistent, integrated message and design that communicate strongly in multiple channels. This was just one piece of the many other logistics being implemented by so many on the committee geographically, technologically and cross-departmentally. It truly was a team effort.”

About UPCEA

The University Professional & Continuing Education Association’s Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Services Network sponsors an annual national competition — the UPCEA Marketing Awards — to recognize the best marketing practices and promotional pieces in the field of professional, continuing and online education.

The entries are reviewed by a panel of marketing, communication and design professionals.

UPCEA presents marketing awards in many different categories at the gold, silver and bronze levels.

According to its website, UPCEA is the leading association for professional, continuing and online education. Founded in 1915, UPCEA now serves most of the leading public and private colleges and universities in North America with innovative conferences and specialty seminars, research and benchmarking information, professional networking opportunities and timely publications.

Based in Washington, D.C., UPCEA builds greater awareness of the vital link between adult learners and public policy issues.

About SUNY Empire State College

Empire State College, the nontraditional, open college of the SUNY system, educates nearly 19,000 students worldwide at eight international sites, more than 35 locations in the state of New York, online, as well as face to face and through a blend of both, at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s levels.

The average age of an undergraduate student at the college is 35 and graduate students’ average age is 40.

Most Empire State College students are working adults. Many are raising families and meeting civic commitments in the communities where they live, while studying part time.

In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each undergraduate student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career.

Working with their mentors, students design an individual degree program and engage in guided independent study and coursework on site, online or through a combination of both, which provides the flexibility for students to choose where, when and how to learn.

Students have the opportunity to enroll five times during the year.

The college’s 78,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more.

The college was first established in 1971 by the SUNY Board of Trustees with the encouragement of the late Ernest L. Boyer, chancellor of the SUNY system from 1970 to 1977. Boyer also served as United States commissioner of education during the administration of President Jimmy Carter and then as president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

More information about the college is available at www.esc.edu

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Media contact: David Henahan, director of communications, SUNY Empire State College

David.Henahan@esc.edu

518-587-2100, ext. 2918

518-321-7038, cell