University of Rhode Island Magazine Wins Seven Excellence Awards

The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), District 1, honored the University of Rhode Island Magazine with seven 2024 Best-of-District-1 awards, including the overall magazine category for the spring and summer 2023 issues.

These awards recognize “exceptional achievement in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing. These are the creative, inspiring projects that impact institutions and their communities—and transform lives around the globe.”

The magazine is produced by the University of Rhode Island Division of External Relations and Communications team, led by editor-in-chief Barbara Caron, with contributions from team members including staff graphic designers Bruno Perosino and Cynthia McMillen and photographer Nora Lewis.

“We work hard to create and publish a lively array of stories and images that make readers feel connected and proud to be a part of this university community,” says Caron. “It is an honor to be recognized for our team’s work.”

The magazine is mailed to 140,000 alumni and friends three times per year. It is also published online, and each new digital issue is emailed to alumni and friends, faculty, staff, and students.

In addition to the overall magazine recognition, the awards, announced on Oct. 23, included cover design, illustration, and four awards for feature writing.

The cover design award recognized the spring 2023 cover, which featured a photo by Aisha McAdams and graphic design by Bruno Perosino. The cover story, “The Second-to-Last Lobsterman on Block Island,” by Marybeth Reilly-McGreen, received a 2024 CASE District 1 writing award.

Of the spring 2023 cover, CASE judges said the title was intriguing and the subject matter authentic to Rhode Island, adding, “Excellent choices there. That they were lucky enough to have such fantastic photography to choose from and smart enough to use it makes this a winner.”

The illustration award recognized the fall 2023 cover story, “The Secret Life of Pit Musicians,” by URI alum Anthony Russo ’74, whose work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the covers of books by Isabel Allende, Michael Pollan, and others.

The University of Rhode Island Magazine also received writing awards for the summer 2023 cover story, “He Had the Chemistry, and I Had the Bees,” by Lauren Rebecca Thacker; and spring 2023 feature stories, “Ensuring Student-Athlete Success on and Beyond the Field” and “Cassidy Need Won’t Kill Hornworms. But She Knows a Wasp That Will,” both by Reilly-McGreen.

The CASE District 1 region comprises the North Atlantic regions of the U.S. and Canada.