CASE Names Recipients of 2009 Research Awards in Educational Advancement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has named the winners of its 2009 Research Awards in Educational Advancement.

The annual awards recognize published books or articles and doctoral dissertations or master’s theses in each of three categories: alumni relations, communications and marketing, and fundraising.

This year’s winning entries feature compelling research on:

• The impact of transformational or notable mega gifts on higher education institutions
• Successes and pitfalls of institutional rebranding strategies, specifically when changing the institutional name from “college” to “university”
• Philanthropy, volunteerism and fundraising in higher education, historically and currently 
• Institutional strategies to enhance giving from young African-American alumni
• Marketing colleges and universities with a services focus
• The motivation for alumni giving: Is giving driven by altruism or self-interest? 

The honors are the H.S. Warwick Research Awards in Alumni Relations for Educational Advancement; the Alice L. Beeman Awards in Communications and Marketing; and the John Grenzebach Awards for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy for Educational Advancement.

The 2009 CASE Research Awards in Educational Advancement winners are:

Noah Drezner, assistant professor of higher education, University of Maryland, College Park. Drezner is the recipient of the H.S. Warwick Research Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation for “Cultivating a Culture of Giving: An Exploration of Institutional Strategies to Enhance African American Young Alumni Giving," completed at the University of Pennsylvania. Drezner’s research examines how institutions, in particular historically black colleges and universities, cultivate a culture of giving in students. The study provides a broader understanding of how African-American millennials think about giving.

Jonathan Meer, assistant professor of economics, Texas A&M University, and Harvey Rosen, professor of economics, Princeton University. Meer and Rosen are the recipients of the H.S. Warwick Research Award for Outstanding Published Scholarship for “Altruism and the Child Cycle of Alumni Donations,” published by the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. The research explores motivations for alumni giving and whether contributions are affected by the expectation of a reciprocal benefit. Specifically, the authors studied alumni contributions to a particular research university to determine whether donations were motivated by a perceived gain.

James Owston, senior academic officer, Mountain State University. Owston is the recipient of the Alice L. Beeman Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation award for "Survival of the Fittest? The Rebranding of West Virginia Higher Education," completed at Marshall University. Owston’s research examines the perception that institutional branding associated with a college-to-university name change results in increased enrollment, prestige or financial benefits. The research focused on the successes and pitfalls of institutional rebranding strategies at 11 institutions.

Thomas Hayes, Thomas Hayes, professor of marketing, Xavier University and vice president and partner, SimpsonScarborough. Hayes is the recipient of the Alice L. Beeman Award for Outstanding Published Scholarship for Marketing Colleges and Universities: A Service Approach, published by CASE. His book reconsiders higher education marketing from the perspective of a service organization. In the book, Hayes identifies what it takes to provide quality service at a college or university and why superior service must be the foundation of an institution’s marketing program.

Richard Trollinger, vice president for college relations, Centre College. Trollinger is the recipient of the John Grenzebach Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation for “Philanthropy and Transformation in American Higher Education,” completed at the University of Kentucky. Trollinger’s research documents how notable mega gifts caused dramatic but different changes in three recipient colleges and universities.

Andrea Walton, associate professor, education, Indiana University, and Marybeth Gasman, associate professor, higher education, University of Pennsylvania. Walton and Gasman received the John Grenzebach Research Award for Outstanding Published Scholarship for Philanthropy, Volunteerism & Fundraising in Higher Education, published by the Association for the Study of Higher Education. The book provides historical and contemporary information on philanthropy, fundraising and volunteerism and serves as a tool for those teaching and studying these topics. It contains nearly 900 pages of research findings, historical articles and newspaper clippings.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is one of the largest international associations of education institutions, serving more than 3,400 universities, colleges, and independent primary and secondary schools in 61 countries. CASE is the leading resource for professional development, information and standards in the fields of educational fundraising, communications and marketing, and alumni relations.

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