Bringing students and advancement professionals together to share student advancement best practices and network is the main goal of the 46th annual CASE ASAP Network Convention, part of CASE's Conference for Student Advancement, Aug. 1-3, 2019, in Baltimore, Maryland. 

As we gear up for the event, we spoke with Andrew String, a rising junior at the University of Maryland, and Lauren Norris, director of student and recent graduate programming at the University of Maryland Alumni Association, who are co-chairing the CASE ASAP Network Convention along with Stephanie Salerno and Brianne Ross of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Here, they discuss the importance of student advancement and what they’re most looking forward to at the conference.

CASE: How did you find your way to advancement?

Andrew String: At the beginning of my freshman year I was walking around campus when someone offered me a free yoga mat. He gave me his pitch about our student advancement program, the Student Alumni Leadership Council. The SALC helped me find my love for advancement and taught me how it can benefit me professionally. I would like to think that I didn’t find advancement, but rather it found me.

Lauren Norris: My path to advancement grew out of my passion for higher education and student affairs. I began my professional career working in undergraduate admissions followed by several years working in new student orientation. At that time I was also a master’s student in UMD’s Higher Education program, which requires a semester-long internship. I reached out to a mentor who was working at the Alumni Association and she helped me to develop and solidify an internship with her team that eventually grew into a full-time role.

CASE: What’s your favorite part of your student advancement program?

AS: My favorite part of SALC is the ability to grow the program. Since we’re a relatively new organization we are still in the process of assessing and modifying our signature events. This flexibility allows for student input from our members and participants. I’m grateful to be a part of an organization that is so willing to listen to others and take action from suggestions.

LN: My favorite part of SALC is, not surprisingly, the students. When I think about the programs that we have developed and the events we’ve created over the past two years I know that it is solely because of the dedication of our students and the value they see in our mission to inspire a sense of community between Terps across generations and to instill lifelong loyalty to our alma mater.

CASE: Why is it important to bring students and advancement professionals together at the same event?

AS: It’s crucial to teach the importance of philanthropy and advocacy at an early age. These values are transferable to any professional. In the SALC we strive to create a pipeline of loyal Terps.

LN: College students rarely get the opportunity to experience a national conference and what better way to train the next generation of advancement professionals than by exposing them to the advancement world through a fun, informative, and reinvigorating annual conference?

CASE: What are you most looking forward to at CSA?

AS: I’m most looking forward to all of the connections and unique networking opportunities. Throughout the conference we planned a ton of fun events to go beyond the traditional conference atmosphere. I think having these fun events allows for students to learn how important it is to know that networking can be fun.

LN: I am most looking forward to reconnecting with my peers at other institutions and meeting new people who work in student advancement across the country. Additionally, we’re bringing several SALC members to the conference this year and I’m really excited to see them experience CSA and the ideas that they will take from the conference to implement on our campus.

CASE: What do you hope people will take away from CSA?

AS: I hope people take away the energy brought to the conference. We have phenomenal individuals who are passionate about their work coming together at CSA and everyone will get to see how student advancement programs differ across the country.

LN: I hope people leave CSA with new ideas for their own student advancement programs and that they build relationships with their peers.