Finding Fuel at the CASE Summit
I’ve been to plenty of conferences that mix professional growth with a bit of personal indulgence—nice dinners, time to wander around sightseeing a new city, or get rooftop drinks. This wasn’t that trip.
This one was all purpose and passion.
Case in point: my parting dinner was an Auntie Anne’s pretzel cup on the train ride home from Penn Station. (Zero regrets with that choice, BTW.)
Still, I wouldn’t trade it. The annual CASE Summit for Leaders delivered thoughtful sessions, meaningful conversations, and big ideas about the future of Advancement. I left with new insights, validation of a few hunches, follow-ups to schedule, and a recharged sense of my “why.”
This work—at the intersection of brand, advancement, and engagement—is more important than ever. And the fight for higher education’s future is far from over.
Here are a few key takeaways I’m still thinking about.
What Stuck With Me From the Summit
Opening keynote: a call to principled leadership.
Drawing on his recent exchange with the U.S. Department of Justice, Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor delivered a powerful defense of academic freedom and argued that true leadership is standing firm when external pressures mount. His masterclass in courage and clarity set the tone for the Summit—reminding all of us that now is the moment to live our values out loud.
Campaigns remain human at the core.
At a Huron | GG+A breakfast, Mary Gresch (University of Washington) underscored how great campaigns create alignment across strategic priorities and internal culture. Larissa Holtmeyer Jones (President & CEO, Iowa State University Foundation) and Sara Rubin (VP Development, Ohio State) compared notes on campaign momentum, leaning into technology and systems to help portfolio optimization, the need to be more inventive with stewardship, and the concept of the “advancement continuum.”
Advancement × MarCom is still the frontier.
Sessions like an Ologie-moderated panel featuring Advancement and MarCom colleagues from the University of Maryland and Lehigh University reinforced that some institutions are making progress treating these functions as complementary forces instead of competing silos. However, the road across higher ed is still long; I won’t stop beating this drum anytime soon, or maybe ever.
Connections that mattered—past, present, and future. One of the true highlights of the Summit was connecting with colleagues and partners from across my professional journey.
- Caught up with Mark Luellen (SVP External Relations, University of Virginia) — UVA was my largest client when I was last agency-side, before I joined Drexel in 2017. I helped develop their best-in-class brand centrally and then craft the strategic foundation for their Honor the Future comprehensive campaign that just exceeded $6 billion last month. It's always great to trade reflections with someone who’s seen the evolution of Advancement from both the inside and out.
- Spent meaningful time with Rhea Turteltaub (Vice Chancellor, External Affairs, UCLA) — Her clarity of vision, generosity in sharing knowledge, and authentic leadership style continue to make her one of the most respected figures in the field. It’s an honor to serve as UCLA's campaign communications consultant as they gear up for what’s next.
- Bumped into some folks from Vanderbilt, who gave an impressive session on the momentum behind their current Dare to Grow campaign. They’re clearly not slowing down. (Fun side note: I nearly joined Vanderbilt in early 2024 in a dual-reporting role bridging Development & Alumni Relations and Central MarCom. It didn’t come together, but I still admire the direction they’re headed.)
- Reconnected with “Advancement Amplified: AI for IA” alums Matthew Lambert (William & Mary), Adam Martel (Givzey/Version2.ai), and Mark Koenig (Oregon State University), as well as and future guests Terry Flannery (CASE) and Shanna Hocking (Hocking Leadership).
- Met folks representing a diverse range of branding and communications agencies, philanthropic advisors, event firms, and technology partners—all working hard to support the advancement of education.
AI is shifting from curiosity to catalyst.
In a session led by Christy Moss (University of Illinois) and Cara Giacomini (CASE), I got a first look at CASE’s latest research on generative AI in Advancement. One standout theme? AI isn’t just a tool, it’s a leadership opportunity. See below for an introduction to their new adoption framework.
Spotlight: CASE’s Pathways to Adoption Framework for Generative AI
If you’re sorting out how your shop should (or shouldn’t) adopt generative AI, CASE’s new framework is now essential reading. It outlines four stages—exploring, experimenting, operationalizing, and scaling—across six focus areas.
Key takeaway: Leaders don’t need every answer—they need to create safe spaces to learn together and move from efficiency to efficacy. Dive into the interactive report.
On the Horizon
Plenty of good things ahead—and I’m excited to share them with you:
🎧 The new 5-episode podcast series on MarCom for Advancement will drop weekly Aug 14 through Sep 11. I’ll be recording Episode 1 next Monday with Terry Flannery, EVP and COO of CASE!
📝 I have a rallying cry for Advancement professionals landing in Volt mid-August. Stay tuned.
📚 My peer-reviewed article for the Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing on the big opportunity for institutions to strategically elevate their Advancement MarCom functions just underwent a final publisher’s review. It should be published this fall, and I’ll be sure to flag it when it does.
🎤 My submission to present at the AMA Symposium wasn’t selected this year (TBH, I could use the break), but I’ll still be there in National Harbor this November—and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with many of you in person.
And lastly… maybe you noticed, maybe you didn’t... but I’ve taken a week off here and there between a few newsletter issues. Got a lot going on, including prioritizing quality time with the family.
Happy summering to you all!
Dan
P.S. Friendly reminder that I share more frequent insights and takes on LinkedIn (usually 2-3x per week), so if we’re not connected yet, join me there.
