Pepperdine Wins CASE Circle of Excellence Award for Middle East Policy Studies Launch Campaign
Pepperdine University has won a Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Award for its Master of Middle East Policy Studies Launch Campaign at the School of Public Policy, earning a Silver Award in the Marketing Initiatives (of more than 25 Staff) category.
Presented annually, this honor serves as the premier standard for marketing and communications achievements in higher education. This year's global competition attracted 4,185 entries—with only 493 receiving recognition—from 628 educational institutions across 33 countries. The program’s 93 award categories span the full breadth of advancement including magazines and publications, fundraising campaigns, alumni initiatives, special events, marketing, leadership, video, and more.
“I am deeply proud of the collaboration across our marketing team and staff whose work brought this program’s campaign to life in such a focused and globally impactful way,” said Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine. “Receiving the CASE Circle of Excellence Silver Award during our program’s inaugural year reflects our dedication to ensuring that the principled values and rigorous curriculum within our academic program are presented with clarity for audiences around the world.”
Created alongside the University’s Integrated Marketing Communications team, the launch campaign encompassed building out a programmatic website and print collateral, honing messaging across paid and organic communication channels, and pursuing an aggressive digital footprint through high-level earned media. Marketing also helped secure donor endowments that made the inaugural two-year program tuition-free.
The program itself, developed in partnership with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is designed to prepare principled policy leaders for success in diplomacy, intelligence, research, business, among many other vocations.
Judges praised the Launch Campaign as “a highly effective and agile launch effort, which hit all its objectives within an exceptionally short three-month time frame.” CASE representatives continued, saying, “Judges particularly liked the campaign’s focused messaging and operational agility, which made it both impactful and highly replicable for other institutions.”
According to CASE, judges selected each winner by the following criteria: overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the university and its community, such as students and their parents, alumni, faculty, and staff.
“The Circle of Excellence Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary creativity, passion, and innovation demonstrated by advancement professionals at institutions around the world,” exclaimed Sue Cunningham, CASE president and CEO, in a published press release. “These awards not only celebrate outstanding achievements but also underscore how essential this work is to strengthen educational communities and positively shape lives and society. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to this year’s recipients for their dedication and remarkable accomplishments.”
Founded in 1974, CASE is a global nonprofit association dedicated to advancing education through alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and related disciplines. The Circle of Excellence Awards represent one of the organization's highest annual recognitions of excellence in educational advancement.
This recognition is among two CASE Circle of Excellence Awards received by Pepperdine University, including the Gold Award for the University’s For Greater Purpose brand campaign anthem, “Hear the Call.”
“These honors reflect a commitment to creative excellence, but more importantly, to communicating the University’s mission in ways that resonate with audiences around the world,” said Sean Burnett, senior vice president for integrated marketing communications and chief marketing officer at Pepperdine University. “We’re proud of the talented creative professionals behind this work and their exceptional ability to elevate Pepperdine’s voice and impact.”