CAS Welcomes New Member Organization: Higher Education Case Managers Association (HECMA)

CAS recently admitted its 43rd member organization - the Higher Education Case Managers Association (HECMA).

28 April 2016
Washington, D.C.  The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) is pleased to announce the consortium recently admitted the Higher Education Case Managers Association (HECMA) to its membership. CAS was founded 37 years ago as a consortium of 11 associations. With the inclusion of HECMA, CAS has 43 professional organizations reflecting a wide range of student-oriented functions across higher education institutions that comprise the CAS membership.

Members of HECMA include case management professionals in post-secondary institutions. HECMA provides recognition of professionals doing case management work, including offering access to resources for advancing best practices and increasing knowledge of laws and policies affecting case management work. Additionally, HECMA conducts research in order to promote and enhance support services on college campuses. Currently, HECMA has approximately 350 members, representing over 232 post-secondary institutions in the United States.

According to Makenzie Schiemann, HECMA Training and Development Chair and Director of Student Outreach & Support at the University of South Florida, and JJ Larson the HECMA President and Director of Violence Prevention & Support Services at Southern Methodist University, “joining CAS will help us in continuing to promote collaborative standards for the offices and departments working with students in distress in post-secondary environments.” More information about HECMA can be found at http://www.hecma.org.

Officially founded in 2012, HECMA began as a grassroots organization gathered in response to the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy. On the heels of the ninth anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy, CAS welcomes HECMA as it works to review threat assessments, behavior intervention strategies, and university accountability. It supports individuals working to guide students in resolving educational and personal challenges that may impede their academic progress. Schiemann and Larson note, “it is important for case managers across institutions and functional areas to have a common language for the programs and services they deliver in order to consistently support students and promote wellness in the campus environment.” HECMA disseminates information and creates professional development opportunities for its members through a yearly roundtable and presentations at various conferences.

About the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS)
CAS was established in 1979 to develop standards that promote college student learning and self-assessment for institutional effectiveness. There are now 45 CAS Standards in diverse areas of the college student experience.

CAS standards and guidelines are available from the online store at www.cas.edu. The ninth edition of the CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education was released in August 2015. The book of standards is the defining source of professional standards for many of the services provided to students in higher education. CAS publications and other materials can be ordered at https://www.cas.edu/store_home.asp.

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