Campus traditions bring communities together. They build alumni identity and connections. But the pandemic has disrupted the ways campus communities gather, cancelling or changing traditions that were rooted in years of history. Where do traditions stand, in times of change? Here, advancement professionals and higher education researchers share why traditions endure, how they shift, and what role advancement today plays in celebrating and shaping them

What is race equity as it applies to education institutions? How are advancement teams approaching this work, which experts say involves a wholesale transformation of organizational cultures? How are institutions and individuals moving forward in the name of equity? 

Alumni relations teams that executed innovative programs in 2019 faced a big question in 2020: How could they continue those projects amid the pandemic? Here’s how five teams grappled with that—and the key lessons their experiences reveal about creatively and strategically problem-solving when contexts change.

Sports rivalries in higher education and among independent schools foster advancement opportunities 

How advancement draws on athletics to communicate with constituents, motivate alumni, and speak to a greater mission—even in an era when the sports environment has changed radically

In the summer of 2020, Virginia Commonwealth University's alumni relations team was looking for new ways to both highlight alumni and create lighthearted, short, non-event programming during COVID-19. So, in July, the Richmond, Virginia, institution lauched its alumni business spotlights on Instagram.

The CASE Library has compiled these resources to assist members who are looking to start or revamp an alumni awards program. 

It is still too early to say what will happen as the world confronts COVID-19, but advancement professionals in alumni relations and career services remain optimistic that students and alumni will be able to join the workforce. Campus career centers and alumni relations offices are teaming up to leverage alumni networks and provide work experience opportunities and informational sessions for students and young alumni. 

The Advancement Resource Catalog is the Library's database of 15,000+ item records (including articles, books, and white papers) available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Alumni engagement metrics have come a long way in a short time and are proving to be crucial to advancement teams. With years of solid data under their belts, many in alumni relations are finding significant results from building systems around these metrics, altering their actions in response, and displaying the value of their work to constituents, institutional leadership, and board members.