Middlebury Magazine named one of best college magazines in the country
MIDDLEBURY, Vt.-The Middlebury College alumni magazine was awarded the gold medal for best college and university general interest magazine by the Washington, D.C.-based Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Awards are presented annually in three subcategories organized by the size of a magazine’s circulation. With a circulation of more than 42,000, the Middlebury Magazine competed against 41 other entries with circulations of 30,000-75,000.
For the last seven out of nine years, Middlebury Magazine has placed among the top three in the country in CASE’s general interest magazine category, which considers all aspects of a magazine-content, writing, editing, layout, design, photography, print quality and budget. Judges also evaluate how well the magazine communicates with its audience and reflects an understanding of it. The 2004 award is the second gold medal the magazine has received.
The magazine also won a merit award from the Society of Publication Designers for an image by New York City-based photographer Bob Handelman of Middlebury College students playing water polo, which appeared in the fall 2003 issue. Middlebury Magazine was one of only five college and university magazines recognized in a field dominated by more than 100 commercial titles such as National Geographic and Vanity Fair.
According to Middlebury Magazine Editor Matt Jennings, the quality of a magazine results from an institutional commitment to produce a lively publication that also informs and entertains. “The magazine is put together with readers in mind,” said Jennings. “If a college magazine is to represent the institution effectively, it has to be read. We worked very hard on story selection and we made sure that the magazine had as much visual appeal as we could give it,” he said.
“President McCardell and other administrators trusted the magazine staff and allowed us to stretch the boundaries, to take chances, and to go for the best possible magazine we could. It paid off,” added Jennings.
Middlebury Magazine is now a candidate for CASE’s $2,000 Grand Gold medal award for Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year. Newsweek magazine sponsors the award and conducts the judging. The winner will be selected from gold medalists in two categories-college and university general interest magazines, and special constituency magazines.
Produced quarterly, Middlebury Magazine is printed at Lane Press in South Burlington. The magazine’s Web site address is /offices/communications/middmag/.
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