CASE is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that provides educational professions in the fields of alumni relations, communications, and fund raising with essential tools to advance their institutions.
“I couldn’t be happier that we have won four CASE awards in the last two years,” said Dean for College Advancement Joe Emmick ’92. “So much of our work is behind the scenes in support of Wabash’s educational program that it’s nice when our programs are honored by our peers in higher education.”
Wabash President Andrew T. Ford agrees: “On campus, we have received lots of very positive comments about the magazine and about the Class Agent and Alumni Admissions programs. It is easy to downplay these accolades because they typically come from enthusiastic alumni. So it is especially nice when the recognition comes from a jury of peers. Its judgment reminds us all of how lucky we are to have such fine people working so hard and so well on behalf of the College.”
According to Joanne Catlett, awards and special programs director for CASE, judges in the Circle of Excellence Awards competition “look first and foremost for programs that can be used as models for other institutions and incorporated into the c ore curriculum framework developed by the three CASE professional area commissions.”
CASE has recognized Wabash’s Class Agent System for a Seal of Excellence Award. Every Wabash graduating class is represented by a few Class Agents, who are elected by the Alumni Office to serve as liaisons with the College. The Alumni Office, under Director Tom Runge ’71, organizes workshops for Class Agents, communicates with them monthly, and works with Agents on reunion planning.
“Under Tom Runge’s leadership, Mike Warren, Michele Tatar, and Heather Bazzani have carefully and creatively managed our class agents in a way that has produced record levels of activity,” said Emmick.
Wabash Magazine earned a CASE Circle of Excellence Award for Best Article of the Year, Silver Medal, for an article written and photographed by Kyle Nickel. Editor Steve Charles worked cooperatively with Nickel, who competed with professional writers from universities and colleges of all sizes. The award is the first ever for Wabash Magazine.
CASE has also recognized Wabash's alumni admissions program with a Circle of Excellence Award. This is a program originally developed by Runge as a way of engaging alumni more intimately in the student recruitment process. Now managed by Steve Marcou ’93, the program has resulted in back-to-back years of more than 1,000 alumni referrals to the Admissions Office.
Wabash’s Advancement Office consists of Annual and Planned Giving; the Campaign for Leadership; Alumni and Parent Affairs; and Public Affairs and Marketing.