The award came as a surprise for Case. "They contacted me and said you're going to be a recipient, and you're going to Chicago," he said. "It was a nice occasion."
The award was presented at the annual meeting of the College Board. Created to recognize those who have contributed to the CSS and to the field of financial aid, the award was bestowed by the CSS Council on behalf of the CSS Assembly, to Case as well as to Robert P. Huff, the director emeritus of financial aid at Stanford University. Eunice Edwards of Fisk University received a posthumous award as well.
Monro was one of the founders of CSS and engineered a quantified system of determining student financial aid eligibility that is still used by institutions today. A former dean of Harvard College, Monro dedicated his life to making higher education accessible to poor and minority students.
"It was a genuine honor to be honored along with those two people as well as being associated with John Monro in this way. Monro was truly a remarkable man," said Case. "He left Harvard to go off and teach writing at historically black institutions in the South and his real commitment to access and opportunity is what the award was recognizing. It was all the more special [to receive] this award because of this association with Monro."
At the same time, Case also received the CSS 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame Award along with 49 others who have made meaningful contributions to the field of financial aid through the activities and services of the CSS and College Board.
"It was a real treat to be present because they invited all the retirees there in addition to those who are still active in the field," said Case. Donald "Skip" Routh '58, the former dean of financial aid at the College, was included in those recognized.
Case explained that working in the financial aid field came unexpectedly. "[The financial aid profession] sort of fell in my lap," he said. As an undergraduate studying religion and philosophy at Oklahoma City University, Case worked as an administrative assistant in the Registrar and Office of Financial Aid at his institution. After graduation, Case completed a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School thinking he would eventually go into the field of teaching. However, upon realizing that he enjoyed administrative work, Case looked for a job in counseling in a college setting. Case has worked at the College for 23 years.