Virginia State University Named 2026 HBCU of the Year for Marketing Excellence

VSU also earns Best Enterprise Campaign for its viral “Boots On The Ground” commencement celebration.

Virginia State University has earned two national honors in the inaugural 2026 Pulse Awards, including the distinction of HBCU of the Year, recognizing the University’s strategic communications, compelling storytelling, and measurable institutional impact.

Presented by the African American Marketing Association, the Pulse Awards celebrate the marketers, creatives, brands, and campaigns advancing culture through exceptional strategy, creativity, and results. Winners were announced during the fifth annual Marketing For The Culture Summit on Thursday, August 27, 2026, in Houston, Texas.

VSU received the HBCU of the Year award for its submission, “Greater Happens Here: From Brand Promise to Measurable Impact.” The University’s Spring 2025 Commencement “Boots On The Ground” initiative also won Best Enterprise Campaign, a category recognizing a large-scale campaign demonstrating strategic depth, exceptional execution, and strong results across a broad audience.

“These awards affirm what we at Virginia State University have long known: Dr. Gwen Williams Dandridge is one of the best in the business,” said VSU President Dr. Makola M. Abdullah. “What makes this recognition even more remarkable is that Dr. Dandridge and her talented three-person team consistently produce work with the reach, quality, and impact of a much larger operation. They understand how to capture the spirit of Virginia State University, connect our stories to our mission, and show the world what it means when we say Greater Happens Here. I am extraordinarily proud of them.”

The HBCU of the Year submission demonstrated how VSU has transformed Greater Happens Here from a brand statement into a measurable expression of the University’s momentum and impact. The case study highlighted accomplishments across academics, research, student success, athletics, global engagement, institutional advancement, and national visibility.

Among the achievements featured were VSU’s attainment of Carnegie R2 research status, its historic rise in national rankings, recognition as a Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader for the fourth consecutive year, the opening of the 175,000-square-foot Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons, expanded study-abroad opportunities reaching 13 countries, championship athletics, and strategic storytelling that elevated the experiences and accomplishments of VSU students.

“This recognition belongs to the entire Virginia State University community,” said Dr. Gwen Williams Dandridge, Assistant Vice President for Communications. “Our team has the privilege of telling the story, but our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters are the people creating the impact behind that story every day. These awards affirm the power of pairing authentic storytelling with a clear strategy and measurable outcomes. For a team of four, Parris Bowles, Karmen Piland, Brandon Carwile, and myself, to receive this level of national recognition is deeply meaningful, and we are incredibly proud to represent Virginia State University.”

VSU’s award-winning “Boots On The Ground” campaign began as a surprise activation during the University’s Spring 2025 Commencement ceremony. Custom Greater Happens Here fans were placed beneath graduates’ seats and revealed moments before graduates, faculty, administrators, and guests joined in the popular “Boots On The Ground” line dance.

The Office of Communications captured and shared the celebration across the University’s social media platforms, making the video available within 30 minutes of the ceremony’s conclusion. The campaign generated nearly 3 million views, earned national coverage from Inside Edition and other media outlets, and introduced audiences across the country to the pride, culture, and community spirit of the VSU experience.

The campaign’s impact extended beyond visibility. Following the enthusiastic response to the branded commencement fans, VSU offered them for sale for a limited time. In one week, the initiative generated nearly $30,000 for the University’s Student Tuition Assistance Fund, turning a celebratory cultural moment into direct support for students.

The Pulse Awards were created as a national platform to recognize marketing work at the intersection of strategy, creativity, culture, and impact. VSU submitted entries in three categories and earned top honors in two.

For Virginia State University, the recognition provides additional evidence that Greater Happens Here is more than a promise. It is a story of institutional excellence, shared pride, and measurable impact, told with authenticity and experienced throughout the Trojan community.