Living Our Mission Award Winners
Our Scholar alumni are achievers. Passion, commitment, and dedication are what drew them to pursue an honors education at Penn State in the first place, and those traits remain strong long after they've left the Honors College.
Scholar alumni are recognized each year by their alma mater for their professional achievements and contributions to society.
Outstanding Scholar Alumni Award
The Outstanding Scholar Alumni Award recognizes graduates who demonstrate exemplary leadership skills, professional achievement, and a passion for lifelong learning. Members of the Scholar Alumni Society select two award recipients each year.
View Award RecipientsAward Recipients
2025 Award Winner Stefanie Coyle '05 Lib
2025 Award Winner Jocelyn Fitzgerald '08 Lib, '08 Sci
2024 Award Winner Antoinette Gomez '94 Agr
2024 Award Winner Jason Wendle '01 Lib
2023 Award Winner Mark Lavallee '90 Sci, '94g Medicine
2023 Award Winner Hallie Murray '02 Eng
2022 Award Winner Trevor Kress '07 Com
2022 Award Winner Stephanie Barone McKenny '87 Lib, '90g Edu
2021 Award Winner Brian J. Harkless '95 Eng
2021 Award Winner Iris V. Rivero '96 Eng, '98g Eng
2019 Award Winner Joseph Kasprzyk '07 Eng, '12g Eng
2019 Award Winner Quinta Nwanosike Warren '05 Eng
2018 Award Winner Leslie Oley '04 Eng
2018 Award Winner Ryan Rzepecki '01 Bus
2017 Award Winner Christa Hasenkopf '03 Sci
2017 Award Winner Herman Pontzer '99 Lib
2016 Award Winner Jayatri Das '99 Sci
2016 Award Winner Jared Edgar McKnight '11 A&A, Lib
2015 Award Winner Andrew El Bardissi '03 Sci
2015 Award Winner Jenna Knapp '02 Edu
2014 Award Winner Meena Bose '90 Lib
2014 Award Winner Shawn Safford '92 Sci
2013 Award Winner Michael Rieker '90 HHD
2013 Award Winner Farnoosh Torabi '02 Bus
2012 Award Winner Casimer DeCusatis '86 Eng
2012 Award Winner Stella Tsai '85 Lib
2011 Award Winner Reginald Hedgebeth '89 Lib
2011 Award Winner Dawn Trautman '87 Bus
2010 Award Winner Lisa Baird '82 Lib, '84g Bus
2010 Award Winner Peter Klein '91 Lib
2009 Award Winner Kelly Ayotte '90 Lib
2009 Award Winner Kevin Frick '91 HHD
2008 Award Winner Stephanie Hulina '92 Lib
2008 Award Winner John Woerner '91 Bus
2007 Award Winner Ann Hsu '89 Eng
2007 Award Winner Richard Spontak '83 Eng
2006 Award Winner Doug Evans '86 Eng
2006 Award Winner Mary Beth Long '85 Com
Outstanding GOLD Scholar Alumni Award
The Outstanding GOLD Scholar Alumni Award recognizes recent graduates who demonstrate exemplary leadership skills, professional achievement, and a passion for lifelong learning. Members of the Scholar Alumni Society select two award recipients each year that have graduated with honors within the last decade.
View Award RecipientsAward Recipients
2025 Award Winner Jason Cornelius '18 Eng, '19 Eng
2025 Award Winner Rhoda Moise '15 HHD
2024 Award Winner Zoe Roane-Hopkins '19 A&A
2024 Award Winner Suzanne Zakaria '14 Lib
2023 Award Winner Michael Banerjee '16 Lib
2023 Award Winner Uma Moriarity '14 Bus, '14g Bus
2022 Award Winner Christopher X. Hong '12 Eng
2022 Award Winner Laura Shupp '14 Lib
Outstanding Scholar Alumni Mentor Award
The Outstanding Alumni Mentor Award recognizes the invaluable contributions made by Scholar alumni who give their time, provide counsel, and share their experiences through the Schreyer Honors College's Mentoring with Honors program. Scholar alumni who have participated in the Mentoring with Honors program and who are nominated by their mentee are eligible for this award. Members of the Scholar Alumni Society select only one award recipient each year.
