The Office of Alumni Relations is seeking nominations for the Distinguished Alumni Award, the university’s most prestigious alumni honor. Sponsored by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association, the award was first presented by Vanderbilt in 1996 to Bangladeshi microlending pioneer Muhammad Yunus, PhD’71, and has been awarded only nine other times since. Nominations are due by April 13.
Award nominees may be alumni of any Vanderbilt college or school. The award is presented, when merited, to extraordinary individuals who have devoted themselves to addressing the needs of humankind and have positively impacted the lives of others in doing so. While not necessarily well known, nominees should reflect Vanderbilt’s stated values of “intellectual freedom that supports open inquiry” and the ideals of equality, compassion and excellence in all endeavors.
If selected, the award recipient will be honored during Reunion 2012 in October. For more information, a list of previous award recipients, or to submit a nomination online, go to vanderbilt.edu/alumni/association/distinguished-alumni.
Alumni also are encouraged and invited to recommend candidates for service on the Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board of Directors, as well as candidates for the office of president-elect. Again, nominations are due April 13.
Candidates for the seven open board positions must be degree-holding alumni. Ideal nominees are those who have the ability to serve and support Vanderbilt in various capacities and who have the time and resources to attend three board meetings per year and serve on board committees. It is vital that these individuals have interest in and enthusiasm for service on this active advisory board. Those selected will be asked to serve a three-year term beginning July 1, 2012.
The president of the Alumni Association serves a two-year term. On July 1 the board’s current president-elect, Carroll Kimball, will take the presidential reins from John Hindle, leaving the president-elect position open for nominations.
For more information about the board or to submit a board member nomination online, go to vanderbilt.edu/alumni/board-of-directors. To nominate a president-elect candidate—or for any other questions or comments about nominations being sought this year—you may contact James Stofan, associate vice chancellor for alumni relations, by phone at (615) 343-4099 or by email at james.stofan@vanderbilt.edu.