Alumni Award for Distinguished Service

Engineering Communications Office

The College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service consists of a medal and a certificate for superior accomplishments. The medal was designed by Frank Gallo, professor of art at Illinois. The award is given to alumni and former faculty members who have distinguished themselves by outstanding leadership in planning and direction of engineering and scientific work, by fostering professional development of young engineers and scientists, or by their contributions to knowledge in the fields of engineering and science. Each recipient must attend convocation to receive this award.

There is no restriction on the number of nominees, but each department typically submits one or two nominations. Because only five to seven recipients are selected each year, renominations can be important.

It is important for the nominators to stress the noteworthy facts, position, awards, or accomplishments of the nominees. Nominations are judged on the following points.

Record of Accomplishments in Engineering, Science, or Other Fields. Nominees should be strong in one or more of the following areas:

Contributions to knowledge (cite one or two specific examples and explain impact and uniqueness). Examples: experiments; research accomplishments; applications of knowledge; books; leadership in professional organizations; other.

Leadership accomplishments (for one or two outstanding accomplishments, specify scope in terms of people, budget, resources, outcome, impact on profession and society). Examples: projects; devices; networks, systems; government agencies; military; administration; other.

Creativity and entrepreneurship (give some specifics such as impact or scope). Examples: patents; inventions; founding a new enterprise; other.

Fostering the development of young people (cite a specific contribution with indication of scope and impact). Examples: educator; mentor; volunteer work; other.

Record of Service in Engineering, Science, or Other Fields. Nominees may be strong in one or more of the following areas:

Service to professional community. Examples: membership in organizations; offices or committees (if possible, cite one or two accomplishments); other.

Service to the university, college, and department. Examples: service to Alumni Association or constituent group; service to UI Foundation; other service to department, college, or university.

Public service. Examples: community service groups; charitable organizations; political organizations; other.

Solicitation
mid-January
The Engineering Awards Committee Chair will send a memo, sample nomination, and nomination form to department heads and the college awards committee members. Nominations are requested more than a year in advance to allow time for advance notification of recipients, who must promise to attend the college convocation to meet one of the criteria for receiving the award.

Due
June 30, 2008
Thirty (30) copies of each nomination should be submitted to Engineering Awards Committee, 206 Engineering Hall, MC-272.

Selection
Summer
Five to seven recipients are selected and ranked by full college awards committee. List is transmitted to dean by April 15 for final selection.

Publication
Recipients are informed of their selection by letter from the dean, who also sends a letter of thanks to the nominator with a copy to the department head. When the response is received from each recipient that he/she will attend the convocation, copies of the response are sent to the following:

Kay Kappas, who orders the medallions and requests a glossy print and proper name inscription

Associate dean for academic programs for convocation program and arrangements

Editor in the Engineering Communications Office for convocation booklet publication

Director of development for social planning

The dean forwards the final list of recipients to the office of the associate dean for academic programs. The associate dean for academic programs will then write letter to recipients informing them of details regarding program and lodging arrangements.

Logistics
The editor in the Engineering Communications Office prepares the College of Engineering awards convocation booklet, which will carry photo and biosketch of each recipient and a listing of all past recipients of this award. A dinner is planned for them the evening before the convocation by the Office of Advancement, and they are invited by associate dean for academic programs to have lunch with the dean on date of convocation.

Previous Recipients