Rowan College Tarot Deck Marks College's Annual Review

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Rowan College at Burlington County is dipping into the world of psychics to highlight the year that was in the college community.

The college — which has spent the past few years redefining the concept of their annual reports, adding fun and functionality into the process for both the audience and the marketing team, — is fashioning the year’s notable moments and people into the style of a tarot card deck.

Following its 3+1 theme, the Rowan College at Burlington County deck has 31 digitally-illustrated cards highlighting students, faculty, alumni and events from the college’s 2020-2021 academic year.

“When we started brainstorming ideas for this annual report, we knew we had to think outside the box for many reasons,” Rowan College at Burlington County President Dr. Michael A. Cioce said. “It was a pandemic year, for one. But it was also a time during which everyone around us was reflecting on their choices, their lifestyles and their places in the world. We wanted to do something inspiring. This deck showcases the myriad ways people from varying backgrounds come together on our campuses to learn, evolve and grow.”

It is the latest in the college’s line of creative ways to highlight its year. Previous innovations have included a high-gloss magazine to a calendar to a classic newspaper complete with a comic strip.

The marketing team’s efforts have paid off in the form of National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) Medallion awards for consecutive years.

The tarot deck’s featured cards include “The Athlete,” highlighting Olympic athlete Priscilla Frederick-Loomis, a frequent client at RCBC’s Dental Hygiene Clinic; “The Artist,” highlighting nationally-acclaimed artist and RCBC alum Lavett Ballard; and “The Mobilizer,” highlighting RCBC History Professor Jamie Judge, who created a tutorial on how to complete the mail-in ballot in the midst of the 2020 presidential election.

Each card includes an inspirational message, a brief blurb and a full-color digital illustration of the subject. The set also comes with a guide sharing a message from Cioce, some institutional statistics and a deeper dive into the subject of each card. The outstanding artistic design masks the fact that the college had less original photography due to the reduced on-campus operations during the pandemic. The full deck can be seen at rcbc.edu/publications.