Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College was honored with two Medallion Awards for excellence in public relations, marketing, and communication in the 2019 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District 5 Medallion Awards competition.
The Gold Medallion of Excellence Award recognized the college’s 2019 Wall Calendar, an annual poster-sized publication produced by the college’s Public Information Department and distributed at no cost to area businesses, schools, and community agencies. The calendar features high-quality images of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College students, faculty, and campus locations integrated with a 12-month calendar.
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Public Information Director Tom Urbanski worked with Creative Director and Graphic Designer Steve Isola of AdMax Displays in Duluth to create the award-winning calendar into its final printed form. The calendar’s graphic design was completed by Isola, using 14 photographs taken by Urbanski. The calendar was printed at ProPrint, Inc., in Duluth.
This is the third consecutive award-winning calendar produced by Isola and Urbanski for Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. The pair received a 2017 National Collegiate Advertising Awards Competition Gold Award for their 2017 Wall Calendar project, and a Silver Medallion Award for their 2018 Wall Calendar project.
The Silver Medallion of Excellence Award in the Original Photography-Manipulated Photograph Category recognized an image created for use on Thunder Football marketing pieces. The photograph features an unusual “inside-the-huddle” perspective view of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Thunder Football players. The award-winning original photograph was taken by FDLTCC Public Information Director Tom Urbanski, and he also completed the computer manipulation using photo editing software.
Award winners in each category are chosen from submissions by participating colleges and are judged and ranked by marketing and communication experts. Entries submitted to the Medallion Awards competition are judged on design, writing, creativity, communication, technical merit and overall effectiveness. The award recipients were announced at the NCMPR District 5 Conference held in October in Manhattan, Kansas.
The regional Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in marketing communication at community and technical colleges in NCMPR District 5, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, the Canadian province of Manitoba, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. It is the only competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.
The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations is an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges and represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges across the United States and Canada.
“I’ve said this many times, the primary purpose of our marketing and communication projects is to convey messages about who we are, what we do, and the range of opportunities we offer to people in the communities we serve,” said Urbanski. “We don’t create projects with a goal to win awards, but it is always nice to know our marketing publications and communication strategies are recognized as top quality by marketing industry professionals.”
There were more than 300 entries submitted across 36 categories in the 2019 NCMPR District 5 Medallion Awards competition. The printed publication categories and photography categories are some of the most competitive categories each year.
NCMPR has more than 1,700 members from more than 650 colleges across the United States, Canada and other countries. The counsel provides professional development opportunities, advocates on behalf of the profession and the institutions it serves, and recognizes professional excellence.

2019 Wall Calendar

2019 Wall Calendar that earned the 2019 Gold medallion of Excellence Award.


thunder football huddle

Thunder Football Huddle photo by Tom Urbanski that earned the 2019 Silver Medallion of Excellence Award.

Testimonials

I chose FDLTCC because of its size and the curriculum. When I first came here in 2019, I was just looking for what I needed to volunteer, perhaps in a crisis shelter. I met with Don Jarvinen, and the rest is history.

My favorite thing about FDLTCC is the people. I’ve met fantastic students, faculty and staff who go above and beyond what I expected.

It is awesome here at the FDLTCC Education Program because it is like a family here, if you need help or are struggling with anything, you have quite a few people who will help you out.