University of Louisiana at Lafayette Executive Assistant to the President Liz Landry (right) presents RSU Vice President for Development Steve Valencia with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Distinguished Achievement Award. Valencia received the award at CASE District IV’s annual conference, held April 14-16 in San Antonio, Texas.
Rogers State University Vice President for Development Steve Valencia was recently honored by District IV of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) with its Distinguished Achievement Award.
Awarded to Valencia at the annual CASE District IV conference in San Antonio, Texas, this honor recognizes individuals for making a significant commitment to the advancement profession, both by service to their institution and volunteer services to CASE and CASE District IV.
“It’s special to have your work publicly recognized by colleagues,” Valencia said. “I have been blessed throughout my career to have supportive leadership and have had the opportunity to work with many talented professionals. Any success I have experienced is a result of their efforts.”
Now in his fifth year at RSU, Valencia oversees development operations, alumni relations, marketing and communications, and government relations, as well as serving as the university’s liaison to the Rogers State University Foundation.
Under his leadership, annual private support for scholarships to RSU has increased 24 percent, and private support for university programs has increased 87 percent.
Before coming to RSU, Valencia spent more than 20 years at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, where he led programs in communications and marketing, governmental relations and served as a frontline development officer.
While at Northwestern, Valencia was a member of the leadership team for two capital campaigns, including the $28 million “Imagine Northwestern” campaign, the institution’s first comprehensive campaign.
While at Northwestern and since coming to Rogers State University, his respective communications and marketing teams won numerous awards from the Oklahoma College Public Relations Association.
Valencia holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and history from Northwestern, as well as a Master of Education. He is a member of the board of directors for The Oklahoma Academy, is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, and has served on numerous non-profit governing boards.
Valencia served several years on the CASE District IV Board of Directors, including two years as chair. He has also served as a conference chair. In 2022, he was named a CASE Laureate, joining a community of senior volunteers who have provided invaluable service to CASE and to the mission of advancing education to transform lives and society.
CASE is the global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement, including alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services. District IV represents more than 2,900 members from over 260 institutions and is comprised of universities and colleges in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.