Marquette University's Office of Marketing and Communication receives three Best of District V awards from CASE

Nov. 14, 2025

MILWAUKEE - Marquette University's Office of Marketing and Communication has received three Best of District V awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education in branding, editorial and video.

Projects recognized by CASE include the university's brand refresh; the redesign of Marquette Magazine, the university's flagship publication; and "Connections," a commercial spot aimed at those both familiar and unfamiliar with Marquette.

"Now, more than ever, we must continue to elevate our storytelling and brand-building initiatives to set Marquette apart and tell the story of the value of a liberal arts education," said Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer. "Marquette is proud to be recognized for our design, editorial and video work in a competitive CASE district filled with peer institutions whose work inspires us to think creatively and pursue excellence. It's a testament to our talented marketing and communication team that Marquette has been recognized with CASE awards for the past four consecutive years."

Marquette University Brand Refresh
Category: Marketing > Marketing: Branding (Institution)

In 2024, Marquette completed the rollout of a brand refresh with the launch of the new university website, the last of 60 projects that defined the introduction of the Office of Marketing and Communication's new creative platform. Led by Tom Pionek, assistant vice president of marketing, and Karen Parr, creative director, the brand refresh included the development of an updated brand positioning statement, message map, brand narrative, typography, graphic elements, color palettes, illustrative styles, composition framework and the integration of all these into a cohesive creative set of guidelines. The brand platform was then rolled out across print, video, social, experiential and digital channels from late-2022 to 2024, impacting materials created for university brand marketing, enrollment and recruitment, advancement, internal and external communication, and content marketing.

Marquette Magazine - redesign of university flagship publication
Category: Magazines > Publishing Improvement

Faced with increasing paper and postage costs, the university reviewed its options and decided to invest in a redesign to ensure it produced an alumni magazine that reflects the pride alumni have in the university. After a months-long redesign process, Steve Filmanowicz, director of editorial projects, and his team rolled out Marquette Magazine in spring 2024 with a refreshed look and feel. Readers were presented with expanded storytelling on subjects they told us they wanted more of, energetic new page layouts and bolder photography. The redesign also debuts "MU in Focus," an eight-page section that highlights burgeoning examples of Marquette's academic leadership and innovation and includes a compelling "centerfold" that reveals pioneering research with vivid visual storytelling. With new soft-touch paper, a more book-like binding and an overall increase in pages, the redesigned magazine sends a message that the Marquette stories inside are worth keeping and celebrating.

• The fall 2025 edition of Marquette Magazinewas recently published and is now available online.

"Connections"
Category: Video > Videos: Commercials

Lauren Burke, director of video, worked with Circle Pictures to create a video that tells an upbeat, fun and emotional story about one of the university's key brand messages - the power of connections and finding your people at Marquette. It was previously honored by CASE with a Circle of Excellence Silver Award, the organization's premier awards program for higher education marketing communication work. Unique to the commercial is a concept built around four students, each of whom was spun off into shorter videos to be used in digital advertising. To date, "Connections" in all its forms has been viewed more than 12 million times.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global association for professionals in advancement-alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services-who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society. District Five, the Great Lakes District, encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and includes over 400 member institutions and more than 2,500 representatives.

About Marquette University

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools. Through the formation of hearts and minds, Marquette prepares our 11,100 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional students to lead, excel and serve as agents of positive change. And, we deliver results. Ranked in the top 20% of national universities, Marquette is recognized for its undergraduate teaching, innovation and career preparation as the sixth-best university in the country for job placement. Our focus on student success and immersive, personalized learning experiences encourages students to think critically and engage with the world around them. When students graduate with a Marquette degree, they are truly prepared and called to Be The Difference.

About Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or [email protected].