Pam Russell
Director of Communications
CASE
+1-202-478-5680
russell@case.org

For Immediate Release
April 14, 2008

CASE, Commonfund to Honor Two Leaders for 'Extraordinary Contributions' to Foundation Fundraising

Texas A&M, Northampton CC Foundation Leaders Applauded for Advancing Higher Education

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Two widely respected leaders in educational foundation fundraising have been selected as the 2008 winners of the CASE Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation awards.

The awards recognize individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement, quality and effectiveness of their foundations and the community of institutionally related foundations as a whole. Institutionally related foundations are private, nonprofit corporations that cultivate and manage private resources to support the missions of the colleges, universities, and university systems with which they are affiliated.

The award recipients were honored April 16 during ceremonies at the Don CeSar Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

The 2008 winners are:

• Ed Davis, president of Texas A&M Foundation. Davis has served as president of the foundation for 14 years. Under his leadership, the foundation successfully completed two major fundraising campaigns, including "One Spirit One Vision," which raised more than $1.5 billion. Davis has guided the foundation's growth from an institution with $236 million in assets to a nationally recognized foundation with total assets in excess of $1.3 billion. In 2006, Davis took a one-year leave of absence to serve as interim president of Texas A&M. The experience gave him insight into the relationship between university and foundation presidents, which he has shared with other foundation leaders. John Stropp, senior vice president for administration and operations, Texas A&M Foundation, says Davis has dedicated his professional life-more than 35 years-to higher education and that he has made "lasting contributions" to this field.
• Susan Kubik, vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of Northampton Community College Foundation. Since joining the foundation in 1975, Kubik has overseen a number of successes-including building its one-person advancement shop to a staff of 28 and establishing an endowment valued at $22 million with total assets of more than $32 million. In addition, Kubik has directed a number of successful campaigns, including the most recent "Promises to Keep," which raised $14.2 million-$5.5 million more than was predicted by a feasibility study. Brenda Babitz, president of Monroe Community College Foundation, notes that Kubik's enthusiasm for the profession, willingness to mentor young professionals and provide counsel to colleagues make her a "paragon among foundation executives."

The awards are underwritten by Commonfund, a nonprofit corporation with more than 1,800 members and more than $40 billion in assets under management. Commonfund provides fund management services and investment advice to educational institutions, hospitals, foundations, and other nonprofits.

From left to right: William Jarvis, Commonfund; John Lippincott, CASE; Eddie Davis, award winner, Texas A&M Foundation; Susan Kubik, award winner, Northampton Community College Foundation; Jim Bowles, Commonfund

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

CASE was founded in 1974 and maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE América Latina, 2011).

Today, CASE’s membership includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in 76 countries around the globe. This makes CASE one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves more than 70,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 17,000 professional members on its roster.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on—and therefore must foster—the good will, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with all of these constituencies by providing relevant research, supporting growth in the profession and fostering support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

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