Murray State University’s Office of Branding, Marketing and Communication earns Public Relations Society of America Bluegrass Chapter statewide award
By MSU Public Relations | Oct 5, 2026
Department has earned Landmarks of Excellence awards for three of the past four years
MURRAY, Ky. — Murray State University’s Office of Branding, Marketing and Communication has earned a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Bluegrass Chapter 2026 Landmarks of Excellence award.
The office received an award for its marketing and communications efforts to support the Racer Spirit Listening and Learning Tour, a 2025 initiative led by Murray State President Dr. Ron K. Patterson, with the vision and goal of connecting with as many constituent groups as possible during his first 100-120 days in office.
President Patterson visited more than 30 locations throughout the Commonwealth, a multi-state region, and on campus to engage with a total of nearly 1,300 people including students, faculty, staff, alumni, community leaders, legislators, K-12 and community college partners, business and industry stakeholders and friends.
Through a blend of marketing communications strategies, the office helped create a sense of awareness for individuals to attend the tour stops, while also curating content throughout the tour to highlight the initiative and create a cumulative report intended to help outline key themes which emerged over the tour, to pave the way toward the development of a new University strategic plan.
Digital Media Services attended numerous tour stops, producing photo and video content to create awareness for future tour events, and also created a video to highlight Dr. Patterson’s approachability and excitement toward meeting with tour attendees. The unique video showed him getting ready at the start of the day at home, and beginning his drive to one of the tour locations. View the video at https://bit.ly/L-LTour.
The tour’s official website at murraystate.edu/tour, led by the office’s web management area, experienced an impressive user engagement rate of over 50%, measured by visits over ten seconds or visits where users interacted with the page, such as scrolling or clicking.
Unique branded imagery created by the office’s graphic design team featured a map theme with gold stars emanating from Murray to indicate future tour stops, and was used for both print and digital applications.
A culminating design and print piece for the tour was produced, utilizing an impactful approach that included the identification of key themes, specific ‘Done Well/Opportunity and Hope’ feedback content to actualize the two questions Dr. Patterson asked of tour attendees, and a ‘What I’m thinking about’ content piece to share what was on his mind as a result of this particular themed feedback. The report’s content was complemented by striking imagery that featured Dr. Patterson at various tour stops, and is available at murraystate.edu/tour.
The PRSA Bluegrass Chapter has served communications professionals in Louisville, Kentucky and the surrounding areas, including southern Indiana, since 1957. The chapter represents a diverse mix of experienced practitioners with a shared passion for advancing the practice of public relations across the region.
Founded in 1947, the Public Relations Society of America is the nation’s largest professional organization seeking to advance the communications industry and its practitioners, and brings together the collective disciplines of public relations and marketing.
Murray State’s Office of Branding, Marketing and Communication has now earned PRSA Bluegrass Chapter Landmarks of Excellence awards for three of the past four years, and will be recognized at the 2026 awards on Oct. 22 in Louisville.
“The Racer Spirit Listening and Learning Tour provided a unique opportunity for us to support President Patterson’s vision while engaging audiences before, during and after each tour stop. From developing the visual identity and digital presence to capturing stories and designing a meaningful report of what was heard, our team was proud to help bring the tour to life and document the valuable feedback that will help shape the University’s future,” said Shawn Touney, assistant vice president of marketing and communication. “We are very appreciative of the PRSA Bluegrass Chapter and grateful to have earned this statewide award.”