January 18, 2021
The Nelson Institute recently received two awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in recognition of the successful virtual 50th anniversary celebration and the virtual 2020 Earth Day conference.
The 50th anniversary celebration held virtually on Friday, September 11, 2020 received the Gold award in the Alumni Engagement on a Shoestring category. The judges noted that this event, which drew nearly 600 people from across the globe, had “impressive results for a high level of engagement, and a creative and compelling program delivered in our virtual world.”
Likewise, the 2020 Earth Day event received the Grand Gold award in the Special Event Pivot category. The judges noted the large level of engagement as over 3,000 people interfaced with the online programming. Specifically, the judges stated that “the mix of plenary and breakout sessions offered virtually was excellent. The engagement of sponsors even after the pivot is admirable. The fact that they were able to host over 3,000 people and mix live and prerecorded options to accommodate different time zones is admirable. 2020 was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and their institute; they battled the odds to make this program work with only five weeks notice.”
Congratulations to Emily Reynolds, the Nelson Institute’s assistant director for community engagement and alumni relations and all who were involved in making these events a success.