Riza earns Pacesetter recognition

Dr. Robert Riza, President of Clarendon College, was awarded the National Council for Marketing & PR District 4’s Pacesetter Award last Friday in Santa Fe for his strong focus on the college’s marketing, communications, advocacy and fundraising campaigns.

The Pacesetter award recognizes a community college president or CEO who has demonstrated leadership and support in the area of college marketing and public relations.  The Pacesetter Award is presented annually in each of NCMPR’s seven districts with those winners considered for the national award to be presented during NCMPR’s national convention in Charleston, South Carolina, in March.

“It is an honor and humbling experience to be recognized for the cumulative efforts of a great faculty and staff,” Riza said.  “I would like to thank my board for their support and confidence in my leadership as we complete our strategic plan.”

Riza became president of Clarendon College in December 2013 and under his leadership enrollment has rebounded nearly 25 percent.  This fall’s enrollment alone is up 9.8 percent and is the second highest in the school’s 118-year history with 1,482 students.

In addition, Clarendon College is one of only 67 colleges and universities nationwide to be selected as a pilot school for the Second Chance Pell program and CC is now back offering college classes in two area correctional institutions.

The College has also expanded online programs and now offers a fully online associate’s degree that can be completed in one year, and enrollment in the online program doubled this fall.

Another important initiative negotiated by Dr. Riza is the College’s new partnership with Texas Tech University by which Clarendon College students graduating from the Associate’s Degree in Nursing program are automatically accepted into the Tech’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.  The ADN to BSN agreement is built upon an earlier “3 1” agreement with Texas Tech, also negotiated by Dr. Riza, through which CC students can complete three years of a bachelor’s degree in Health Science at CC and finish the fourth year online through the Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) School of Health Professions.

NCMPR, an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges, represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges throughout the United States.  NCMPR has more than 1,550 members from more than 650 colleges across the country, including Canada and other countries.  District 4 includes community colleges in Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.

Estlack wins awards for marketing

Clarendon College was awarded two Medallion Awards for its marketing and public relations efforts at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District 4 meeting last Friday in Santa Fe.

Clarendon’s Chief of Staff Ashlee Estlack was awarded the Silver Medallion in Outdoor Media for the College’s cosmetology billboard from Summer 2016, and a Gold Medallion in Electronic Newsletter the 2015-16 College Newsletters.

“We are very proud of Ashlee’s accomplishments and these awards are truly a sign of her expertise and talent,” CC President Robert Riza said.  “The cosmetology marketing campaign led to increased enrollment at our Amarillo campus this fall.  The newsletters have been a great source of information for potential students, donors and alumni, and allow us to highlight successes of the College as well as distribute general information.”

The Gold Medallion in Outdoor Media was awarded to Santa Fe Community College and the Bronze went to Temple College.  In Electronic Newsletter Silver was awarded to Wharton County Junior College and Bronze went to Community College of Aurora.

“It is an honor to be recognized by our peers, most of whom come from much larger schools,” Estlack said.

The Medallion Awards is the only regional contest of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.