October 15, 2010 — The University of Virginia Magazine E-Newsletter, published by the U.Va. Alumni Association, won the Grand Gold Award in the national 2010 Circle of Excellence Awards Program, sponsored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, known as CASE.

The e-mail newsletter, published eight times a year when the association's quarterly print magazine is not published, took the top national honors in the "Web-Based or Electronic HTML External Audience Periodicals" category.

The judges wrote: "Simply put, this entry stood head-and-shoulders above the others in this category. The judges were unanimous in their praise and enthusiasm for this newsletter. The layout was simple yet elegant, with excellent use of white space, typography, and images. The navigation is user-friendly. The editorial content is consistently interesting and well written. The judges especially liked the video presentation – particularly the segment on the University of Virginia's first black students ("Desegregating U.Va."), which was edgy, yet handled with intelligence, sensitivity and integrity. The video held the interest of viewers – even those who have no ties to the University of Virginia.

"This is a newsletter that meets its goals effectively, efficiently, and in superb style. It is a newsletter to be proud of, and it raises the bar for e-newsletters."

The U.Va. Magazine E-Newsletter, distributed free of charge to approximately 160,000 alumni, faculty, parents, friends and students, provides lively stories and videos that are distinct from the quarterly print magazine. Videos complement the e-newsletter's stories, interactive elements encourage reader participation and comments, and links facilitate navigating to the online version of the magazine, other university publications and event calendars.