Concordia awarded 2 international prizes from Council for Advancement and Support of Education
Concordia’s winning submissions were among 2,750 entries in 100 categories.
Concordia’s Virtual Shuffle 31 and CU Cares recently received international recognition from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The initiatives won two Circle of Excellence Awards — silver and bronze, respectively, this June, at a virtual celebration.
The annual prizes recognize the innovation, talent and creative ideas of hundreds of institutions worldwide. Concordia’s winning submissions were among 2,750 entries in 100 categories.
“I take great pride in our university’s success — a reflection of the extraordinary collaboration of so many members of our community,” says Paul Chesser, BA 94, GrDip 97, vice-president of Advancement at Concordia.
“I’m always delighted to see how our students, faculty, staff, donors and friends come together in support of others, especially amid the ongoing pandemic. My sincere thanks to all involved.”
Raising funds for students
Virtual Shuffle 31 — the first-ever virtual edition of Concordia’s annual walkathon — won a silver prize in the Special Events / Online (Fundraising) category. The event, held from September 18 to 25, 2020, raised a record $140,964 for student scholarships, bursaries and services.
Shuffle 31’s core team included Alexandra Louridas, BA 15, Christine Dy and Brad Skog from Annual Giving; communications lead Joseph Leger, BA 15, multimedia producers Trevor Browne and Stephen Pan; event coordinator Allison Waldman, BEng 10, GrDip 12; and social media managers Melodie Le Siege, BA 10, and Christine Dy.
People power
A collaboration between the LIVE Centre and University Advancement, CU Cares coordinates volunteers — students, faculty, staff, donors and friends of the university — to support elderly alumni, in addition to more than 12 outreach organizations across Montreal.
The initiative won a bronze Circle of Excellence Award in the Alumni Relations / Volunteer Engagement category for its cross-unit partnerships and direct impact on society.
More than 400 volunteers have answered the call for support since CU Cares launched in April 2020.
CU Cares is managed by the LIVE Centre’s Katie Broad, Alana Mota, BComm 16, Anais Emmanuelle Loriston, BA 17, GrDip 19, Christopher Walker, and Shanna Parisien, BA 04, and Allison Waldman from Alumni Relations, and Janine Lavallée from communications.
In May, Concordia also won six Prix d’Excellence from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education — a record for the university at the annual national celebration honouring top achievements in overall institutional advancement.
