Awards

Alumni Awards

Each year, the UWRF Alumni Association honors outstanding alums for their accomplishment. Beginning with the creation of the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1959, the longstanding tradition of honoring alumni and contributors to our university community has a long and storied history. Explore below to learn about each of our awards, past recipients and the nomination process. 

Distinguished Alumni Award

Many colleges and universities across the nation have had a long tradition of honoring its graduates who have distinguished themselves in various ways throughout their careers. The University of Wisconsin-River Falls Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1959 and was presented at the June 1959 commencement ceremonies to Dr. Dean Smith, a physician from La Crosse. 

The Distinguished Alumni Award continues to be the most prestigious acknowledgment of the accomplishments of our alumni. The criteria for being considered for the Distinguished Alumni award are: 

• Personal accomplishments in their field.
• Civic responsibility and contributions to their community.
• Continuing interest in the university.
• Highest integrity in professional, public and personal relations. 

Once an individual has been nominated for this award, they remain in contention. Each year nominations are sought by the External Relations Committee from alumni and from faculty and staff who may know of a deserving alumni. Alumni are encouraged to nominate anyone they feel meets the criteria for selection, even themselves. 

Submit nominations to the Alumni Office, 112 South Hall, River Falls, WI. Please contact Pedro Renta pedro.renta@uwrf.edu or 715-425-4553.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The UW-River Falls Alumni Association established the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 to recognize the accomplishments of alumni who have provided long-time exceptional service and leadership in their profession and community and demonstrated a continued interest and loyalty to UWRF. The award is presented at the Evening of Excellence each spring.

The UWRF Alumni Advisory Board selects the award recipients based on the recommendations of the Awards and Recognition Committee of Board. Nominations for the award may be submitted by members of the UWRF community, alumni and UWRF Foundation/Alumni Board members. A written recommendation should be attached to the nomination form and is limited to two pages.   

The written recommendation should address the following award criteria:

• Long-time exceptional service and leadership in their profession and community
• Continued interest and loyalty to the University  

Nominations are due by Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 and should be sent to Pedro Renta, director of alumni relations, 112 South Hall, 410 S. 3rd St., River Falls, WI 54022. Please contact Pedro at pedro.renta@uwrf.edu or 715- 425-4553 with questions.  

Outstanding Service Award 

This award was established in 1983 with the approval of the Faculty Senate and the administration. The award parallels the Distinguished Alumni Award in the manner in which it is presented and the exposure and publicity it receives. The award is presented at fall commencement. 

The award was established to recognize those individuals outside of the university community that have made exemplary contributions to UWRF through their support of the university's goals and their volunteer efforts on our behalf. We realize that there are individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to the university of personal time and energy, leadership, support and/or monetary donations. It is for these reasons that we are pleased to make this award available. 

The following criteria are to be followed by the committee in the selection process, realizing that there may be exceptions from time to time that would necessitate a suspension of one or more of the criteria in a given year. 

• Demonstrated contributions of time, talent and/or financial support to UWRF over a period of at least five years. Length of service will be a major factor in determining the recipient.
• Letters of recommendation in support of the candidate are strongly encouraged.
• The deans of each of the three colleges will be asked to nominate one or more people for this award. In addition, other areas of the university are encouraged to nominate candidates as they see fit. The nominations will be due to the committee before the end of the spring semester.
• At no time will more than three (3) awards be given in a single year.
• University employees are not eligible for this award.
• This award may also be presented to a company, organization or other institution that has made a significant contribution to the goals and objectives of the university over a period of years.