Laurier scores another golden hat trick at the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education Prix d’Excellence

May 21, 2021

Wilfrid Laurier University once again had an impressive showing at the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education’s Prix d’Excellence, winning three gold, one silver and two bronze medals at this year’s virtual awards ceremony. This marks the second consecutive year Laurier has won three gold medals.

“Virtual #LaurierHomecoming 2020” won gold for Best Alumni Event. This is the second year in a row that Laurier has won gold in this category. Homecoming 2020 was an enormously successful event that brought Laurier students, alumni, donors and friends together virtually over a weekend last September. #LaurierHomecoming made it onto Twitter’s Canada-wide trending list.

Laurier Campus Magazine won gold for Best Online Publication, with its impressive readership numbers and exceptional features on the pandemic and equity, diversity and inclusion.

The third gold medal went to “Laurier welcomes first-year students virtually” in the Best Student and/or Young Alumni Initiative category. In 2020, Laurier offered Laurier 101, a mix of on-site and online programming to help welcome our future Golden Hawks. The programming was designed to maintain enrolment numbers and promote Laurier’s thriving community.

“Black Women in Leadership,” part of the Elevating Laurier Leaders series, took home a silver medal in the Best Special Event category. The panel event shared experiential knowledge and research about the diverse experiences of Black women.

The “Our Laurier” staff fundraising campaign, which raised $246,731.61 in 2020, won a bronze medal in the Best Annual Giving Initiative category. The campaign engaged one-fifth of Laurier staff in giving, boosted by appeals for the COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund, and was a testament to the strong sense of community and philanthropy at Laurier.

“Laurier ReZoomions – a reunion on Zoom!” was another example of creativity and adaptability during the pandemic and captured bronze in the Best New Idea: Creativity on a Shoestring category. ReZoomions took virtual reunions beyond the traditional video call and offered alumni fun ideas and support for creating and hosting online get-togethers with alumni.

“I’m so proud of everyone who helped envision, create and support all of these initiatives and events, and I want to thank all of the alumni, students, staff and community members who supported Laurier during this tumultuous year,” says Jason Coolman, vice-president: Advancement and External Relations. “These awards and this recognition really go to show the level of dedication and support the Laurier community has for the university.”

The Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education is a volunteer-led organization that promotes excellence in educational advancement, offering opportunities for networking, professional learning and mutual support.

The Prix d’Excellence is an annual awards program that recognizes outstanding achievements in alumni affairs, public affairs, communications, marketing, development, advancement services, stewardship and overall institutional advancement.