American Marketing Association Endorses College: Proud Sponsor Campaign
CHICAGO, IL / AGILITYPR.NEWS / June 11, 2026 / Contact: Amy Gwiazdowski, agwiazdowski@ama.org
American Marketing Association Endorses College: Proud Sponsor Campaign
AMA calls on marketers and higher education communicators to help strengthen public understanding of higher education’s impact
Chicago, IL— The American Marketing Association (AMA) announced its support of the national higher education public-service campaign College: Proud Sponsor of America at its Best. AMA has joined a coalition of organizations working to elevate public understanding of higher education’s role in advancing the nation’s economy, workforce, innovation, and communities.
As the professional home for marketers across industries, including marketers working in higher education, the AMA recognizes the importance of evidence-based communications efforts that help audiences better understand the value and impact of colleges and universities.
“Marketing is fundamentally about transformative storytelling. The College: Proud campaign does exactly that with a message aimed at helping audiences better understand the value of higher education by reframing the conversation in meaningful ways. The campaign spotlights the very real impact colleges and universities have on individuals, communities, the workforce, the future of work, and economic growth,” said Bennie F. Johnson, CEO of the AMA.
The College: Proud Sponsor of America at its Best campaign was launched in 2025 by BVK and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) to help colleges, universities, associations, employers, and civic leaders speak with a stronger, more unified voice about higher education’s contributions to society. The campaign provides free, customizable communications resources institutions and organizations can use to amplify positive stories and data about higher education’s public value.
“The Proud Sponsor campaign asks higher education to communicate with greater confidence and consistency about the impact colleges and universities have on people, communities, and the future of our country,” said Sue Cunningham, President and CEO of CASE. “The AMA’s endorsement is especially meaningful because it comes from an organization deeply rooted in understanding how messages resonate, how trust is built, and how public perception evolves.”
The AMA joins a coalition of endorsing organizations that includes American Council on Education (ACE), Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and Campus Compact, among others.
Organizations interested in endorsing or participating in the campaign can learn more and access free resources at whycollegematters.org.
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About Us
About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
As the leading global professional marketing association, the AMA is the essential community for marketers. From students and practitioners to executives and academics, we aim to elevate the profession, deepen knowledge, and make a lasting impact. The AMA is home to five premier scholarly journals including: Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Interactive Marketing. Our industry-leading training events and conferences define future forward practices, while our professional development and PCM® professional certification advance knowledge. With almost 70 chapters and a presence on 350 college campuses across North America, the AMA fosters a vibrant community of marketers.
The association's philanthropic arm, the AMA’s Foundation, is inspiring a more diverse industry and ensuring marketing research impacts public good. The AMA Foundation strengthens and elevates the marketing profession by advancing knowledge, building a global community of marketing leaders, and supporting marketing initiatives that drive innovation and societal impact.
AMA views marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. You can learn more about AMA’s learning programs and certifications, conferences and events, and scholarly journals at AMA.org.
About College: Proud Sponsor of America at its Best
College: Proud Sponsor of America at its Best is a national public-service campaign created to restore trust in American higher education by providing a unifying platform and a suite of free, customizable tools that institutions and organizations can use to amplify positive, fact-based messages about higher education’s contributions to society. The campaign emphasizes shared outcomes rather than institutional competition, encouraging the sector to speak with a stronger, more coordinated voice about the collective impacts of higher education that all Americans enjoy, regardless of whether they earn a degree.
About BVK
BVK is a full-service advertising and marketing agency dedicated to creating meaningful brand experiences that drive business results. With expertise across strategy, creative, media, and digital, BVK partners with organizations of all sizes to elevate their brand, engage audiences, and deliver measurable impact.
About CASE
CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) is a global, not-for-profit membership association dedicated to advancing education to transform lives and society. CASE supports more than 97,000 professionals across 3,000 institutions in 80 countries, providing guidance, standards, and resources for professionals in alumni relations, communications, development, fundraising, government relations, and marketing.
Contacts
Amy Gwiazdowski
VP, Communications
agwiazdowski@ama.community130 E. Randolph St., 22nd Floor, Chicago, 60601
Phone: 312-542-9076
https://www.ama.org/