The College of the Canyons District Communications Office has won three Paragon Awards from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations.

The office develops integrated communications plans that coordinate the district’s marketing, advertising, public relations, and social media efforts.

The COC team won Gold for Video Shorts-Series (“Uniquely Abled”), which was produced in partnership with FEGO Cinematography, along with Silver for E-Newsletter (“The Monday Report”) and Bronze for Poster-Single (Friday Night Film Series).

The only national competition of its kind, the Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication at community and technical colleges.

“I would like to extend my congratulations to our District Communications Office for this well-deserved national recognition,” said COC Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook. “The work they do is indispensable to our college’s goal to maintain timely and open communication with our students, staff, and the communities we serve, and expand access to education.”

This year’s competition drew 1,963 entries from 261 colleges across North America. Nearly 90 marketing and PR professionals from across the country served as judges.

“Given the level of competition, it is a true honor to be recognized by our peer institutions as among the nation’s best,” said Eric Harnish, vice president of public information, advocacy, and external relations. “The awards speak to the creativity and commitment of our team, and while they often work behind the scenes, their efforts are certainly worthy of recognition.”

The award-winning District Communications team includes 20 full-time and part-time staff in five departments: Public Information Office, Sports Information, Graphic Design Center, Reprographics Center, and Communication Center/Mailroom.

The 2019 Paragon Awards were originally scheduled to take place in Orlando, Florida at NCMPR’s annual conference in March, but the marquee event was canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The event’s cancellation is a first in NCMPR’s 46-year history.

Headquartered in New Mexico, NCMPR exclusively represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges and is governed by a 14-member board of directors who are working community college marketing professionals.