Editor’s note: This page was updated on June 23, 2023, to include awards received by UCLA Alumni Affairs and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has recognized UCLA Magazine, UCLA Alumni Affairs and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA with 2023 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards for outstanding achievements in educational advancement.
The nonprofit’s annual awards honor inspiring and creative work by staff at colleges, universities and schools throughout the world that impacts their institutions and communities and helps transform lives and society.
The magazine earned a silver award in the magazine category for its fall 2022 issue, whose cover feature, “This Magic Moment,” evoked the feeling of being admitted to UCLA through students’ personal stories and showcased the campus’s commitment to a diverse and intellectually curious student body. Other pieces highlighted the journeys of first-generation Bruins, renowned artist Judith Baca’s campus mural, UCLA’s unique aerial photography archive, alumni sportscasters and a faculty couple’s groundbreaking archaeological work in Syria.
“The fall 2002 issue was something that uniquely celebrated the joy of the UCLA identity,” said the magazine’s editorial director, Michael Callahan. “We curated engaging and involving stories that allowed everyone with a touchpoint at UCLA to relate to our theme of UCLA specialness — and we told those stories in innovative new ways.”
In announcing the awards on June 21, the CASE judging committee lauded the magazine for its “fun, engaging” feature and noted the “wide array of content covered and effective representation of diverse populations.”
UCLA Magazine’s entry was among 4,021 submitted this year from 583 institutions in 27 countries. Of those, 521 were selected for special recognition. Winners were judged on overall quality, innovation, use of resources and their influence on their school and related communities, including alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff.
Also honored was the Alumni Affairs office, which received a silver award for the UCLA Alumni Career Coaches Network and Webinar series.
Judges praised the program for taking “a pragmatic approach to an overwhelming level of demand for career coaching” and noted that it was “especially heartening to hear a large, prestigious institution give a straightforward appraisal of the limitations of the services that the alumni team can deliver themselves.”
And the Geffen School of Medicine was recognized with a bronze award in the category for short videos intended for student audiences. The medical school’s video, created by digital strategy manager Regina Ip and video producer Dean Ishida, celebrated the 2022 white coat ceremony.
“The Circle of Excellence Awards showcase the impact advancement professionals have upon their institutions and communities around the globe, every day,” said CASE president and CEO Sue Cunningham. “Our 2023 honorees … are bold, creative and resourceful. They demonstrate how powerful it is when advancement teams champion teaching, learning, research and the progress that education ignites.”
