Case has been integral in crafting the current system of financial aid, both at the College and on the national level through his work with the College Board, Consortium on Higher Education and other aid organizations.
"A lot of my work has been done in need analysis theory," Case said. "Financial need analysis is an art, not a science. It has to do with taking data and applying a formula that you hope is economically informed and based in good social principles, then tempering it with what you know is the family situation."
Case said he worries about a de-professionalization of the financial aid profession. "Many financial aid administrators don't understand the economics behind the formulas ... how these formulas have evolved ... and they do not understand what a reasonable adjustment [would be] to make."
Case believes there are three main causes behind this problem: computerization, federalization and greater reliance on the student loan and less on grants. "Being an aid administrator at a place like Amherst is really a privilege because you do have adequate resources," he said. "You don't have to worry about the commitment of the College and the trustees." The College has a longstanding commitment to meeting 100 percent of every student's demonstrated need.
At the College, Case also has the benefit of working with many financial aid officers, creating a high ratio of aid officers to students. The higher ratio allows the financial aid office to look beyond calculation formulas to examine each individual situation.
Case's academic background is in theology and social ethics. "Financial aid in a very practical real way is carrying out principles of distributive justice," he said. "It's not just the dollars but it's also [distributing] educational opportunity."
Kathleen Gentile, senior associate dean of financial aid at the College, initiated Case's nomination for the award. "I have been able to see what he has done ... to further the field of financial aid and need blind admissions," she said. "When he speaks at national meetings, people stop to listen to him." Gentile said that upon receiving his award, Case got a standing ovation from 3,000 attendees.
Case has worked at the College since 1981. He received a B.A. in religion and philosophy from Oklahoma City University. He received a bachelor of divinity from Yale University.