From the Nominator

Through four high-energy high school rallies led by the University of California president Janet Napolitano, and followed by substantive workshops and college fairs, UC creatively and cost-efficiently generated excitement, nurtured aspirations, and provided useful application and enrollment information for students and their families, opening the doors of opportunity wider for students across California. The UC Office of the President executive communications team leveraged the power of UC’s nine undergraduate campuses in each event, working collaboratively with admissions staff and academic preparation experts to bring together community leaders, elected officials, parents, alumni, and educators to support and reach students who may not have previously considered UC.

From the Judges

This was a very impressive initiative, and we loved the creative partnership with the president, coupled with the joint work of other university offices to promote the visits and target specific audiences. This creative multi-tiered recruitment initiative reached diverse student populations and their parents. We appreciated that they described financial opportunities such as Blue & Gold program with clarity, especially to potential-first generation students.