Rae Goldsmith

CASE
+1-202-328-2273
goldsmith@case.org

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

For Immediate Release
Dec. 1, 2008

CASE Launches Second Advancement Conference in Asia-Pacific Region

Experts from around the globe to discuss challenges facing educational institutions

HONG KONG-Educational fundraising in today's difficult economic climate will be one of the leading topics of discussion at the 2008 CASE Asia-Pacific Advancement Conference, which takes place Dec. 2-5, at Hong Kong International School and the Harbour Plaza Hong Kong.

CASE is the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the largest international association of educational institutions in the world.

Additional topics include taking advantage of the next generation in Web technology and understanding etiquette, cultural issues and protocol in different Asia-Pacific countries.

The conference, "Your Harbour, Your Horizon," is designed for professionals who work at educational institutions in alumni relations, fundraising, marketing and communications, collectively called "advancement." The conference will focus on advancement at independent and international schools and institutions of higher education.

More than 300 participants are expected at the conference, which features a notable lineup of advancement experts as well as education leaders, including Alan Finkel, chancellor of Monash University in Melbourne; Way Kuo, president of City University of Hong Kong; Stephen Toope, president of the University of British Columbia; and Lap-Chee Tsui, vice chancellor and president of the University of Hong Kong.

At the conference gala dinner on Thursday, Dec. 4, CASE will present Circle of Excellence awards for exceptional achievement to the University of Melbourne (marketing and communications); the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (special events) and the University of Waterloo (alumni relations programming). Paul Sheahan, headmaster of the prestigious Melbourne Grammar School in Australia, will receive the 2008 CASE Asia-Pacific Chief Executive Leadership Award for his outstanding service to education and the wider community.

This is the second comprehensive CASE conference in Asia and underscores the growing importance of advancement in the region and elsewhere around the world as institutions work to secure private financial support, engage alumni and attract prospective students. CASE, based in Washington, D.C., also has offices in Singapore and London.

About CASE

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in London, Singapore and Mexico City, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the professional organization for advancement professionals who work in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, marketing and other areas.

CASE is one of the largest nonprofit education associations in terms of institutional membership. Its membership includes more than 3,400 colleges, universities, independent elementary and secondary schools, and educational associates in 74 countries around the world. It serves nearly 65,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with their alumni and donors, raise funds for campus projects, produce recruitment materials, market their institutions to prospective students, diversify the profession and foster public 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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