Robert Alberty, a graduate student in the Elections and Campaign Management program, has won a Student Pollie Award for Best Radio Ad from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC).

Titled “Where Will Tom Go Next?” Alberty’s ad was created during the “Strategies and Mechanisms of Political Communication” course taught last fall by veteran instructors and leading political strategists Joseph Mercurio and Bart Robbett. The ad contrasted U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’s perfect voting attendance record with that of her challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen.

“I am so pleased by this honor, which would have been impossible without the training and encouragement I received from the instructors and my classmates in the campaign management program,” Alberty said. “This is exactly why I came to Fordham.”

Awarded annually by the AAPC, the Pollies are the most prestigious awards in the political campaign and public affairs industry. This is the first year the Pollies opened the competition to students in campaign management programs across the country.

“We are delighted that the AAPC has recognized Robert for his excellence in political advertising,” said Costas Panagopoulos, Ph.D., director of the program. “Robert exemplifies the high standard of excellence that students in the ECM program are trained to achieve, and we are very proud.”

Alberty received his award on March 15 at the AAPC’s annual conference in Santa Monica, Calif.