View Award RecipientsAward Recipients
2025 Award Winner Keith Graham '85 Eng
2024 Award Winner Eric Gibney '94 Sci
2023 Award Winner Todd Bacastow '05 IST
2022 Award Winner Laurie Burgess '85 Lib
2021 Award Winner Alyssa Tudaro Brooks '10 HHD
2019 Award Winner Maura McLaughlin '94 Sci
2018 Award Winner Kristin Lambert '14 Agr, '19g Med
2017 Award Winner Doug Evans '86 Eng
2016 Award Winner Rosanna McCalips '99 Lib
2015 Award Winner Matthew Garrison '05 Eng, '05g Eng
2014 Award Winner Stephanie TerMaath '93 Eng
2013 Award Winner Edward Marx '98 Eng
2012 Award Winner James Douglas '04 A&A, '06g Bus
2011 Award Winner Hilary Justh '97 EMS, '03g EMS
2010 Award Winner James "Ted" Rauth '86 Eng
2009 Award Winner Ryan Newman '01 Bus
Penn State Alumni Awards
Alumni Achievement Award
The Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments. These prominent young alumni are nominated by an academic college and invited by the President of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty, and administrators. They demonstrate to students that Penn State alumni succeed in exceptional fashion at an early age.
2025
- Asia Grant '17 Bus
- Dr. Victoria Heasley '14 Eng, '18g Medicine
- Ryan Henrici '15 Sci
- Connor Sattley '11 Behrend
2024
- Paul Suhey '14 Eng
2023
- Chad Littlefield '13 Lib, '13g Edu
- Leah Liu '09 Sci
2022
- Alison V. Beam '08 HHD
- Joshua Brady Branch '13 Lib
- Sienna Helfrich '14 Agr, '14 Eng
- Therese Jones '09 Lib, '09g Sci
- Stefen Wisniewski '10 Edu
2021
- Heather Bennett '08 Lib, '13g Law
- Emily Zheng '14 Bus, '14 Lib
2020
- Hallie Grossman '07 Lib
2019
- Benjamin Ross '06 Eng, '07g Eng
- Aniyia Williams '07 A&A
2018
- Nicole Fry '05 EMS, '08g EMS
- Jared Edgar McKnight '11 A&A, Lib
2016
- Jill Jayne '04 HHD
- Aleks Radovic-Moreno '05 Eng
- Ethan Wendle '13 Eng
2015
- Rebecca Delaney '06 Eng, '06g Eng
- Aaron Gotwalt '04 Inter
- Andrew Griffin '05 Inter
2014
- Mohit Bhende '01 Lib
2013
- Matthew Brezina '03 Eng
- Laura Rosenberger '02 Lib
2012
- Heather Agnew '13 Sci
- Danielle Bassett '04 Sci
- Sean Misko '04 Lib, Com
- Daniel Veltri '07 Bus
2011
- Jeremy Frank '97 Eng, '01g Eng
- Ryan Newman '01 Bus
- Melissa Shirey '97 Erie
2010
- Holly Leppo '98 A&A
- Paul Markowski '96 EMS
- David Rusenko '07 IST
- Rachel Tereska '00 Sci, '01g Eng
- Farnoosh Torabi '02 Bus
2009
- Sara Woods '96 Lib
2006
- Bruce Booth '96 Sci
- George Bryan '96 EMS, '98g EMS
- Bryan Koontz '95 Eng
2005
- Theodore Blackmon '92 Eng
- Sherri Lombra * '90 Bus
- Susan Pac '95 HHD
Alumni Fellow Award
The Alumni Fellow Award is the most prestigious award given by the Penn State Alumni Association. Since 1973, the Alumni Fellow Award has been given to select alumni who, as leaders in their professional fields, are nominated by an academic college and accept an invitation from the President of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty, and administrators.
