University of Wyoming Video Wins National Award, Boosts Free Expression Messaging

The University of Wyoming earned national recognition this month when a campus video explaining its Statement of University of Wyoming Principles on free expression, intellectual freedom and constructive dialogue took a Gold Award in the Education Digital Marketing Awards. The award was in the category for special videos over two minutes and cited the piece for creativity, marketing execution, message impact and technology use.

Titled "Our Freedoms," the video was produced by UW Institutional Marketing and written by a presidential aide. It features President Ed Seidel and UW students and is part of a broader campus initiative to promote civil discourse. The university has incorporated the piece into its Saddle Up onboarding program for new students, making the video a central element of orientation messaging and community expectations.

The award is notable for the marketing and communications efforts of the campus, but its local significance is less about trophies and more about how the message reaches the Albany County community. The University of Wyoming is a major employer and presence in Laramie and surrounding towns, and materials used in orientation help shape the conduct and attitudes of incoming students who join the local economy and civic life. By foregrounding free expression and constructive dialogue in onboarding, UW aims to influence classroom norms, campus events and interactions between students and long term residents.

From a market and institutional perspective, the recognition may strengthen UW's position in recruiting students and faculty who value open inquiry. Effective marketing that wins industry awards can translate into clearer branding and a stronger appeal to prospective students, which in turn affects enrollment patterns, local housing demand and the service economy that supports the university community. The video’s production values and leadership involvement also signal institutional priority on communication about core academic principles.

Policy implications extend to how public universities balance protection of expression with campus safety and inclusion. Promoting a consensus statement through orientation materials is a soft power approach that seeks to build norms without resorting to formal disciplinary change. For Albany County officials and residents, this approach reduces the likelihood that contentious speech issues will spill over into the wider community, while giving local leaders a clearer expectation of student behavior when attending public events or using shared spaces.

The Gold Award underscores the growing role of digital marketing in higher education messaging. For Albany County, the result is practical. Incoming cohorts who view "Our Freedoms" will arrive with a communicated set of expectations about discourse and debate, shaping classroom culture and public life in ways that will be felt across the county economy and civic institutions.