Pam Russell
director of communications
CASE
+1-202-478-5680
russell@case.org

For Immediate Release
June 19, 2012

CASE Names Recipients of 2012 Research Awards in Educational Advancement

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has announced the winners of its 2012 Research Awards in Educational Advancement.

The awards recognize published books or articles, doctoral dissertations and master's theses in alumni relations, communications and marketing and fundraising.

An independent panel of judges selected five individuals. Their winning entries feature research on:

• New fundraising approaches at historically black colleges and universities
• Patterns of giving based on institution type
• Impact of student experiences and demographics on giving by community college alumni donors
• Impact of peer pressure on charitable giving

This year's winners are:

Marybeth Gasman, professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, and Nelson Bowman III, director of development at Prairie View A&M University. The two researchers received the John Grenzebach Award for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy for Educational Advancement, outstanding published scholarship, for A Guide to Fundraising at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The book features practical advice from leading HBCU fundraisers and private sector leaders on new strategies and best practices in fundraising. It also includes data-based content to strengthen understanding of institutional advancement and examples of innovative fundraising and engagement programs at various institutions.

Jason Foster Simon, director of research, assessment and planning for student development at the University of North Texas. Simon received the John Grenzebach Award for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy for Educational Advancement, outstanding doctoral dissertation, for "Does Campus Type Really Matter? National Patterns of Alumni Giving in the 2008 Voluntary Support of Education Study," completed at the University of North Texas. Simon examines giving differences among alumni based on institution type. Based on his research, Simon writes that differences do exist between campus type and fundraising outcomes, especially at private and public master's institutions. According to Simon, the master's institutions "may not have as clear of a fundraising imperative to communicate to their donors."

Lisa Skari, vice president of institutional advancement at Highline Community College. Skari received the H.S. Warwick Research Awards in Alumni Relations for Educational Advancement, outstanding doctoral dissertation, for "Who Gives? Characteristics of Community College Alumni Donors," completed at Washington State University. Skari's dissertation profiles the attributes of community college alumni philanthropy. It is one of the first studies to profile donors of two-year institutions. Using predictive models, Skari explores the characteristics of community college alumni donors to understand giving at two-year institutions. She finds that the likelihood of community college alumni giving has a positive relationship to student experience, age, giving to other organizations and income. She also finds that alumni who graduated with an associate degree are twice as likely to give as those who did not.

Jonathan Meer, assistant professor at Texas A&M University. Meer received the H.S. Warwick Research Awards in Alumni Relations for Educational Advancement, outstanding published scholarship, for "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Peer Pressure in Charitable Solicitation," published in the Journal of Public Economics. Meer's paper reviewed the effects of peer pressure on charitable giving. Using university data, Meer analyzed whether alumni are more likely to give and give larger amounts when they are solicited by someone with whom they have social ties. Meer finds that social ties play a strong causal role in the decision to donate and the average gift size; also, a request is much more effective if the solicitor shares characteristics, such as race, with the alumni being solicited.

There were no recipients of the Alice L. Beeman Research Awards in Communications and Marketing for Educational Advancement.

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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