Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of Southern California

Title of entry: USC Dornsife Magazine

About this entry: USC Dornsife Magazine aims to showcase and promote the depth and breadth of USC Dornsife’s faculty, alumni and students’ scholarship through a wide range of compelling, creatively written, illustrated and designed magazine features/news articles on diverse topics relating to a chosen theme. We find that using an over-arching theme for each issue is a highly effective way to organize and highlight the diverse scholarship at USC Dornsife — a college of letters, arts and sciences with more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, and dozens of research centers and institutes. Water is a topical theme that advances our Dean's sustainability priority, while the Senses are an excellent lens to showcase our research, teaching and scholarship in both sciences and humanities. We used compelling covers to grab readers' attention: Ansel Adams' photograph coveys water's raw power and energy while a vibrant illustration captures the senses in all their diverse glory.

Results included internal recognition with the USC Dornsife Board of Councilors (BOC) chair (also a USC Trustee) praising each issue at BOC meetings. Another BOC member begged us to never stop producing the magazine because "getting it in the mail is like receiving a love letter from your alma mater." One article directly inspired a gift to fund a graduate travel scholarship in memory of a faculty member. Our new student creative writing contest (first prize: publication in USC Dornsife Magazine)elicited an enthusiastic response, successfully promoting our English department and the magazine.