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Alumni Award Nominations Are Now Open!

The annual Alumni Awards program is one of CU Boulder's longest-standing traditions where we recognize the accomplishments of some of our most inspirational alumni, faculty, staff and students. Please feel free to read about our different awards below.

 

The nomination process is now easier than ever!  

We’ve assembled a list of steps you can take to nominate an alum, student, faculty or staff member for one of the six prestigious Alumni Awards. Following these steps will ensure your application presents your nominee at their best. 

Step 1

Review the six award descriptions and evaluation criteria below to decide which award your candidate best fits. 

Check to see if your candidate has already received the Alumni Award for which you are nominating them by clicking on the individual award page through the descriptions below. Previous winners are listed on each award page. Once a candidate receives an award, they are not eligible to be nominated for the same award again. 

Round 1 submissions include basic nominee details and a 300 word short answer response outlining nominee’s contributions and achievements relevant to the award you are nominating for. 

All nominees will be reviewed internally to determine whether they will advance to Round 2. Round 2 submissions include additional short answer responses, nominee’s résumé or LinkedIn profile and a letter of support from the primary nominator.

Gather all supporting documents prior to the submission deadline of March 31, 2025. We use an online tool called Submittable to collect nominations for our Alumni Awards. This tool allows you, the nominator, to create a username and password and log in to make updates to a nomination submission as many times as they would like before final submission.  

Once the nomination is formally submitted, it is not possible to make changes. Please make sure you have clearly reviewed all submission criteria and your application has been thoroughly checked before you submit.

Please note: This selection process is extremely competitive. Often, strong candidates that are not selected one year may have a stronger showing the next year. Also, consider nominating your candidate for a different award. Perhaps they were not a good fit for the Norlin Award, but might be a great fit for the Alumni Recognition Award. 
 
Any nominees who are not selected for an award can be nominated again two more times and do not have to be submitted in concurrent years. A nominee is no longer eligible for an Alumni Award after three nominations. 

Our Awards

George Norlin Award

The George Norlin Award is the highest honor bestowed by the University of Colorado  Boulder Alumni Association. The award recognizes outstanding alumni who have demonstrated a long-lasting commitment to excellence in their professional career and a devotion to the betterment of society and their community. A Norlin Award recipient stands out amongst others as someone that has made a demonstrated positive impact on a national or global scale.

Award Evaluation Criteria:

  • Outstanding and impactful professional accomplishments
  • Exceptional devotion to the betterment of society 
  • Consistent demonstration of personal integrity 
  • Demonstrated positive impact on a national or global scale

Previous George Norlin Award Winners

George Norlin

Alumni Recognition Award

The Alumni Recognition Award honors CU Boulder alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, commitment, dedication and service to the advancement of the university  and its mission.

Award Evaluation Criteria:

  • ​Demonstrated leadership in their service to CU Boulder
  • Extraordinary service to the university
  • Demonstrated lasting and positive impact on the University of Colorado Boulder 
  • Volunteerism in service to the University for at least five years

  Previous Alumni Recognition Award Winners

Alumni recognition

Leanne Skupa-Lee Award

The Leanne Skupa-Lee Award has been presented since 1984 and recognizes effective and passionate volunteers who serve the University of Colorado Boulder Alumni Association. It honors alumni who embody the Forever Buffs spirit of connecting, contributing and celebrating their CU pride through extraordinary service to the university. 

Award Evaluation Criteria:

  • Positive advocate for the University of Colorado
  • Effective and passionate volunteer working directly to support alums, students, faculty and/or staff
  • Demonstrated and impactful leadership and extraordinary service to the Alumni Association 
  • Volunteerism in service to the CU Boulder Alumni Association for at least three years

  Previous Leanne Skupa-Lee Award Winners

Leanne Skupa-Lee

Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Graduate Award

The  has been presented since 1982 to recognize outstanding career achievement, as well as significant contributions to the community and/or the university, within 15 years of graduation from the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Award Evaluation Criteria:

  • Outstanding career achievement
  • Exceptional and impactful contributions to society and/or university
  • Significant accomplishments, honors or accolades

  Previous Kalpana Chawla Award Winners

Kalpana Chawla

Robert L. Stearns Award

The Robert L. Stearns Award was initiated in 1953, the year of the resignation of Robert L. Stearns (A&S’14) as the sixth president of the university. He had presided over CU since 1939. The award recognizes members of the faculty and staff for extraordinary achievement or service in any one or combination of the following areas: teaching, service to the University, work with students, research or off-campus service. 

Award Evaluation Criteria:

  • Outstanding teaching (if applicable)
  • Extraordinary service to the university
  • Exemplary work with students
  • Significant research (if applicable)
  • Off-campus service to the community
  • Impact on the University of Colorado Boulder

  Previous Robert L. Stearns Award Winners

Robert L. Stearns

Forever Buffs Student Award

The Forever Buffs Student Award honors CU Boulder students who demonstrate the Forever Buffs tenets of connecting, contributing and celebrating their CU pride through extraordinary service to the university.

Award Requirements:

  • Student must be in good academic standing with the university.
  • Only current CU Boulder students are eligible to receive the Forever Buff Award. Students must be a full time student at CU Boulder at the time of service.

Award Evaluation Criteria:

  • Demonstrated leadership on campus or the community
  • Extraordinary service to the university
  • Impact on the CU Boulder campus community
  • Demonstrated pride in CU Boulder

  Previous Forever Buffs Student Award Winners

Forever Buffs Student

2025 Alumni Awards Selection Timeline

Sept. 1: Alumni Awards open for nominations.

Feb. 15, 2025: Round 1 nomination deadline. The 2025 Alumni Award nominations are open to all CU Boulder alumni, faculty, staff and students.

Early March 2025: Alumni Association staff will contact you to inform you whether your nominee will advance to the next round for consideration. Nominee finalists from Round 1 will be asked to submit additional materials.

March 31, 2025: Final materials for Round 2 nominees due.

May 15, 2025: Committee selects 2025 Alumni Award recipients.

Late May 2025: Award winners notified.