Western Alumni Association wins silver CASE award for student involvement programs

The Western Washington University Alumni Association won a silver award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, District VIII, at the recent annual CASE conference held in Portland, Ore. The award, given in the Student Involvement Programs category, recognized the association's Grad Packs and Senior Celebration programs.

The Western Grad Packs program was launched in June 2008 to encourage graduating students to take a bit of Western with them in the form of 'gear' while staying connected to the university through their first Alumni Association membership. Grad Packs are gifts for graduating seniors and are named after the streets surrounding Western's campus. They vary in price from $25 to $500, and each is full of quality Western gear and an Alumni Association membership.

The Senior Celebration is a quarterly program designed to show Western's newest/soon-to-be alumni how much the Alumni Association values their success and to welcome them into the community. The fair-like celebration provides a 'one-stop shop' for all graduation requirements, including cap and gown pick-up, graduation announcements, class rings, commencement tickets, a WWU license plate frame and short-term health insurance all presented in a high-energy environment with music, balloons and prizes. The success of this initiative has been in part due to the collaboration with the WWU Registrar's Office.