Publication Named Gold Medal Winner for Colleges with Enrollments of 1,001 to 2,000
Wilmington College’s magazine for alumni and friends, The LINK, received a Gold Medal award in a national competition of college and university publications.
PICTURED: The Gold Medal Award was for a series of three external publications. These feature the last three issues of The LINK, which highlight the College's 150th anniversary.
The series of three issues highlighting the College's sesquicentennial (Fall '19/Winter '20, Spring/Summer '20 and Fall '20/Winter '21) earned the highest Collegiate Advertising Award — the Gold Medal — among entries from competing colleges with enrollments between 1,001 and 2,000 students.
In previous submissions to the annual competition, The LINK garnered a Silver Medal in 2019, which was the last time the College entered, and a Bronze Medal in 2013. Those were for the external publication category for a single issue.
Each year, higher education institutions submit hundreds of entries in multiple categories. Collegiate Advertising Awards are designed to highlight excellence in communication, marketing, promotion and advertising. Panels of industry experts judge such criteria as: creativity, writing, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, art and photography, production quality and overall effectiveness.
Randy Sarvis, WC’s director of public relations, is managing editor and primary writer and photographer, while freelance artist and WC alumna Christina Murdock serves as graphic designer.
Sarvis, The LINK’s editor since coming to Wilmington College in 1995, said the award provides affirmation that the philosophy and mission behind the publication resonate beyond the magazine’s subscriber base of alumni and friends of the College.
“From the start, I’ve wanted The LINK to chronicle the dynamic life of the College and highlight alumni accomplishment — within the framework of the College’s brand hallmarks of offering students hands-on learning opportunities and life-transforming experiences,” he said. The 84-page, Fall '20/Winter '21 issue was Sarvis’ 64th as editor.
He said The LINK attempts to accommodate all types of readers, from those who simply skim pages viewing photos and headlines to those seeking a deeper insight by reading feature-length stories.
“Each issue is laden with photography and Tina does a great job in packaging the magazine as visually interesting with compelling layouts and design elements,” Sarvis added, noting the appealing presentation and ample number of stories filling the pages ideally result in each issue having a longer life in various reading venues.
“The overriding goal is for The LINK to bring alumni and friends closer to their College.”
