Tulsa

 

Oklahoma State University-Tulsa earned Grand Awards in several categories at the 2024 Oklahoma Colleges Public Relations Association (OCPRA) Awards Ceremony Monday night. The awards competition received a record total of 662 entries by 31 entering institutions and units, making it the most competitive contest in its 32-year history.

 

OSU-Tulsa’s Grand Award entries reflect the Marketing and Communications Services team’s focus on strategic priorities for the campus in 2023-2024. The new OSU-Tulsa website was launched in August 2023 and was redesigned to align with and complement the OSU Undergraduate Admissions website to better serve the needs of prospective students. Website navigation and content was also enhanced to make information on services and resources easier to find for current students.

 

The Best Use of Social Media, News Writing and Featurette entries reflected the campus’s emphasis on community engagement, bringing Tulsans to campus and helping youth see themselves on a college campus. The Ellis Walker Woods Memorial Reel was one of OSU-Tulsa’s best performing content on all social media platforms, reaching a broad audience and educating about the campus’s role in the Greenwood District and the important history of our location.

 

The Youth Explosion and Summer of STEM stories earned press coverage and brought added attention to OSU-Tulsa’s community engagement efforts.

 

“Our team is passionate about OSU-Tulsa’s mission to expand access to education for returning adults and those traditionally excluded from higher education, as well as connect with our community and history,” said Jamie Edford, director of OSU-Tulsa Marketing and Communications. “It’s an honor to be recognized among all Oklahoma higher education institutions, in particular for those projects.”

 

Several categories where OSU-Tulsa received awards were highly competitive. The Featurette category was the second-most entered category with 31 submissions, and Best Use of Social Media was fourth with 28.

 

OSU-Tulsa’s placements, and links to the awarded entries, are:

 

• Grand (1st) - Web Design - OSU-Tulsa website
• Grand (1st) – Best Use of Social Media - Ellis Walker Woods Memorial Black History Month Reel
• Grand (1st) - News Writing Under 250 Words - Youth Explosion story
• Achievement (3rd) - Square Peg - Courtyard Bench "Watercolor" Print
• Honorable Mention (4th) - Bright Idea - Courtyard Bench "Watercolor" Print
• Honorable Mention (4th) - Featurette - Summer of STEM

Edford also officially began her one-year term as president of OCPRA on Tuesday. This position is appointed by the OCPRA board, which is elected by representatives from OCPRA’s 30+ member institutions.

 

The OSU-Tulsa Marketing and Communications team is Ryan Jensen, assistant director, Aaron Campbell, communications coordinator, Alicia McClendon, digital communications coordinator, Patti Conroy, project coordinator and Lori Burgan, events and services coordinator.

 

OCPRA is a non-profit professional association for Oklahoma higher education communicators. The association focuses on professional development and networking opportunities for its member institutions, as well as recognizing their work through its annual awards competition. A full list of 2024 OCPRA Award winners, along with the winners from previous years, can be found at ocpra.org/pastawards.