Judith Sciple named 2017 Petrizzo Award winner
The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations presented Judith A. Sciple, EdD, of Georgetown, the 2017 D. Richard Petrizzo Career Service Award at its annual conference in March. The award honors an NCMPR professional for longtime accomplishments in two-year college marketing and public relations.
Sciple began her career at Delaware Technical Community College in 1991, serving in several capacities before assuming her current position as vice president for institutional effectiveness and development. Sciple provides collegewide oversight of development, strategic planning, assessment and accreditation. From 2011-16, she also provided collegewide oversight for marketing, public relations and the website.
With a reputation for getting things done, Sciple has provided leadership for numerous initiatives with local, state and national impact. In 2016, she led the submission of a $3.5 million America's Promise Grant application for Delaware Tech, which will provide free tuition for 600 students enrolled in information technology and advanced manufacturing certificate programs. She also chaired the college's 50th Anniversary Task Force to plan and execute this milestone event. The year-long celebration included a commemorative video, 50 alumni stories and 50 community service projects; the inauguration of the college's fifth president; 10 anniversary-themed fundraising initiatives which raised $184,000 to benefit students; and a comprehensive marketing and communication campaign which received a Gold Medallion Award from NCMPR District 1.
Also under Sciple's direction, a comprehensive crisis communication plan was instituted for all four Delaware Tech campuses, and a new student-centered website was developed with one collegewide navigational structure. For the past seven years, Sciple led the college's annual board of trustees retreat, collaborating with board members and the president to help guide strategic institutional initiatives such as planning, accreditation, presidential transition and board effectiveness.
An active NCMPR member since 1996, Sciple served on NCMPR's national board of directors from 2004 to 2012 in numerous leadership roles, including president from 2009-10 and District 1 director from 2004-06. She currently volunteers with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the New England Association of Schools & Colleges Inc., Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. She has also served as a member of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation F.A.C.E.S Board, Delaware Division of the Arts Grants Review Council, and United Way of Delaware.
Sciple has received numerous other accolades during her career in higher education, including a 2016 NCMPR Gold Medallion Award, the 2013 Delaware Technical Community College Presidential Certificate of Appreciation, and the 2003 NCMPR District 1 Outstanding Professional Service Award. She earned her doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Delaware in 2010 and is a 2002 graduate of Delaware Tech's Leadership Development Program.
NCMPR supports the professional development of community college communicators, serving more than 1,700 members from more than 550 colleges across the United States and Canada. It's the only organization of its kind that exclusively represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges, and it is one of the largest affiliates of the American Association of Community Colleges.
