Cal Poly Public Affairs Wins Two Gold Awards for E-Communications

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly Advancement Division and the Public Affairs office have received two gold medals in the annual awards competition sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, District VII.

The successful launch and membership drive of PolyLink, the new online community for Cal Poly alumni, won the top award for Best Social Media Campaign.

The free social and career networking site was jointly developed by Public Affairs, the Cal Poly Alumni Association, and Advancement Services, with support from Information Technology Services. To view PolyLink, go to http://www.CalPolyLink.com.

The second award was won by Public Affairs for Best E-mail Newsletter – for Update, which is edited by Teresa Hendrix. The monthly online publication goes to alumni, donors and other Cal Poly supporters. This is the second CASE award for Update, which also won a bronze medal in 2005.

“We are proud of this recognition for our efforts to focus on using electronic and new media to directly communicate with Cal Poly graduates, donors and other friends of the school,” said Leah Kolt, public affairs director.

During PolyLink’s first year of operation, marketing efforts drew over 10,000 alumni members, she added. And Update reaches some 10,000 readers each month with news about the accomplishments of Cal Poly students, faculty and staff.

CASE District VII represents colleges and universities in the western region of the United States, including Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

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