Pepperdine University Earns Seven CASE District VII Awards for Excellence in Communications and Marketing

Pepperdine University has received seven Best of CASE District VII Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The awards recognize excellence in the University's marketing, communications, creative storytelling, and institutional engagement. Four of the awards recognize video work associated with the University's For Greater Purpose brand campaign.

“At Pepperdine, how we communicate matters because the stories we share help people understand who we are and what we stand for,” says Sean Burnett, senior vice president for integrated marketing communications and chief marketing officer at Pepperdine University. “This recognition reflects the importance of connecting our mission to the student experience, serving our community, and sharing the values that guide our work.”

The four award-winning videos, which include “Hear the Call,” “Power of Story,” “Nestled,” and “For Greater Purpose,” communicate the University's mission through authentic student experiences and cinematic storytelling. The videos were developed by Pepperdine's Integrated Marketing Communications department, which included creative concept development, scriptwriting, filming, and editing. They feature actual Pepperdine students and distinctive visual storytelling to connect audiences with the University's mission and the authentic, individual journeys that shape the student experience.

L-R: stills from "Hear the Call," "Power of Story," "Nestled," and "For Greater Purpose" videos

In addition to the four video awards, CASE recognized three other University initiatives, including Pepperdine’s coordinated communications and community engagement during the December 2024 Franklin Fire and the January 2025 Palisades Fire; the integrated launch campaign for the School of Public Policy’s Master of Middle East Policy Studies, which combined media outreach, digital marketing, and storytelling; and the 2025 Seaver College Undergraduate Viewbook, which was recognized for its magazine-inspired design and editorial approach to showcasing the Pepperdine experience.

“Receiving this meaningful recognition by the CASE District VII Awards celebrates the creativity, strategic thinking, and collaboration that drive Pepperdine’s marketing and communications efforts," says Michael Thomas, vice president for integrated marketing communications at Pepperdine. "We are especially proud that four of the awards recognize our For Greater Purpose campaign, which articulates what makes Pepperdine distinctive and reinforces the values at the heart of the University. Ultimately, these honors reflect the talented people across Pepperdine whose work helps others see, understand, and connect with Pepperdine."

The recognition follows Pepperdine's two awards in the 2026 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards announced in July 2026, which recognized outstanding advancement work from institutions around the world. The University received a Gold Award for “Hear the Call” in the video commercials category and a Silver Award for the School of Public Policy's Master of Middle East Policy Studies launch campaign . The international competition drew 4,185 entries from 628 institutions across 33 countries.

The CASE District VII awards recognize excellence across higher education institutions in the western United States. The recognition highlights the work of Pepperdine’s marketing, media and communications professionals in telling the University’s story and connecting its mission with audiences. Founded in 1974, CASE is a global nonprofit association dedicated to advancing education through alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and related disciplines.