Designer Martin Baragiola’s cover of the Fall 2024 edition of UMSL Magazine received the award for Best Cover Design from CASE.
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has announced its 2025 Best of District VI Awards, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis Marketing and Communications Department took home three awards.
In the competition featuring institutions from across the Mid-America region, including Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, UMSL was recognized for its work in UMSL Magazine, a biannual general interest magazine, and UMSL Daily, the university’s news blog.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our talented team recognized by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education,” said Justin Roberts, vice chancellor for Marketing and Communications. “Their storytelling and design work not only showcase the excellence of our students, alumni, faculty and staff but also reflect the energy and transformation happening across our university.”
UMSL’s CASE Awards include an award for Best Cover Design for designer Martin Baragiola’s cover of the Fall 2024 edition of UMSL Magazine. The illustration for this issue of UMSL Magazine was created to complement a feature on UMSL’s role in helping local youth develop programming at the Saint Louis Zoo’s upcoming WildCare Park. Baragiola’s illustration, created with a pencil and notebook, incorporated animals that will be housed at the park as well as the face of one of the students who was quoted in the story.
Director of PR and Content Steve Walentik also received an award for Best Writing-Profile (1,000+ words) for his UMSL Magazine story on Professor Michael Cosmopoulos and UMSL students working at an archaeological excavation in Iklaina, Greece. The internationally recognized archaeologist is known for his work unearthing the remains of the ancient Greek city of Iklaina and discovering evidence of the origins of a two-tiered system of government. On the heels of Cosmopoulos’ induction as one of the “Immortals” in the famed Academy of Athens, this profile showcased Cosmopoulos in a new way, showing the impact his work has had on the educational experience of students. More than 500 students – both from UMSL and other institutions in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia – have studied at the field school at Iklaina and learned what it’s like to be part of an archaeological excavation. This feature showcased that experience through the eyes of two students from different backgrounds and with different academic interests. It showed both the challenges that come with rising early and working for long stretches in the hot sun and dirty, rocky terrain, but it also described the excitement of discovery and the bigger lessons each took away from being part of it.
Writer Burk Krohe was also recognized with an award for Best Writing-News Feature (1,000+ words) for his UMSL Daily story about the Show Me The World Project. In keeping with the department’s goal of recognizing UMSL alumni who make meaningful change in the community, this story highlighted Samantha Lurie, who graduated from UMSL with two master’s degrees in education and teaches biology at Vashon High School. Lurie also founded the Show Me The World Project, a 501c3 non-profit organization and sustainable entrepreneurial endeavor. Through the program, St. Louis high school students sell sustainable, single-origin coffee from countries such as Costa Rica and Peru to help fund international study abroad experiences. Along the way, they gain valuable real-world skills in cultural competency, entrepreneurship, finance and marketing. This feature story required in-depth interviews and research to highlight the history of the program and to illustrate UMSL’s impact on St. Louis, particularly how the university’s alumni are working to create a better future for students in under-resourced communities.
