Tight budgets and an uncertain economy did not diminish creativity for the 2009 CASE Circle of Excellence Award winners. In fact, judges gave 19 Grand Gold awards this year, a significant increase over recent years. The program received 2,800 entries from 690 member institutions, representing 13 different countries. Forty-four panels of volunteer judges bestowed 289 awards in total to 185 colleges, universities, independent schools, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. This article profiles eight of the Grand Gold winners. These include: (1) Memorial University of Newfoundland; (2) Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Tennessee; (3) Fashion Institute of Technology; (4) Nazareth College; (5) Kenyon College; (6) Virginia Military Institute; (7) University of Hong Kong; and (8) University of California, Berkeley.