Several industry and higher education professional organizations recognized Middle Tennessee State University with a litany of awards for excellence in marketing and communications for work just before and during the onset of COVID-19.

Work by MTSU’s Division of Marketing and Communications captured 43 awards in the most recent rounds of industry recognitions at the national, regional and state levels. Honors included three national Telly Awards for television and video excellence and four national awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE.

Andrew Oppmann

Many organizations suspended or delayed competitions when the coronavirus first emerged and revised criteria to recognize work in 2020 and 2021. Some of MTSU’s recognition came from work prompted by the pandemic, including video production of events that were fully or partially virtual.

“I’m proud our work during the pandemic garnered broad and varied recognition from higher education and commercial media organizations,” said Andrew Oppmann, MTSU vice president for marketing and communications. “But, as I’ve said before, the real honor is the opportunity to tell the stories of our great university — on multiple platforms.”

This screen capture is from the “MTSU in 30 seconds” promotional video that captured a national Telly Award for commercials by institutional and corporate clients.

Telly Awards (national)

• Gold: “MTSU in 30 Seconds” commercial (Commercials by Institutional and Corporate Clients category).

• Silver: October 2020 episode of the “Out of the Blue” TV series on our partnership with the U.S. Army (Television Programming by Educational Institutions category).

• Bronze: Solo-produced episodes of “Stay on Course,” MTSU’s web-only COVID-19 update shows via Zoom (Best Unscripted Online Series category).

CASE Circle of Excellence (national) 

A stuffed animal version of MTSU mascot Lightning stands on a scaled-down replica of a Homecoming Parade float with True Blue pom-poms and MT football — one of about five dozen entries submitted by Blue Raider faithful for the virtual “MTShUbox Parade” in early October 2020. (Submitted photo)

• Grand Gold: 2020 MTShUbox Homecoming Parade (Alumni Relations – Alumni Engagement on a Shoestring category), in partnership with the MTSU Alumni Association.

• Silver: 2020 MTShUbox Homecoming Parade (Alumni Relations – Alumni Relations Pivot category), in partnership with the MTSU Alumni Association.

• Bronze: MTSU Magazine (Magazine – Publishing Improvement category). 

CASE Platinum Awards (national)

• Honorable Mention: “Lady’s Man” profile in MTSU Magazine of recording industry alumnus Lee Foster (Best Article category).

CASE District III Awards (regional – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia)

• Grand Gold (two): MTSU COVID-19/Coronavirus Safety Posters (Design-Posters category); Tourism and Hospitality Print Ad (Marketing-Advertising-Individual Ads category).

• Silver (four): MTSU Magazine January 2020 (Design – Periodicals and Magazines category); “Graduate Studies Call for an Epic Comeback” (Marketing-Advertising-Individual Ads category); MTSU Magazine January 2020 and July 2020 (Magazine – Publishing Improvement category); “MTSU True Blue Preview: Commercial Songwriting” (Video – Student Recruitment Video category).

• Bronze (three): “Graduate Studies Streamlines Digital Approach to Increase Enrollment” (Marketing – Advertising Campaigns category); “MTSU Degree Held High” (Photography – Individual Photographs category); MTSU at the 2020 Grammys (Special Events – Multi-Day category).

Tennessee College Public Relations Association Awards

Gold Awards (five)

• “Teen prodigies pursue pre-med pathway as thriving MTSU dual-enrollment students” (Media Relations Campaign category) – Randy Weiler.

• “Teen prodigies pursue pre-med pathway as thriving MTSU dual-enrollment students” (News Writing category) – Randy Weiler.

• President’s Newsletter (Newsletter-Printed category) – Micah Loyed, University Publications; James Cessna, Cat Curtis Murphy, Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli, Printing Services.

• Campus Life Digital Posters (Posters category) – Brittany Stokes.

• COVID-19 Preparedness Kit (Specialty Items category) – David Foster, Darrell Callis Burks, Kara Hooper.

Ahmed Alnassari, left, conducts research in an MTSU biology lab in the Science Building as his mother, MTSU freshman Khadijah Alnassari, observes. Her 14-year-old triplets are high school students in Nashville, Tenn., and dual enrollment freshmen at MTSU. The teens are on a pre-med pathway. (MTSU fjle photo by Andy Heidt)

Silver Awards (nine)

• Physician Assistant Studies Brochure (Brochure/Flyer category) – Micah Loyed, Nancy Broden, Printing Services.

• 2020-21 MTSU Viewbook (College Viewbook category) – Brian Evans.

• “MTSU tapped to help Music City Grand Prix” (News Writing category) – Randy Weiler.

• President’s Newsletter (Newsletter-Electronic category) – Micah Loyed,  Drew Ruble, James Cessna, Cat Curtis Murphy, Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli.

• “Out of the Blue TV” series (Radio, TV Show or Newscast category), produced in partnership with the Center for Educational Media in the College of Education.

• Chris Young Cafe Grand Opening (Special Event, Seven Days or Less category) – Jimmy Hart.

• Research Magazine, Spring 2021 (Special Publication category) – Brian Evans, Drew Ruble, Carol Stuart, Nancy Broden, Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli.

• “MTSU in 30 Seconds” commercial (Video Advertisement/PSA category) – John Goodwin, Joe Poe, David Foster.

• Graduate Studies Advertising, Conversion Focus Landing Pages (Webpage or Microsite category) – John Goodwin.

Bronze Awards (six)

• Chris Young Cafe Mural (Banner/Outdoor Media category) – Leslie Haines, Jonathan Trundle and Kara Hooper.

• “Take the Next Step” (Digital Ad Single category) – John Goodwin.

• “These study buddies keep MTSU students ‘pawsitive’ while learning from home” (Media Relations Campaign category) – Stephanie Barrette.

• “True Blue Helping Hands” (Podcast category) – Assistant Professor Katie Schrodt and Development Director Trisha Murphy in the College of Education; John Goodwin, Marketing and Communications.

• “MTSU On the Record” radio interview show (Radio, TV Show, or Newscast category) – Gina Logue.

• “Service to Students During the Pandemic” (Webpage or Microsite category) – DeAnn Hays.

Parthenon Awards (Greater Nashville chapter, Public Relations Society of America)

• Parthenon Winner: Chris Young Cafe Outdoor Mural (Posters: Displays or Exhibits category), Professor Leslie Haines of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media; Associate Jonathan Trundle in the Department of Media Arts; and Kara Hooper, Marketing and Communications.

• Parthenon Certificates of Merit (six): MTSU College of Liberal Arts, CLA Magazine Fall 2020 (Magazines category); Jennings A. Jones College of Business 2020 Annual Report (Annual Reports category), produced in partnership with the Jones College of Business; MTSU, Music City Grand Prix Partnership (News Releases category); “MTSU in 30 Seconds” commercial (Videos category); President’s Annual Report (Annual Reports category); “Uplifting and Lifting Up” for MTSU Magazine (Feature Writing category).

A colorful new mural on the north exterior wall of MTSU’s Chris Young Cafe, officially opened in a special January 2021  livestreamed ceremony shows the multiplatinum country entertainer and Murfreesboro, Tenn., native at center left, flanked by MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee at center right, and more than two dozen MTSU-trained musicians and media members, educators and leaders from throughout the community. Leslie Haines, a professor of visual communication in the college’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media, and Jonathan Coulter Trundle, a professor of photography in the Department of Media Arts, designed the mural for the cafe, a 1963-era cafeteria refurbished into a teaching and rehearsal space and performance venue with help from a donation from Young. Click on the image for a PDF to identify each of the mural subjects and their MTSU connections. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)