2024
- Farnoosh Torabi '02 Bus
2023
- Ryan Newman '01 Bus
- Jane Rigby '00 Sci
2022
- Jean Olewang '87 Bus
2020
- Reginald Hedgebeth '89 Lib
2019
- Robert Edwards * '75 Bus, '83g Bus
2018
- Julie McHugh '86 Bus
2017
- Vincent Sorgi '93 Bus
2016
- Barbara Cohen * '74 Lib
- Craig Pearce '87 Bus
- John Rooney * '86 Eng
2015
- Lisa Baird '82 Lib, '84g Bus
2014
- Dawn Behnke '87 Bus
- Alex Hartzler '90 Lib
- Cathy Lowenbraun McKeon * '71 Lib
2013
- Andrew Sieg '89 Bus
2012
- Douglas Evans '86 Eng, '94g IDF
- John A. Meyer Jr * '78 Sci
- Richard Spontak '83 Eng
2011
- R. Wayne Atwell, Jr. * '69 EMS
- David Han '88 Sci, '05 Med
2010
- Kenneth Fasola * '81 HHD
- Charlotte McLaughlin * '75 Bus
2009
- Greg Lucier '86 Eng
2008
- Louis D'Ambrosio '86 Bus
- Mary Beth Long '85 Com
- John K. Tsui * '60 Bus
2007
- John Ball Jr. * '55 Lib
- Karen Bretherick Peetz * '77 HHD
- Robert Kumpf * '84 EMS, '86g EMS
2006
- John P. Surma Jr. * '76 Bus
2003
- James Carnes * '61 Eng
2001
- Robert Poole * '72 Bus
2000
- Cynthia Ackron Baldwin * '66 Lib, '74g Lib
- Edward M. Frymoyer * '59 Eng, '67g Sci
- Arthur J. Nagle * '61 Lib
1998
- Gregory Wolf * '77 HHD
1997
- Mimi U. Barash Coppersmith * '52 Com
- Linda Brodksy Strumpf * '69 Lib
1996
- Arthur Glenn * '56 Eng
1995
- Catherine Shultz Rein * '64 Lib
1994
- Joseph Miller * '66g Sci
- James Wiggins * '72 Com
1993
- Peter G. Tobmros * '64 Agr, '68g Agr
1988
- William Leonhard * '36 Eng
- Philip Sieg * '57 Bus
- Thomas W. Tewksbury * '54g HHD
1985
- Allen L. Rayfield * '59 Eng
1984
- A. M. 'Don' MacKinnon * '48 Eng
1983
- Charles Dillman * '66g HHD, '70g HHD
- William Schreyer * '48 Bus
1982
- Edward Hintz * '60 Lib
1981
- Edward R. Book * '54 HHD
- Robert Klein * '48 Lib
1980
- J. Lloyd Huck * '43 Sci
1972
- Barbara H. Franklin * '62 Lib
Distinguished Alumni Award
Established by the Board of Trustees in 1951, the Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by Penn State upon an outstanding alumna or alumnus. The award salutes the achievements of alumni whose "personal lives, professional achievements, and community service exemplify the objectives of their alma mater."
