Now in its third year, the #RedbirdProud Social Media Awards were held on April 27, 2017, to honor the great work of Illinois State’s social media managers. The awards recognize the best uses of social media at ISU by faculty, staff, and student interns, spread across five categories.

The winners of the 2017 #RedbirdProud Social Media Awards are below. To follow these units and discover even more, visit Illinois State’s Social Media Directory.

Best overall use of social media (academic unit): College of Applied Science and Technology

Honorable mentions: Department of Psychology, School of Art, College of Business

“CAST has taken their social media to the next level with the CAST 50×50 series to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Even though they’re a very diverse college they do a great job with frequent, engaging posts, News stories, videos, and photos.”

Best overall use of social media (non-academic unit): Red Alert

Honorable mentions: Campus Recreation, Office of Admissions

“Red Alert consistently puts out great content geared toward a student audience. From their student-athlete Snapchat takeovers to their use of high quality graphics, you can count on Red Alert to cover and promote the big athletics events on campus in a professional manner.”

Best new account: Graphic Design

Honorable mention: Mennonite College of Nursing (Twitter)

“This account started last year and began producing great content right out of the gate. They do a nice job balancing event promotion, showcasing student work, and adding to the conversations around their discipline.”

Most improved social media: University College

Honorable mentions: Career Center, Department of Psychology, Special Education, School of Theatre and Dance

“University College has dedicated more resources to social media and the higher quality content is noticeable. They do a lot with graphics and animated GIFs to convey quick information about programs, events, and more. They also play well with others, routinely sharing and re-tweeting content from partners across campus.”

Most innovative use of social media: Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology

Honorable mentions: College of Business, Office of Admissions

“The ‘Let’s Talk Teaching’ podcast, which launched this year, has high production quality, great topic selection, and interesting guests. This is an innovative way to reach faculty and higher ed professionals beyond campus.”

Questions? Contact Van Miller, Assistant Director in University Marketing and Communications.