District VIII Opportunity and Inclusion Scholarship recipients at 2019 Conference

Opportunity and Inclusion

CASE District VIII is committed to growing the diversity of the advancement profession and helping member institutions strengthen their relationships with an increasingly diverse alumni population. In support of this commitment, the O&I chairs advance a cohesive and comprehensive effort centered on increasing competency, changing the culture, and building an organizational conscience to ensure that District VIII is a community where all members feel welcome and engaged—a community that reflects and diversity and richness of the discipline of advancement itself.

Contact information about CASE District VIII Opportunity and Inclusion efforts:

Maureen Procopio, Chair
District VIII Opportunity & Inclusion
Senior Director, Campaign Strategy and Institutional Benchmarking
University Advancement
University of Oregon
districts@case.org

Meet the 2020 Opportunity and Inclusion Scholars
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  • To encourage consistent recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion of qualified professionals with diverse backgrounds at all levels of CASE and to serve as a resource to management.
  • To educate members of District VIII about how cultural competency and diversity impact the work environment.
  • To encourage recognition that the process of better understanding each other’s diversity and cultures is one of increased respect, knowledge, compassion and inclusion.
  • Ensure that the annual district conference experience reflects the diversity and richness of members of our profession and the communities they serve.
  • Welcome new professionals of diverse backgrounds to the district and the profession.
  • Serve as a conduit for volunteer professionals and students of diverse backgrounds to get involved with CASE district conferences and activities.
  • Serve as a mentor for professionals and students of diverse backgrounds.
  • Promote and serve as a resource for CASE’s O&I programming.
Opportunity and Inclusion Scholars Program

CASE District VIII values efforts that foster and promote diversity in the advancement/communications profession. The Opportunity and Inclusion (O&I) Scholars Program supports professionals from underrepresented populations in the field of advancement and communications. The purpose of the O&I Scholars Program is to encourage diverse professionals, particularly those who have less than four years of experience in the field of advancement and communications to attend the annual district conference.

CASE District VIII is offering 10 scholarships open to all advancement/communications professionals and four scholarships open to alumni relations professionals to cover the cost of registration and a travel stipend to help cover the cost of travel expenses to attend the annual district conference in Greater Seattle, Washington, on Jan. 29-31, 2020.

For questions or for more information about the CASE District VIII Opportunity and Inclusion Scholars Program, please contact:

Susan Ordonez, Co-Chair
Associate Director, Early Engagement
University of Oregon Alumni Association
districts@case.org

The application process for all O&I scholarship opportunities are the same. Alumni relations professionals will be considered for the alumni relations scholarships first, but also included in the overall O&I selection process if not selected for the alumni relations scholarship.

Ideal applicants meet one or more of the following eligibility categories and express leadership capabilities, a high degree of motivation, and are interested in contributing knowledge to the field of Advancement/Communications.

  • Opportunity: “New to Advancement” (N2A) indicates professionals who have less than 4 years of experience in the field of advancement/communications. N2A scholarships and programming encourage “new” professionals who work in alumni administration, educational fundraising, institutional relations, and communications; including periodicals and publications at a CASE member institution or affiliate to have the opportunity to engage with other industry professionals for the purposes of professional development, mentoring, sponsoring, hiring, networking, retention, and promotion to leadership positions in the field of advancement/communications.
  • Inclusion: CASE District VIII values efforts that foster and promote diversity in the advancement/communications profession. We are committed to the recruitment, retention, and promotion of individuals of underrepresented populations, varying ethnic or religious backgrounds, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, veteran status, and/or physical and mental capabilities throughout all levels of the field of advancement/communications. Our goal is for scholarships to encourage the participation of diverse individuals at the district conferences and promote the exchange of various ideas that contribute to advancement/communications professionally, deepen the understanding of diversity in the field, and the importance of fostering an industry-wide global perspective.

Note: Previous O&I scholarship recipients are not eligible.

Supervisor Approval
In the application form, supervisor name and contact information is requested as supervisor approval to apply for the O&I scholarship is required. The goal is to be sure that applicants have their university’s support when applying.

Personal Statement
Prepare a personal statement (no longer than 500 words in length) describing the following:

  1. How you meet the eligibility for this scholarship;
  2. Outstanding leadership abilities or honors/awards received;
  3. The value that attending the conference will have for you professionally;
  4. The value that attending the conference will have for your institution; and
  5. Specific circumstances at your institution that make it difficult to pay the cost of your conference registration.

Upload your personal statement as a document into the application form.

Optional Résumé
You have the option to submit your resume for the committee’s consideration (not to take the place of any required information in the application).

Your personal statement and résumé must be combined into one document, with the personal statement as the first page.