UTSA receives seven awards from San Antonio PR organization

David Gabler

By Stephanie Shropshire '10
Special Projects Writer

(May 13, 2010)--UTSA received seven awards at the eighth annual Del Oro Awards Banquet and Silent Auction last Thursday at the Bright Shawl in San Antonio. The annual awards banquet is hosted by the San Antonio chapter of the Public Relations Society of America to recognize the stars of public relations in San Antonio and South Texas.

Each year, the organization selects one individual for his or her exemplary contribution to the profession with the Public Relations Professional of the Year Award. This year, David Gabler, UTSA associate vice president for communications and marketing, was recognized with that honor. Gabler earned the recognition from his peers for his exceptional communication and media relations work that is helping pave the way for UTSA to receive the financial support it needs to reach Tier One.

According to Gabler's nominators, "Throughout 2009, Gabler monitored the media outlets covering UTSA's six competitors in the race to Tier One. During that time, the media's perception of UTSA's trajectory toward national research status changed drastically. The messages communicated by the media went from 'UTSA is seeking Tier One' to 'Tier One could be beneficial to UTSA' to 'San Antonio needs a Tier One institution.'

"In all, between January 1, 2009, and today, UTSA has been mentioned in more than 717 news articles discussing Tier One. And, over the course of that time frame, the tone of those articles has gone from indifference to encouragement to advocacy."

In addition to Gabler's achievement, the university won:

La Plata Award of Merit for an internal communications campaign: UTSA Communications Collective, Marianne McBride Lewis, director of public affairs, UTSA Office of University Communications
El Bronce Award of Excellence for a magazine: "Sombrilla," UTSA Office of University Communications
El Bronce Award of Excellence for a special purpose publication: College of Sciences Strategic Plan booklet, Amanda Beck, communications specialist, College of Sciences
El Bronce Award of Excellence for social media: Facebook fan page: UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures -- Tim Gette, executive director; Craig Stinson, director of advancement; and James Benavides, public affairs specialist
El Bronce Award of Merit for a feature story: "Troyer's Song," story by Amanda Beck, communications specialist, College of Sciences, on a study of zebra finches by Todd Troyer, UTSA assistant professor of biology

The Del Oro Awards is hosted by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the world's largest organization of PR professionals with more than 21,000 members. The San Antonio chapter has more than 100 members, a third of whom are accredited.

Events

April 20-21

Fiesta Arts Fair

Fiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.

UTSA Southwest Campus

Wednesday, April 24, 11:30 a.m.

Denim Day

Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.

Student Union Window Lounge, Main Campus

Wednesday, April 24, 5:00 p.m.

Simplifying Citations With Zotero

Learn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.

Virtual Event

Friday, May 3, 11:30 a.m.

McNair Scholar's Spring Celebration

This event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.

North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main Campus

Friday, May 17, 10:00 a.m.

Commencement: Ceremony One

Celebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.

Alamodome

Friday, May 17, 4:30 p.m.

Commencement: Ceremony Two

Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.

Alamodome

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Spotlight

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.