Seattle, WA (March 22, 2024) – Northern Essex Community College (NECC) received a 2023 Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) at the council’s recent national conference in Seattle, Washington.

The award celebrates the college’s marketing team’s work on the Success for All NECC Strategic Planner. This groundbreaking document might be the first of its kind in higher education. It serves as a daily workbook for college employees to measure their work against the college’s Strategic Plan goals.

“When you tell your college’s story well, you ensure your that students can find themselves, and the supports and services they need, at your institution,” said Jeff Julian, NCMPR’s 2023-24 president. “It’s evident in the winning entries that our members are committed to serving their students.”

NECC was the sole Paragon Award winner among the 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, all of which are members of NCMPR. In addition, NECC’s director of public relations, Melissa Bouse, was recognized as a finalist for NCMPR’s national Rising Star award.

The 2023 Paragon Awards drew 1,531 entries from 210 colleges across the country and was judged by 65 marketing and public relations professionals.

NCMPR’s Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design, strategy and communication at community and technical colleges. It’s the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.

NCMPR supports the professional development of community college communicators, serving more than 1,600 members from close to 600 colleges across the United States and Canada. It’s the only organization of its kind that exclusively represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges and is one of the largest affiliates of the American Association of Community Colleges. NCMPR is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.