Accolades from regional, national and international competitions have been rolling in for ϲϿ Davis’ communication and development efforts in recent months, recognizing a number of units, including:
- Office of Strategic Communications
- Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- Global Affairs
- Student Affairs Marketing and Communications
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- ϲϿ Davis Health Public Affairs and Marketing
Among the honors: two Northern California Area Emmys and three Tellys for video projects, and more than 30 awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE, for publications, advertising, social media, writing, video and more.
ϲϿ Davis also earned honors in the PR News Digital + Social Media Awards and the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts’ Communicator Awards. In addition, Dana Topousis, chief marketing and communications officer and head of the Office of Strategic Communications, was named a “Top Woman in PR” by the PR News Group industry association.
“I’m incredibly proud to lead a team of talented, thoughtful individuals who do so much to tell the story of ϲϿ Davis,” Topousis said. “We all play a role in showcasing the world-class work in Davis, Sacramento and beyond. On top of that, we’ve rededicated ourselves to being more effective in including and uplifting people, news and stories from all over the Aggie community.”
The department website was updated in June with a portfolio of recent and ongoing projects, profiles of each unit and staff member, and easy-to-navigate across campus. New to the website is , which includes an ally statement and a list of the department’s goals and plans to continue to learn, practice empathy, improve inclusivity and promote efforts around anti-racism.
“We appreciate that ideas can come from anyone and that diversity of perspective, background and experience is something we value and seek out,” the Strategic Communications ally statement says. “We strive to keep our work anchored in empathy while striving for excellence.”
The website redesign was led by Strategic Communications’ Web and Interactive Communications unit, with digital content strategist and user experience designer Max Boyd doing much of the heavy lifting. It puts the department’s mission, vision and values up front, and is full of vibrant photos and links to relevant work, like coverage of the pandemic’s impacts on the university.
Video awards
ϲϿ Davis Health Public Affairs and Marketing from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences last month.
Pamela Wu, Christopher Nelson and Hal Sloane won an Emmy for their 16-minute video chronicling the surgery to separate conjoined twins Abigail and Micaela at ϲϿ Davis Children’s Hospital, in the health/medical long-form content category. Originally produced as a multipart series, the videos together have been viewed nearly 6.5 million times on YouTube.
The ϲϿ Davis Health team shared an Emmy with Sacramento PBS station KVIE for in the human interest long-form content category.
Spotlight on Cambodia, produced by John Mounier of Strategic Communications, Brenda Dawson of the Horticulture Innovation Lab and Max Fannin of Max Video Productions, an outside vendor, won three Telly Awards: a gold for nonbroadcast: videography / cinematography, and silver awards in both for nonbroadcast: educational institution and nonbroadcast: social impact.
CASE Awards
ϲϿ Davis took home more honors than any other ϲϿ campus — and more than all but two other universities overall — in CASE’s global Circle of Excellence awards, announced last month.
— CASE says it reserves those for “extremely exceptional or ‘game-changing’” work — in the category of case statements and general cultivation publications.
“There is no question what this publication is about — from the cover to the direct ask,” the judges said. “Through each page, you see the focus: coffee. … It made us want a cup!”
Strategic Communications earned a gold award for ads at Sacramento International Airport promoting the unit’s Unfold podcast, Season 2.
“We were very impressed by the bold strategy of highlighting a podcast as the central element to their campaign, rather than broadly promoting university brand awareness,” the judges wrote. “We liked the creativity of the visuals, and saw that the ad placement was successful at driving traffic to their podcast.”
ϲϿ Davis won six silver awards and four bronze awards in the CASE’s global Circle of Excellence competition.
ϲϿ Davis won 21 Awards of Excellence in CASE District VII (Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, the Northern Mariana Islands and Utah), including eight golds for projects such as the ϲϿ Davis Life Newsletter (produced by Student Affairs Marketing and Communications) and the virtual groundbreaking for the Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute on the ϲϿ Davis Health campus in Sacramento..
Northern California Emmy Awards
- “Separating Conjoined Twins,” in the category health/medical long-form content, by ϲϿ Davis Health Public Affairs and Marketing
- ViewFinder episode “Life After Sight,” in the category human interest long-form content, by KVIE and ϲϿ Davis Health Public Affairs and Marketing
Telly Awards
- Spotlight on Cambodia, , and , by the Office of Strategic Communications, the Horticulture Innovation Lab and Max Video Productions
CASE Circle of Excellence Awards
Grand Gold
- Coffee Center: Innovation United With Interdisciplinary Research, in the category publications (fundraising publications: case statements and general cultivation publications), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
Gold
- Unfold Airport Ads, for Season 2 of the podcast, in the category marketing (advertising: outdoor), by the Office of Strategic Communications
Silver
- , in the category communications (communications improvement) by the School of Veterinary Medicine
- , in the category video (news and research videos), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- in the category writing (column or opinion piece), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- in the category writing (feature), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- Unfold Ads on air on Capital Public Radio and on the radio station’s website, in the category marketing (advertising: radio/audio), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- , in the category marketing (branding programs: institutional), by the Office of Strategic Communications
Bronze
- , in the category design (illustrations), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- , in the category digital communications (social media: public relations and marketing), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- , in the category student advancement (student-led engagement initiatives), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- , in the category digital communications (social media: student recruitment), by the Office of Strategic Communications
CASE District VII Awards of Excellence
Gold
- , in the category alumni relations (targeted constituency engagement), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category communications (communications improvement), by Student Affairs Marketing and Communications, Division of Student Affairs
- the School of Veterinary Medicine
- , in the category communications (communications pivot), by the School of Veterinary Medicine
- , in the category fundraising (fundraising improvement), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category fundraising (targeted campaigns), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category fundraising (targeted campaigns), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category special events (special event pivot), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, ϲϿ Davis Health Eye Center and Office of the Chancellor
Silver
- in the category alumni relations (alumni relations improvement), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- in the category advancement services (advancement services: improvement), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category alumni relations (targeted constituency engagement), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category marketing (marketing improvement), by the School of Veterinary Medicine
- , in the category publications (fundraising: annual reports and fund reports), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category publications (fundraising: case statements / general cultivation publications), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category publications (fundraising: case statements / general cultivation publications), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- , in the category special events (events on a shoestring), by Global Affairs
Bronze
- in the category advancement services (donor relations and stewardship), by the Annual and Special Gifts Program, Office of Development and Alumni Relations
- in the category design (illustrations), by the School of Veterinary Medicine
- , in the category magazines (targeted constituency magazines), by the Center for Equine Health, School of Veterinary Medicine
- , in the category writing (general news), by the School of Veterinary Medicine.
- , in the category special events (multiday), by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations
Honorable Mention
- Connecting Leadership With the Community, in the category use of Instagram stories, by the Office of Strategic Communications
- Women in Medicine Month, in the category IGTV or Instagram Live, by ϲϿ Davis Health
Awards of Distinction
- Unfold, Season 2, in the category science and medicine podcasts, by the Office of Strategic Communications
- Healing and Hope: Treating Fragile X in Serbia, in the individual online video (causes and awareness), by the Office of Strategic Communications
- , in the category individual online video (causes and awareness), by the Office of Strategic Communications
Media Resources
Cody Kitaura is a News and Media Relations Specialist in the Office of Strategic Communications, and can be reached by email or at 530-752-1932.