The Kellogg Community College Marketing and Communications Department last week won seven prestigious Paragon Awards from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations for the department’s efforts to promote the College during the 2025 academic year.
The NCMPR Paragon Awards are international awards recognizing outstanding achievement in design and communication at community and technical colleges in the United States and Canada. The awards competition is the only one of its kind and honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.
KCC’s seven awards were the most of any organization among the 98 colleges recognized in this year’s Paragon Awards, with winners selected from entries submitted by 216 colleges across the country.
Award recipients were announced March 19 during an awards ceremony at the NCMPR National Conference in Washington, DC. The NCMPR announced KCC had won awards in the following categories:
- Academic Catalog or Class Schedule: KCC won the second-place Silver Paragon Award for the College’s 2025 Bruin Youth Programming summer camps schedule.
- Brochure – Single or Series: KCC won the second-place Silver Paragon Award for a foldout brochure highlighting the College’s Students of Color Club.
- Flyer – Single or Series: KCC won the third-place Bronze Paragon Award for a series of three bookmark flyers promoting a course about the works of William Shakesepeare.
- Logo Design: KCC won the second-place Silver Paragon Award for its “Make More Art” logo promoting the College’s new Associate in Fine Arts degree programs.
- Magazine Large-Scale: KCC won the second-place Silver Paragon Award for the June 2025 issue of the College’s quarterly BruIN magazine.
- Outdoor Signage/Displays – Single or Series: KCC won the third-place Bronze Paragon Award for a series of “We’re #1” billboards and banners featuring photos of recent graduates.
- Radio Advertisement – Single or Series: KCC won the second-place Silver Paragon Award for an audio “Be Anything” ad promoting Summer 2025 registration.
KCC’s Marketing and Communications Department provides a variety of in-house strategy development, marketing management, graphic design and print services within the College’s Communications and Advancement Division headed by Vice President for Communications and Advancement Eric Greene. The marketing team has won a total of 33 Paragon Awards since 2012, as well as 101 Medallion Awards – regional honors bestowed by the NCMPR – over the same time period.
Department employees include Mackenzie Griffith, graphic design process specialist; June Lewis, Print and Document Services senior process specialist; Cab Rininger, media design manager; Kristen Schau, Print and Document Services process specialist; Krissy Stolz, Marketing and Communications specialist; and Simon Thalmann, marketing director. The department also employs part-time student workers as an opportunity for KCC students to learn valuable on-the-job marketing, communication and design skills.
The NCMPR supports the professional development of community college communicators, serving more than 1,500 members from more than 400 colleges across the United States and Canada. The organization awards Gold, Silver and Bronze Medallion and Paragon honors annually in a variety of marketing and public relations categories.
For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.
