“Significance Within – That is the story we wanted to tell when producing this book that features the accomplishments of a number of Stetson alumni who have used their experiences at Stetson to impact the world,” said Joel Jones, assistant vice president of marketing and creative services at Stetson University. Jones, along with Greg Carroll, vice president of Stetson University Marketing, led the design and messaging efforts, then teamed up with EM2 Communications in Atlanta, Ga., and the results garnered a national Grand Gold Circle of Excellence Award by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

The book features a series of “What if” questions to its select alumni of all ages. Fletcher Crowe, Ph.D., Hatter class of 1965, for instance, used his education at Stetson to answer the question, “What if we challenged long-held assumptions and rewrote history?” Crowe recently discovered Fort Caroline in the state of Georgia, which dates back to 1564, by using a map of French Florida from 1685 and comparing it with contemporary maps to isolate the settlement. This settlement predates St. Augustine, the Lost Colony of Virginia, Jamestown and the Pilgrims in Massachusetts. The site now awaits excavation.

Crowe accredits his success to a Stetson professor. “Former Stetson History Professor Malcolm Wynn introduced me not just to Renaissance France – which is so fundamental to understanding the significance of Fort Caroline – but to myself. He encouraged me to have confidence in my talents. He made me feel I had a future I could be proud of and that I could be successful and capable no matter the endeavor. Stetson does that for people,” Crowe said.

CASE received more than 3,200 entries to be considered for this award, and Stetson was among only 17 institutions that won the Grand Gold Circle of Excellence Award. Winners are selected based on several factors such as overall quality, innovation, use of resources and the impact on the institution or its communities such as alumni, parents, students and staff.

The judging committee from CASE commented on why Significance Within deserved to win their national award: “This book is brand-defining for the university. Stetson used the university brand, ‘significance’ to define how the institution has grown and evolved over time and the connection between heritage and growth. In essence, the book is an affirmation of a continuing mission and how five years of change have only reinforced that mission.”

“The book is the definition of Stetson at this point in time,” said Carroll. “In marketing it is the consummate branding document — it explains to readers the promise that is Stetson — who we are and how we got here. It illuminates our distinctiveness in the higher education marketplace.”

“Stetson University has undergone an amazing transformation under the leadership of President Libby, and in tandem with dedicated administrators and faculty,” Jones said. “The university is a more diverse, vibrant and relevant place today and we wanted to capture part of this transformation and energy for the reader.”

“I know many here at Stetson who pour their heart and soul into making the university outstanding every day and I feel that this is not an award that any one person won, but something that we all won together,” said Jones reflecting on the news of the book’s award. “It takes countless hours to tell an amazing story in a compelling way, but you must have a great story to begin with. And, Stetson has that story.”

By Nicole Melchionda