Best of CASE District VIII Award
 

Institution: Washington State University

Title of entry: Dividend Magazine 2021

About this entry: Dividend is an annual alumni magazine produced for the Washington State University Carson College of Business. Its purpose is to drive alumni and donor engagement and inform other recipients, such as WSU leadership, industry, and deans within the AACSB accrediting body, about the quality of our programs and research that serve students and business communities. The 2021 issue’s theme is “providing opportunity through education and the power of community.” The cover story describes how WSU provided a system-wide approach to an accessible education during COVID-19 through distance learning, new student resource programs, and increased commitment to diversity and equity. Through storytelling and design, the features section illustrates examples of opportunity across Carson College locations, for example, the launch of a new business administration bachelor’s degree at WSU Everett, and the college’s National Board of Advisors’ mentorship of hospitality capstone students at WSU Tri-Cities. The research section offers insights on the effect of cannabis on entrepreneurial creativity and how automatic gratuities can dissuade restaurant customers. The graduate section highlights MBA alumni ambassadors and instructors who are creating opportunities for Carson students in the online MBA program. The philanthropy section recaps the theme through alumni engagement and industry collaboration features. Positive impacts of the magazine include 1) A low number of unsubscribes, 2) Subscribes, 3) Positive feedback from readers, 4) Any gifts that are made as a direct result of Dividend, for example, a donor specifically mentioning something in the issue that influenced a decision to support the college.