Western Washington University's New Student Services/Family Outreach and University Dining Services have won awards at the annual National Orientation Directors Association national conference and media showcase.

NSSFO was recognized in the Outstanding Newsletter category for "ThisWeek@WWU," a weekly e-newsletter for new and continuing students.

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University Dining Services was recognized in the Outstanding Multimedia/Emerging Technology category for their orientation video "Dining@Western" shown to students and families at Summerstart. The video helps new students and their parents decide which meal plan would work best for them at Western, and also has information about the different food services offered on WWU's campus.

"New students are able to ‘hit the ground running' when they arrive in fall quarter since they are more informed about the numerous retail, café and dining halls available to them," said Ira Simon, director of University Dining Services.

Western has a rich history of being recognized and awarded in the showcase. Past achievements include an award for Outstanding General Brochure or Booklet for Special Populations, Outstanding Newsletter and Outstanding Use of Theme in 2005 and an award for Outstanding Multimedia/Emerging Technology in 2004.

"I am particularly pleased for Western to be recognized for two projects that utilize technology to deliver valuable campus information to new students," said Qy-Ana Manning, the assistant director of NSSFO. "The advancement of online resources and services help to better meet the needs of our technology-savvy students, and is great for the environment. We are committed to continuing to move forward in this direction."

The NODA conference, held annually each fall, includes a Publications and Media Showcase to recognize, highlight and exhibit outstanding achievement and professional accomplishment in publication and marketing efforts in the field of orientation.

For more information about these awards, contact Qy-Ana Manning at (360) 650-2441 or at qy-ana.manning@wwu.edu. For more information about ThisWeek@WWU, visit http://www.nssfo.wwu.edu/ThisWeek/current_feature_story.shtml.