UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG

Awards

Alumni Relations director is Editor of the Year, wins communication awards across the board

Wits Alumni Relations scored a hat trick during 2010 when director, Peter Maher was named Editor of the Year, and alumni publications were recognised at the South African Publication Forum Awards, and at the Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Awards.

Maher received the Editor of the Year award at a luncheon at Gallagher Estate on 27 August 2010 at the annual SA Publication Forum Awards, which attracts the best of South Africa’s corporate magazines. The Wits Review alumni magazine picked up certificates of merit for writing and communication excellence, and was a finalist in the Best External Publication category. The Edge Faculty of Health Sciences alumni e-newsletter was second runner-up in its category.

Alumni Relations also won accolades in the higher education sector, winning in two categories at the annual MACE Excellence Awards held at Emperor’s Palace on 11 October 2010. The Wits Review won the Printed External Publications category, while The Wits Book, a new publication for students on Wits traditions, won the Printed Internal Publications category.

2009 Awards

Wits' Alumni Office has won the best university website category in the 2009 Marketing, Advancement and Communications in Education (MACE) Excellence Awards competition. The award was made at a gala dinner hosted by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth on 29 October 2009.

The Alumni Office also won the best alumni campaign award for the second time in a row and was placed second in the best electronic newsletter category for the faculty-specific alumni e-newsletters. The campaign award was given for the Alumni Office's use of social networking platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter.

Kudos for Wits

Wits University scooped a total of five awards at this year's MACE competition with the Development and Fundraising Office winning the fundraising campaign award and second place in the best external newsletter category.

Earlier in the year the alumni magazine, WITSReview, was a finalist in the best external magazine category of the SA Publication Forum competition which is open to all corporate publications and received certificates of merit for excellence in communication and excellence in writing.

Wits Alumni Relations were finalists in the 2009 SA Publication Forum’s best external magazine category and received certificates of merit for writing and communication