FORT HARE SCOOPS SEVERAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION AWARDS INCLUDING COVETED CHAIRMAN’S AWARD AT 2022 MACE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Tshwane, 18 November 2022 -- The University of Fort Hare (UFH) has scooped several awards at the prestigious 2022 MACE Excellence Awards that celebrates excellence in marketing and communication in Higher Education. The event host for MACE Congress this year was the University of Pretoria and the MACE Excellence Awards function was held at the Maslow Time Square.

“The University of Fort Hare stole the spotlight when it received one of the most important and coveted awards, the MACE Chairperson’s Award for Excellence in Marketing, Communication and Advancement,” said JP Roodt, UFH Director: Institutional Advancement.

“It was the University’s institutional-wide effort towards the prevention of GBV - driven by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Student Affairs, GBV prevention Unit and Institutional Advancement – that led the University to this sweet victory,” Roodt said.  Last year, this award went to Stellenbosch University for #Covid-19 Relief Fund: Making a Difference.

In total, UFH won five awards, and rose to the top of the provincial leader board:  it was the Eastern Cape University that received the most awards during the 2022 MACE Excellence Awards.

UFH received two gold and two bronze awards with gold awards being awarded for the highest scoring entries in each category.  The gold awards were made in the categories of issues management and crisis communication – disciplines that deal with effective reputation management.

MACE (Marketing Advancement Communication in Education) is the de facto industry representative body for marketing and communication practitioners in Higher Education and is a membership-based organisation.  The annual MACE Excellence Awards event celebrates and acknowledges excellence in marketing, communication and institutional advancement disciplines in the Higher Education (HE) sector. 

Case study entries in various categories need to demonstrate excellence and rigid academic standards in planning, delivery, measurement and evaluation.  Entries are evaluated by seasoned professionals in higher education, government and the private sector and are externally moderated. 

With the MACE board reporting that only 56% of the 171 entries received converting into awards, UFH enjoyed an 80% success rate in terms of conversion of entries submitted to the awards.

“The awards are an important indicator that we are making with the institutional master plan’s goals of enhancing the University’s regional, national, and international standing and impact, especially through improved brand management, marketing, and reputation management of the university,” commented Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare.

Roodt said: “We are delighted by the awards, and extend our appreciation and congratulations not only to the MACE board but also to the other universities that received MACE Excellence Awards.”