Pictured left to right:  Caley Pennington, Graphic and Web Design Coordinator, and Casey Curtis, Communications Coordinator.

HOPE/TEXARKANA, AR – November 8, 2021

The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana College Relations Department was selected as the winner of two medallion awards at the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) Awards competition held this year in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This year’s Medallion Awards competition drew nearly 200 entries from over 100 member colleges across District 4, which includes Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. The Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication exclusively among two-year community and technical colleges. Judging was done by NCMPR peers and industry experts in one of NCMPR’s six other districts.

The College Relations team consisting of Casey Curtis, Communications Coordinator, and Caley Pennington, Graphic and Web Design Coordinator, won a silver medallion for the Program Spotlight Magazine in the Book or Specialty Publication Category, and a bronze medallion for the Chancellor Search Website in the Microsite/Landing Page Category.

“Connecting current and future students with potential jobs, job responsibilities, and salaries of the programs we offer is the goal of the Program Spotlight Magazine,” said Curtis. “The magazine has turned out to be a favorite piece for our recruiters. It helps students connect the dots between our programs of study and how they connect to the real world. Students often don’t realize how many good, high-paying jobs are out there that they can train for at UAHT in a short amount of time. This magazine helps open their eyes to those jobs.”

During the recent UAHT chancellor search, the College Relations Department built a dedicated website to aid in the process. “We built the chancellor search website as a part of the plan to attract quality candidates to apply and to help them have a one-stop-shop to learn about the College and the southwest, AR area,” said Curtis. “The site served as a place for candidates to find the position profile, learn about the search process, and see highlights about UAHT and the Hope and Texarkana region. The website turned out to be a great tool for the search process as it generated traffic from eight countries, one U.S. Territory, and three-hundred-seven cities. More importantly, it helped the college in acquiring a world-class applicant pool for the position.”

“We are thankful to have received these two awards that were judged by other professionals in our field. It’s nice to work for an institution that allows us to use our creativity to help build a brighter future for our students and community. Our department plans to continue doing everything we can to showcase what UAHT has to offer potential students and partners in our region,” said Curtis.

About NCMPR

The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations is the only organization of its kind that exclusively represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges. As one of the fastest-growing affiliates of the American Association of Community Colleges, NCMPR has more than 1,500 members from nearly 550 colleges across the United States and Canada.