2015 International Awards

SALINA PUBLIC LIBRARY, SALINA, KANSAS

Best Brochure

We liked the single focused image on the cover. We liked the message. We liked the eyes looking at the reader. We liked New. We liked the retro reference to Rosie the Riveter. We liked the inside pages, clean, easy to read. It’s a model brochure.

SANTA BARBARA CITY COLLEGE – CENTER FOR LIFELONG LEARNING, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA

Best Marketing

The need for an effective Content Marketing presence was essential to grow a dynamic program. So the program made a major effort to create content marketing videos and teacher profile videos. Then they featured the videos in their brochure. Launched in the spring, they experienced higher than expected summer enrollments. Students say they are choosing classes based on the video marketing. In just a year, more than 75% of their faculty have created videos.

CITY OF VAUGHAN RECREATION & CULTURE DEPARTMENT, VAUGHAN, ONTARIO

Best Marketing

Over 71% of Canadians now use smartphone technology. The program created a phone app with links to online registration, search features, schedules, social media integration, trail systems and park locations, even a news feed. It works on all platforms and devices on and offline. They have been able to engage 11,179 users who are constantly connecting with the app to gain valuable information about services year-round. Vaughan will help four other municipalities launch their own app within the next few months.

BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS, NORTHEAST IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CALMARY, IOWA

Best Management and Contract Training

They created a two year Strategic Plan with objectives based on LERN benchmarks and industry standards. The four big goals: increase online registrations, improve their repeat rate, meet or exceed the LERN promotion ratio, and increase revenue. Then they carried out the plan. In open enrollment, online registrations went from 13% to 30% of registrations, the repeat rate went from 18% to 28%, the cancellation rate plummeted from 34% to 15%.

PENN STATE CORPORATE LEARNING, UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA

Best Programming

This organization engaged in a process of re-envisioning the unit and created a different delivery format for training in soft skills, competencies and certifications. Called Team Decision Center, the center is a physical interactive business boardroom-style environment which uses group decision software to enhance collaboration. It is also available in a mobile lab format to take to client sites and there’s also a web-based version to collaborate globally.

CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH RECREATION & SENIOR SERVICES DEPARTMENT, NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Best Marketing

For their summer camps, they enhanced the quality of the brochure and strengthened their direct mail distribution. To reach summer visitors they created a separate website, CampNewport.com. And then added to their direct mail distribution by getting brochures to local vacation rental agencies, visitors bureau and other places visitors would go. A link to their brochure was put on both the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau websites.

In the brochure, they used pictures from actual camps and programs, not stock photos. The use of actual pictures is a trend in our field. They also created a “Useful Camp Information Page” and a large colorful city map of camp locations.Revenue went up by 10.5%, registrations went up by 497 to a total of 9,800 participants just for summer camps and aquatic programs, not including regular summer class programming.

FREDERICK COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION, FREDERICK, MARYLAND

Best Programming

The recreation department partnered with doctors and the health community to improve overall health and wellness by nature exposure, physical activity, nutrition and family involvement. The program addressed some of the most challenging problems in the community: nature-deficit disorder, obesity and physical inactivity.

Partnering medical professionals received a tool kit to give them information to educate their patients. Doctors wrote Parkscriptions prescribing more involvement with nature, physical activity, nutrition and family involvement. Doc in the Park events reached 4,600 participants and 84 doc in the park programs enrolled 949 people.

ATHENS STATE UNIVERSITY, CENTER FOR LIFELONG LEARNING, ATHENS, ALABAMA

Best Community Service

The day after the Center for Lifelong Learning opened, one of the worst tornadoes in the town’s history struck Athens. With electricity and internet out, the lifelong learning center had both and was an emergency service hub to the community. Nearly 500 people came to the center that week. Since then they have grown the program, kept good numbers, and managed it well. No, the numbers aren’t big city numbers. But they are big in influence in small town and rural areas. And we thank them.

ONTARIO REAL ESTATE COLLEGE, ONTARIO REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION, ONTARIO

Best Programming

This organization is definitely the first association to develop a plan and get training on converting their face-to-face classes to hybrid or blended. But they may also be one of the first in our field of lifelong learning. They developed a plan. They enrolled a key staff member in LERN’s Certified Online Instructor or COI training program. They consulted a local university training center on creating blended courses. And they begin rolling them out in 2015.

SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY SCHOOLS, COTTAGE GROVE, MINNESOTA

Best Brochure

This program upgraded to a glossy cover. They chose a striking image with an actual instructor on the cover. Notice the program’s logo on the young woman’s shirt. Then they redesigned their Table of Contents page, the third most read back after the front cover and back cover. They made it two pages. They gave it more color. But they also tested new Category names. They changed computers to “Get Tech Smart.” “Fitness became Move Your Body. Dance is now Feel the Beat! The 59,000 people who received the brochure boosted enrollments.

CITY OF GARLAND, TEXASBest Management Practice

What we really liked about this employment handbook is that it didn’t just include fun in the job description, it featured fun. In the description of the recreation department’s organizational culture, in its statement of vision statement, and in its core values. “Garland is an active, fun, healthy and inviting city.” The recreation department’s values are Teamwork, Integrity, Innovation, Passion, Service, and Fun. They write “These are the key drivers behind what type of behavior and attitude an employee should display to the public.”

TRUCKEE MEADOWS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, RENO, NEVADA

Best Programming

We need to be more creative in our programming and respond to the training needs of the new economy. There’s a new idea out there for your program. For Truckee Meadows there is a new 3D Printing Certificate. 3D printing has already begun to change the way things are made, the course description accurately says. We need to be on the forefront of the training and learning needs of this century. This program has done that. There is a new idea out there for your program. Go find it.

THE STATE OF OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Best Programming Initiative

Oregon community colleges cannot issue certificates, even noncredit certificates. As we know, certificates are one of the best, if not the primary, way people update their skills in this century. So instead of accepting the status quo, the Oregon community colleges did their homework. They got a survey. They studied and referenced the LERN Certificate Standards. And then this year legislation was introduced to allow community colleges to issue Training Certificates.

BIDDEFORD ADULT EDUCATION, BIDDEFORD, MAINE

Best Marketing

While way too many programs are cutting back on their print brochure and experiencing enrollment declines, this program increased distribution to 22,000 households through direct mailing rather than dropping them in a local newspaper as they had done in years past. Revenue increased 78%. Online registrations increased 53%. Cancelled classes declined 40%.

CENTRAL NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Best Programming

The Workforce training center partnered with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and the CNM College of Business to form the IT Academy. Offering fast-track, non-credit certifications leading to jobs in less than 12 months and building in the opportunity for articulation of the certificate to credit to support further education and skill development. It is the first program of its kind in New Mexico.

CITY OF ROSEVILLE PARKS, RECREATION & LIBRARIES, ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA

Best Programming

The Recreation Supervisor observed that most children participating in family swim night had neither swimsuits nor towels.

In 2011, A modest effort to collect used items for these children expanded to a community-wide project with partners from service clubs, businesses and residents to not only provide swim gear for low-income residents, but to extend free swimming lessons to eligible children.

Drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14. Since 2011, Operation Swim has provided more than 300 children with swim lessons and over 680 children have received new swimsuits and towels. This effort not only meets a primary goal of the mission of parks and recreation to create cohesive community and engaged citizens, it also exemplifies the trend of partnerships that we have seen in this year’s nominations and offers a life-saving service to local residents.

PARKWAY AND ROCKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICTS, PARKWAY AND ROCKWOOD, MISSOURI

Best Management

Parkway and Rockwood Districts formed a single identity to deliver their programming more effectively to a more diverse audience. Although structured differently, these two districts exemplify the innovative approaches to partnering that will be increasingly required for programs to remain strong and successful.

DISTRICT 128 COMMUNITY EDUCATION, VERNON HILLS, ILLINOIS

Best Management

District 128 formed partnerships with neighboring district 125 as well as with businesses within the districts. these two districts exemplify the innovative approaches to partnering that will be increasingly required for programs to remain strong and successful.

UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL, FACULTY OF CONTINUING EDUCATION, MONTREAL, QUEBEC

Best Website

We liked the clean design. We liked the non-cluttered look. We liked the few but important links at the top. We liked the testimonials on the Home Page. We liked the photos.

COUNCIL ON ADULT EDUCATION, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Brochure of the Year

Stunning cover photos and design are normal for this program. They could get a brochure award every year. It’s a brochure for the 21st century.

Inside, they have created a revolutionary page design for the brochure. It features large colorful graphics that match the courses featured on the page. The image draws you in, and then you are excited to zero in on the course descriptions.