Ouachita Stories

Honoring diverse communications projects produced over the past year, Ouachita’s Office of Communications staff recently earned 11 state and national awards from three professional communications organizations.

This year’s honors included seven national awards from Baptist Communicators Association and one from Collegiate Advertising Awards as well as three statewide awards from the Arkansas chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.

“It’s always an honor for our staff’s work on behalf of Ouachita to be affirmed by our professional peers,” said Trennis Henderson, vice president for communications. “It’s a privilege to highlight Ouachita’s mission and message for the benefit of current and future students and the broader university community.”

Among communications awards received this year:

• The Ouachita Circle earned a Bronze Quill Award of Excellence from IABC/Arkansas and a national Silver Award from Collegiate Advertising Awards. The Circle is the university’s semi-annual alumni magazine that is sent to 14,000 Ouachita alumni and friends. This is the third year in a row that The Circle has received a Bronze Quill Award of Excellence, IABC/Arkansas’ highest recognition.


• René Zimny, assistant director of graphic services, received a national second place award for The Ouachita Circle’s fall 2015 cover design in BCA’s annual Wilmer C. Fields Awards Competition. The communications staff also received an IABC/Arkansas Bronze Quill Award of Merit for writing in The Circle.


• René Zimny also received BCA second place awards for the design of a Chinese recruiting brochure for the Grant Center for International Education and for design of the Festival of Christmas poster for the School of Fine Arts.


• Brooke Zimny, director of communications and marketing, received a BCA second place award for the design of the Bill Vining Legacy Wall in Sturgis Physical Education Center.


• Trennis Henderson received a BCA third place feature writing award for an article in The Circle highlighting the “While We’re Waiting” grief ministry established by Ouachita alumni Brad and Jill Sullivan.


• The Office of Communications staff received two awards, an IABC/Arkansas Bronze Quill Award of Merit and a BCA third place design award for the #OuachitaBound Acceptance Packet designed in partnership with the OBU Office of Admissions Counseling.


• The communications staff received a BCA second place award in specialty item design for Dr. Jack’s Coffeehouse packaging.

Brooke and René Zimny also led a breakout session on institutional branding at BCA’s national workshop held at Falls Creek Conference Center in Oklahoma. Brooke Zimny also served for the past year as BCA’s national communications vice president.