NMC earns nat’l recognition for marketing

NMC’s marketing team is composed of, from left, NMC interim director for Marketing and Communications Raynard Travilla, marketing coordinator Miguel Dandan, NMC Foundation program coordinator Carla Sablan, NMC OIA program coordinator and photographer Casey Huliganga, and database administrator and lead graphic designer Renedel Buno. (NMC)

Northern Marianas College’s marketing team recently gained national recognition for its graphic design activities, earning a bronze “Paragon’’ award from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. Particularly, the team was awarded bronze in the category of printed marketing materials at the 2023 NCMPR Paragon Awards in Orlando, Florida on April 1, 2023.

The 2022 Paragon Awards drew 1,726 entries from 323 colleges across the country and was judged by more than 40 professionals from the marketing and public relations industry.

“I love to celebrate the outstanding work of our community college marketers,” said Jeff Ebbing, NCMPR’s 2022-23 president. “The creativity and hard work that went into the winning entries is on par with some of the best agencies in the country and is a testament to the talent and dedication of our members. These people are pros in every sense of the word.”

The Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication at community and technical colleges in the United States and Canada. It is the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges. NCMPR has more than 1,600 members from nearly 550 colleges.

“I am thrilled to congratulate our talented NMC marketing team on their outstanding achievement,” NMC president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero said. “We are incredibly proud of our team and grateful for their unwavering commitment to promoting and enhancing the reputation of the college.”

NMC has previously earned gold, silver, and bronze awards for excellence in marketing in its regional NCMPR district, which encompasses the CNMI, Guam, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Utah, and Nevada, but this is the first time that the college competed nationally.

The team earned its recognition for a brochure made for the NMC Foundation’s recent Golf Open in March. The brochure had three parts: a letter from the college’s president and foundation board chairperson requesting for support, a breakdown of the Golf Open’s sponsorship packages, and a form for donations.

After weeks of development, the marketing team along with the NMC Foundation were able to distribute the brochures, helping to result in a successful golf open and donation drive last March.

“Receiving a Paragon Award is a tremendous accomplishment, and it speaks to the exceptional talent, passion, and hard work of each member of our team,” NMC vice president for Administration and Advancement Frankie Eliptico said. “I am honored to work with such an incredible group of professionals, and I am confident that they will continue to excel and achieve great things in the years ahead.”

Alongside Eliptico, the individuals who worked on the winning brochure were database administrator and lead graphic designer Renedel Buno, photographer Casey Huliganga, marketing coordinator Miguel Dandan, NMC Foundation coordinator Carla Sablan, and NMC interim director for Marketing and Communications Raynard Travilla.

NMC’s OIA leads all marketing and communications efforts for the college. The mission of OIA is to implement a strategic and integral communications effort that is committed to helping NMC as the premier provider of higher education and training opportunities in the Pacific. (NMC)