Opportunity and Inclusion

The Committee on Opportunity and Inclusion, a standing committee of the CASE International's Board of Trustees, examines issues of inclusiveness among institutional advancement professionals, determines how those issues might be better addressed by CASE, and sponsors and promotes programs and activities that will increase the level of diversity within CASE and the institutional advancement profession.

At the National and District Levels, COI Addresses the Following Objectives:

VISIBILITY: increasing the representation of advancement professionals of color in CASE as members, leaders, speakers, and staff professionals.

NETWORKING AND MENTORING: developing and maintaining an active support network for advancement professionals of color.

EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES: heightening awareness that fosters increased recruitment, hiring, and promotion of qualified professionals of color; and seeking ways to eliminate employment barriers. Ongoing monitoring of progress in this area is a function of the committee.

EDUCATING OTHERS: promoting the field of institutional advancement as a variable career option to students, particularly students of color, and providing information to other professionals and related organizations about hiring and working with advancement professionals of color.

The need to increase the participation of people of color member representatives in CASE and at the same time promote career advancement for these individuals led to the establishment of the national CASE Commission for the Career Advancement of Minorities and Women, later known as the commission for Opportunity and Inclusion. As a result of reorganization of the CASE Board in 1992, the Commission on Opportunity and Inclusion became a standing committee of the board and was comprised of trustees and non-trustees. In 1995, the CASE membership ratified bylaw amendments that would result in the committee consisting entirely of trustees by 1998.

The COI chair is appointed by the chair of the CASE Board of Trustees on a yearly basis. The chair is responsible for leading the committee in establishing and implementing short and long term goals and objectives and developing a yearly action plan to support COI's mission. The chair also serves on the CASE Board of Trustee's Executive Committee and is responsible for reporting on the activities of this committee to the board.

The committee focuses on developing strong district-level committees to identify and develop goals and objectives designed to meet the needs of advancement professionals of color within each district. The concerns, the issues, and the needs of advancement professionals of color vary from district to district; therefore, the district organization has been considered basic to the overall goal of advancing the careers of these professionals within CASE.

To achieve CASE's overall mission, the national committee has taken steps to encourage advancement professionals of color to participate in all areas of CASE on the district and national levels as program resources, committee members, and board officers. Goals established to accomplish this mission for the current year can be found in the committee's "Action Plan."

COI continually tries to broaden its impact through a number of projects at the national level. In any given year they can include:

  1. The Forum for Minority Institutional Advancement Officers: The Forum provides director-level minority advancement officers with an opportunity to discuss institutional, professional, and career issues in a small group setting with senior-level colleagues.
  2. The Virginia Carter Smith Scholarship Program: The program awards 40 complimentary registrations for CASE conferences to newcomers in institutional advancement.
  3. Supporting CASE's practice of conducting membership surveys regarding salaries and Job responsibilities, particularly of women institutional advancement officers and people of color.
  4. Help the CASE Board of Trustees acknowledge and understand the need for diversity through board training workshops that will encourage awareness of the advantages and appropriateness of inclusionary practices.

Objectives of the district committees are; to place more advancement professionals of color n leadership positions at district conferences and programs; to sponsor mini-workshops on career development for advancement professionals of color; to develop mailing lists of those interested in diversity issues; and to promote in other ways professional advancement opportunities for advancement professionals of color at the district level.

  • Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
  • Resolution on Access and Diversity

CASE adopts the concepts of diversity meaning the creation and maintenance of the work and volunteer environment where differences are appreciated and valued allowing individuals to flourish and contribute to their full potential.

Access and diversity are essential to the mission of education and its role of serving society. As we move toward the twenty-first century, education must be accessible to everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, class, gender, faith, physical ability, sexual orientation or economic circumstance. Accordingly, we renew and reaffirm in the strongest possible terms our support for educational access and opportunity for all representing our rich and diverse cultures. Our society's most fundamental interest requires that all of our students, regardless of individual characteristics, seize the opportunity to be educated to their fullest potential.

We similarly resolve to continue our efforts to develop and engage the diverse and rich talents represented by our students, faculty and staff.

We renew and reaffirm our commitment to nurture and maximize the talents of all our people and their ethnic cultures, and we renew and reaffirm our educational obligation to promote diversity on behalf of the greater good of the society.