On June 22nd, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) announced its 2022 Circle of Excellence Awards winners across the globe, which included Acadiana’s own South Louisiana Community College (SLCC). The college - one of only seven award winners selected in their category and the only community college - was honored with a Gold award for its most recent employee giving campaign, where faculty and staff were asked to invest back into the institution to support philanthropic initiatives including student scholarships, emergency fund programs, and more.
CASE is a global association comprised of educational advancement professionals from more than 3,600 colleges and educational institutions from over 82 countries around the world. Its Circle of Excellence awards is the premier recognition program for educational advancement, is peer-selected and judged, and honors institutions worldwide whose talented staff have advanced their organizations through their resourcefulness and ingenuity.
According to the college’s nomination:
“THANKS+GIVING, the 2021 SLCC Employee Giving Week campaign, took place the week after the college Thanksgiving break, which gave us the unique opportunity to expand the season of thanks and gratitude at SLCC. To kick off the week, the college heard from employees who give to each area of investment. The development team then spent the week visiting each of SLCC's campuses while hosting a “Pie It Forward” event for employees. We strived to catch SLCC employees’ attention in areas other than their inboxes, including at their desks, in the welding facility, and on the helipad. Employees were thanked for the work they do each day - beyond giving deeply of themselves, but also generously supporting the mission of the college by participating in the employee giving campaign.”
At its conclusion, the campaign had the highest percentage of employee givers in the history of the college at 76% of all full-time employees. The effort raised a total of $26,418.68.
SLCC’s Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement & External Relations, Lana Fontenot, shared her excitement about the recognition, remarking, “I’m incredibly proud of the creative thinking and genuineness that our Development Officer, Morgan Wampler, put into the most recent employee giving campaign. Her approach of thanking employees first (rather than after a contribution) really resonated with our faculty and staff, who showed their appreciation in return by supporting the campaign at record-breaking levels.”
Winners were selected from more than 4,500 entries from over 30 countries based on several factors, including overall quality, innovation, use of resources and the impact on the institution on its external and internal communities.
“Our CASE Circle of Excellence Awards celebrate the creative, resourceful, and innovative ways advancement professionals around the globe champion their institutions’ success,” says CASE President and CEO Sue Cunningham. “Advancement has never been more important to support and strengthen education. These 2022 Circle of Excellence recipients—from institutions and teams of all sizes and shapes, from regions across the world—showcase how advancement empowers teaching and learning, ignites institutional progress, and helps communities thrive. I hope you take the opportunity to explore these award winners and become inspired.”