In 1974, the American Alumni Council and the American College Public Relations Association merged, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education was born.

At the time of its founding, CASE had one office and just over 2,000 member institutions with fewer than 7,000 advancement professionals. Today, 97,000 professionals at 3,100 institutions in more than 80 countries enjoy the many benefits of a CASE membership and are served by offices in four regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and United States/Canada. As these numbers have grown and the profession has matured globally, one thing is unchanged—the importance of member volunteerism as the cornerstone to all that CASE has accomplished.

With that in mind, member input will be a component of CASE’s 50th anniversary celebration throughout the year. At many of CASE’s conferences throughout the world, unique panel discussions will invite member participation on key themes facing the profession today and into the future. This input will be captured to inform strategies for the future of advancement.