Getting noticed amid the chaos of an email inbox is harder than ever for marketers. They’re looking for less-crowded routes to reach their audiences, and many are finding one in an old, familiar place: Direct mail. Currents spoke with five COE-recognized teams about the stories behind their mailers and what lessons they’d share with others looking to create their own successful campaigns.

Keith Paul, Chief Marketing Officer at Northern Essex Community College, shares how his team has boosted its college's brand identity through partnerships and stepping up its game.

When Oakton Community College’s board of trustees voted to remove the word “community” from its name, the Illinois institution’s marketing and advancement teams embarked on a brand relaunch. This case study highlights the wins, the challenges, and the lessons learned—particularly relevant today as many community colleges consider name changes, mergers, and institutional identity shifts.

University recruitment videos tend to follow a similar formula—but Leeds Beckett University had other ideas. In 2022, the institution took a different, cinematic approach to capture arts students and alumni performing original pieces in a newly opened arts facility on the U.K. university’s campus.

Advice on anniversary planning and popular institutional swag items. 

From blockbuster movies to cult favorite television series, campuses can be popular filming locations. Try to match these shows and films to the correct institutions.

What is race equity as it applies to education institutions? How are advancement teams approaching this work, which experts say involves a wholesale transformation of organizational cultures? How are institutions and individuals moving forward in the name of equity? 

The director of strategic communications at The Browning School shares her thoughts on representation, authenticity, and the power of alumni of color.

When a global pandemic threatens the cancellation of an annual donor appreciation event, who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!

Judges share their reactions to entries that merited the highest Circle of Excellence honor: Grand Gold.