2025
- David Han '88 Sci, '05g Sci
- Jane Rigby '00 Sci
- Andy Sieg '89 Bus
2024
- Gregory Lucier '86 Eng
2023
- Julie McHugh '86 Bus
- Lou D'Ambrosio '86 Bus
2022
- Douglas Evans '86 Eng, '94g IDF
2021
- Lisa Baird '82 Lib, '84g Bus
- Charlotte McLaughlin * '75 Bus
2018
- Richard Riegel * '85 Eng
2017
- Mary Beth Long '85 Com
2011
- John K. Tsui * '60 Bus
2010
- Karen Bretherick Peetz * '77 HHD
2006
- Robert Poole * '72 Bus
- Peter G. Tobmros * '64 Agr, '68g Agr
2005
- Arthur Glenn * '56 Eng
2004
- Edward M. Frymoyer * '59 Eng, '67g Sci
- Suzanne Pohland Paterno * '62 Lib
2003
- Peter Carlino * '69 Lib
2001
- Arthur J. Nagle * '61 Lib
2000
- K. David Boyer * '73 Lib, '82g HHD
- Donald W. Hamer * '68 Eng
1999
- Linda Brodksy Strumpf * '69 Lib
- Joseph Miller * '66g Sci
1998
- Mimi U. Barash Coppersmith * '52 Com
1997
- Thomas W. Tewksbury * '54g HHD
1996
- James Carnes * '61 Eng
- Ray S. Walker * '35 Lib
1995
- Cynthia Ackron Baldwin * '66 Lib, '74g Lib
- Samuel G. Fredman * '42 Lib
- Catherine Shultz Rein '64 Lib
- Quentin E. Wood * '48 EMS
1994
- Robert Klein * '48 Lib
1993
- J. Lloyd Huck * '43 Sci
- Philip Sieg * '57 Bus
1992
- David Joyner * '72 Sci, '76g Med
1988
- Allen L. Rayfield * '59 Eng
- Gilbert S. Wetzel * '54 Eng
1987
- Edward Hintz * '59 Bus
- A. M. 'Don' MacKinnon * '48 Eng
1986
- Edward R. Book * '54 HHD
1982
- William Leonhard * '36 Eng
1979
- William Schreyer * '48 Bus
1977
- Barbara H. Franklin * '62 Lib
1970
- B. Paul Blasingame * '40 Eng
Honorary Alumni Award
The Honorary Alumni Awards have been given by the Penn State Alumni Association since 1973 to honor people who are not graduates of The Pennsylvania State University but who have made significant contributions toward its welfare, reputation, or prestige.
2024
- Cheryl Achterberg *
2016
- Rodney P. Kirsch *
2013
- Edward H. Arnold *
2012
- Paul Axt *
2010
- Rodney A. Erickson *
2007
- Helen Henderson *
2006
- Linda Gall *
2003
- Paige L. Nagle *
1998
- John J. Curley *
1991
- Joan Schreyer *
1980
- Stanley O. Ikenberry *
1973
- Joseph Paterno *
Philanthropist of the Year
The Philanthropist of the Year Award, established in 2002, is intended to recognize an individual or family who has demonstrated exceptional generosity in the promotion and support of The Pennsylvania State University. The recipients of this award, through their philanthropy and service, have helped shape the University’s future and improve the quality of life for the student body, faculty, and staff.
2016
- Edward Hintz * '59 Bus
- Helen Hintz * '60 HHD
2014
- Donald W. Hamer * '68 Eng
2009
- Edward H. Arnold *
2007
- DrueAnne Schreyer *
- Joan Schreyer *
- William Schreyer * '48 Bus
2004
- William Leonhard * '36 Eng
- Wyliss Leonhard *
2002
- J. Lloyd Huck * '43 Sci
- Dorothy Foehr Huck * '43 HHD
Teaching Fellow
This award recognizes distinguished teaching and provides a forum for encouraging effective teaching. Recipients are asked to share their talents and expertise with others throughout the University system. Year-long responsibilities may include such activities as participating in workshops and symposia, giving lectures or presentations on teaching techniques for new faculty and graduate assistants, taking part in discussions or seminars with students in the Schreyer Honors College, or teaching honors courses.
2014
- Laura Rotunno *
- Lynette Yarger *
2011
- Robert D. Richards '83 Lib
2010
- Oranee Tawatnuntachai *
* Denotes a friend of the College
For a full listing of Penn State awards, visit the Alumni Association website. Many Scholar alumni also receive awards and recognition through their academic colleges.
