Sol Plaatje University’s (SPU) Department of Institutional Advancement (DIA) was recognised for excellence in marketing, advancement and communication. The DIA team brought home five awards at the prestigious MACE Excellence Awards Gala Dinner, themed “Embracing Diversity”, that was held on 13 November 2025 in Johannesburg.
MACE fulfils a leadership role in the university, TVET and private higher education sector within Southern Africa through high-quality development programmes, facilitating networking partnerships and transformation, and promoting best practices across member institutions.
The 2025 Annual MACE conference and AGM under the theme “The Human Touch: Marketing, Advancement and Communication in the Era of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence (AI),” officially began on Wednesday, 12 November, with a two-day programme that included plenary sessions, panel discussions and keynote addresses. Sessions explored topics such as maintaining brand authenticity amid AI-generated content, innovation in advertising, advances in AI in education, and breakaway sessions on protocols for events and PR, the future of websites, generative AI content and advancement in donor relations, all aimed at encouraging and reminding communicators and marketers that even in the midst of AI authenticity and the human touch is what matters most in communication.
Representing SPU were Acting Senior Officer: Communication and Marketing, Ms Tshepisho Sebeela; Officer: Communication and Marketing, Ms Feroza Nooroodien; Ms Ashlyn Kenny, Project Coordinator for the Centre for Professional Development; and Ms Vuyiswa Mpata, Administrative Assistant.
Prior to the conference and AGM, the team attended the Young Blood Mentoring Workshop, a new addition to the MACE programme, that focused on empowering young professionals through discussions on redefining marketing in higher education, navigating opportunities and challenges, and understanding one’s value in salary negotiations. The DIA team participated in 2 group projects which were both selected as winners, an impressive achievement for SPU.
SPU received five awards, at the Excellence Awards Gala Dinner, across three divisions:
Division 1: Campaigns
Bronze – Stakeholder Engagement Campaign: “Changing Lives, Enabling Brighter Futures: The SPU Youth Month Campaign”
Silver – Brand Building Campaign: “SPU Mascot Madness”
Division 2: Channels
Bronze – Audio, Visual and Audio-Visual: “Building Unity and Community through Facebook: The SPU Community Big Walk 2025”
Silver – Printed and Digital Annual Reports: 2023 SPU Annual Report
Division 3: Skills
Bronze – Design for Printed Channels: Open Day Poster – “Changing Lives and Enabling Brighter Futures”
SPU warmly congratulates the Institutional Advancement team for their hard work, creativity and commitment to strengthening the University’s brand, fostering community and contributing to a vibrant institutional culture.
