RELEASED: May 28, 2009

DANVILLE, KY—The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has named the winners of its 2009 Research Awards in Educational Advancement.

Richard Trollinger, vice president for college relations at Centre College, 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.

“Richard’s dissertation is a thoughtful and incisive analysis of the impact of mega gifts at a range of educational institutions,” said Centre president John Roush. “I’m pleased that his work has been honored with this award. It is another confirmation of his status as one of the country’s leading authorities on educational fundraising—something that those of us who work with him recognized long ago.”

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 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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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.