Boston, MA – Thursday, 11/22/24 – Modo Labs, creator of the leading digital campus experience and engagement platform for higher education, announced the winning colleges and universities of its 7th annual Appademy Awards. This year’s awards celebrate colleges and universities that excel in creating innovative, personalized, and impactful digital campus experiences using the Modo Campus platform.
Modo Campus’ low-code platform enables today’s leading universities and colleges to deliver a seamless, unified digital experience across the entire institution. Each year, the Appademy Awards recognize institutions that drive student engagement, streamline communications, and reimagine the digital campus experience through creative problem-solving and innovation.
“We are thrilled by the record number of exceptional entries for this year’s Appademy Awards, showcasing the wide-ranging use cases and creative problem-solving enabled by Modo’s platform,” said Andrew Yu, President and Founder of Modo Labs. “From newcomers to seasoned participants, institutions like UNC Wilmington have demonstrated how personalized, customizable campus apps and portals can transform the digital experience for every facet of the university community—prospective students, admitted students, alumni, and families alike.”
This year’s competition drew over 100 submissions, showcasing how institutions use Modo to make campus resources more accessible and create unified digital experiences.
“The submissions highlighted how Modo empowers campuses to deliver a unified digital experience, driving outcomes in engagement and events while addressing diverse needs.” Yu continued. “While we wish we could have awarded even more institutions, this year’s entries reaffirm the immense value of the Modo platform in fostering innovation and connection across higher education.”
2024 Appademy Awards Winners
The 2024 Appademy Awards included ten categories, with winners eligible for the Best Overall Campus Mobile App award. This year’s winners are:
Best Personalized Experience: Utah Tech University
Best Dining: Illinois State University
Best Use of Communications: University of North Dakota
Best Integration (XModule): Penn State University
Best Desktop: Palm Beach State College
Best Traditional Event: University of North Carolina Wilmington
Best App Redesign: San Francisco State University
Best Prospective Student Experience: Auburn University
Best Student Driven App: California State University Northridge
Most Creative App Marketing: Syracuse University
Best Overall Campus App: Penn State University
Spotlight on Winners
Penn State University, winner of both Best Integration and Best Overall Campus App, was recognized for its Penn State Go app, which personalizes user experiences and connects the university community with essential resources.
“The Penn State Go app empowers our university community to stay informed, engaged, and successful,” said Ryan Seilhamer, Product Manager of the Campus Digital Experience. “By collaborating with stakeholders across all campuses, we’ve built a platform that connects users with essential resources, important updates, and opportunities to engage through events and experiences.”
Looking ahead, Penn State plans to enhance its app’s personalization features and expand its web platform to ensure accessibility for all users.
“We’re excited about the future of Penn State Go as we continue to enhance personalization through deeper integrations with vital campus platforms, helping our users stay a step ahead in achieving their goals. Additionally, we’re looking forward to expanding the web experience and making Penn State Go a versatile and accessible platform no matter where or how our community connects.”
First-time winner UNC Wilmington received the Best Traditional Event award for its seamless move-in and orientation experience, launched through the UNCW Mobile app in June 2024.
“The concept of a campus app was championed from day one by our Chancellor, Dr. Aswani Volety, who wanted to ensure our student move-in experience was as efficient and seamless as possible.” Shared Jarrett Piner, Senior Director of Enterprise Project Management & Client Experience. “Based on that mandate, the ITS implementation team worked hand in hand with various campus stakeholders to understand our campus’ move-in processes to best incorporate use of the app…Bottom line: with the right people engaged you can do anything!”
Beyond the dedication of their internal team to create new experiences for all campus users, UNCW shared enthusiasm and excitement with the Modo development team. Reflecting on the win, Piner stated, “We are blown away by winning this award, and honestly really must give credit for the Modo app implementation we’ve worked with over the past semester. It’s always nice working with a group of such dedicated and capable people, and to win an award for that work is a rare event indeed!”
Recognizing Innovation Across Higher Ed
A panel of technology, design, and user experience experts reviewed submissions based on creativity, design, user experience, features, and performance metrics. This year’s judges included:
Mark Albert, CIO & Associate VP for Information Technology, DeSales University
Julia Arreguy, Chief Technology Officer, CCC Technology Center
Tanya Vulfson, Senior Product Designer, Work & Co.
Sarah Margulies, VP of Sales, Modo Labs
Andrew Yu, Founder & President, Modo Labs
Congratulations to the 2024 winners, whose groundbreaking work exemplifies the innovation and personalization achievable through the Modo platform. With a surplus of high-quality submissions, it is no wonder that Modo campuses across the world are creating unique and personalized experiences for their students and faculty.
For a complete list of finalists and winning submission details, read the full 2024 Appademy Awards blog.
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