From the Nominator

One of three admissions magazines sent to prospective students of Lafayette College, Cur Non Volume 8 Issue 2 was mailed directly to engaged inquiries in fall 2024. Showcasing the college’s campus, academic opportunities, and a realistic look at life within this residential college, this admissions magazine encourages prospective students to take the next steps to apply. This issue not only perfected an updated cover concept aimed to spark reader’s curiosity about its content through magazine-style cover lines, but provided a glimpse into the promise and power of the Lafayette experience. Named after the college’s Latin motto, meaning “why not,” Cur Non 8.2 highlights academic research opportunities, spotlights the community spirit of the one-of-a-kind Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry football game, and offers practical advice on the application and financial aid process. Cur Non 8.2 also brings to life the “power of and” at Lafayette College, grown from our combination of liberal arts and engineering, with a beautifully designed spread of students and alumni that were able to thrive within their unique combinations of interests such as athletics and neuroscience or theater and engineering. Our call to action contributed to fruitful results: The college experienced a record total of applications for the fall 2025 first-year class—the largest admission applicant pool in the institution’s nearly 200-year history.

From the Judges

The piece is bold and breaks away from the more traditional stock image structure. This approach could easily be replicated by other institutions and is a good model for how to stand out in a pile of college content. We really enjoyed this entry, finding it to be engaging, bright, and informative. Plus the return on investment cannot be overstated—for a relatively low cost they set a new record for their campus.