A fellowship newly awarded to Bluffton University through the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) will help bolster the university’s Student Alumni Association.

The CASE ASAP (Affiliated Student Advancement Programs) Institutional Fellowship will support efforts to increase both student involvement and programs within the association, said Amy Byers, the group’s adviser and an associate in Bluffton’s alumni engagement office.

“The goal is to bridge the gap between students and alumni,” she said, pointing out that the CASE ASAP membership will provide opportunities to learn how that is done at other member colleges and universities.

The fellowship affords a two-year membership to CASE ASAP; access to a CASE webinar on “Creating a Student Advancement Program”; and the aid of a mentor—an adviser from another CASE ASAP institution in the six-state Great Lakes District who will serve as a resource.

The Student Alumni Association began in 2006, Byers said. Last year, the group’s activities included helping at Homecoming, the President’s Banquet and May Day, as well as holding an alumni event at Cedar Point and a career “speed networking” event with alumni on campus.