Alumni Awards Information and Nominations

National Alumnus of the Year

Each year, the National Alumnus of the Year Program recognizes an alumnus or alumna who has made a significant contribution to human or institutional progress in which a situation, institution or movement has been materially changed for the better because of that individual's participation. This award recognizes the achievements of an outstanding alumnus whose personal life, professional accomplishments and community service best exemplifies the mission of Mississippi State University.

Selection Process:

The National Alumnus of the Year will be selected from candidates submitted by the colleges and schools and from nominations submitted at large by alumni, faculty, staff, students or friends of Mississippi State University. Final selection will be made by an anonymous committee appointed by the Alumni Association's National President.
All nominations must be submitted to the Alumni Association by the deadline each year. There is no carry over of nominations for National Alumnus of the Year from one year to the next. Candidates must be placed in formal nominations each year. Nomination forms are available from the Alumni office or by clicking the link above to download one now.
Nominees must have last been regularly enrolled in the university as a student at least 10 or more years ago. All candidates must be alumni of Mississippi State, having been regularly enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student for at least one fall or spring semester. Graduation from Mississippi State is not mandatory. All nominees must be in good standing with the University.
Because of the wide and diverse range of achievements which are likely to arise in evaluating one individual's record against another, it is difficult to set a standard that will meet all situations adequately. Therefore, it is recommended that the following statements be thoroughly answered and documented as a basis for cooperative evaluation:
1. Has an organization, program or institution been improved significantly because of this individual's accomplishments or involvement?
2. To what extent has the individual's ties with Mississippi State University been maintained and to what extent do his or her achievements reflect favorably on the university?
The National Alumnus of the Year will be recognized at the Alumni Association's national awards banquet held each spring. In addition to an award presented during the banquet, a display honoring the National Alumnus of the Year will be located in the lobby of the Mill.

Nomination Form (PDF Version) or (Word Version)

Distinguished Service Awards

The Distinguished Service Award programs seeks to identify, recognize, and award:

Those individual members of the Alumni Association who go beyond the call of duty in carrying out the work of the Alumni Association through their local chapter, and in so doing bring favorable recognition to the Association and to Mississippi State University.
Those rare individuals who stand ready to serve in the best interest of Mississippi State and the Alumni Association.
Those who take the initiative to see that various chapter alumni activities, membership drives, and other University projects are successfully carried out.
Those who speak positively about Mississippi State and continually promote Mississippi State.
Those who encourage prospective students to visit the University and to enroll.
Those who do such things because of their love for Mississippi State.

Nominations may be made by any alumnus or chapter and should be submitted to Michael Richardson, Assistant Director for Regional and Volunteer Engagement, by the first of December each year. Nomination forms will be made available each year to all alumni chapters and also can be obtained from the Alumni Office. Nominees must be placed in formal nomination each year. Recipients are recognized at the annual Alumni Awards Banquet.

Past Recipients

Distinguished Service Award

Criteria/Purpose ( Word Document or PDF )
Nomination Form ( Word Document )

Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award seeks to identify, recognize, and award an individual who has committed time and energy in service to the University and local community and has demonstrated an ability to excel both personally and professionally. Persons eligible for the award must be living Mississippi State University alumni who:

are 35 years of age or younger at the end of the year in which they are nominated,
have attended Mississippi State University for at least one semester of undergraduate or graduate study,
and have not received the award within the past five years.

Nominations may be made by any alumnus, faculty member, staff member, student or chapter and should be submitted to Michael Richardson, Assistant Director for Regional and Volunteer Engagement, by the first of December each year. Nomination forms will be made available each year to all alumni chapters and also can be obtained from the Alumni Office. Nominees must be placed in formal nomination each year. Recipient is recognized at the annual Alumni Chapter and Volunteer Awards Reception.

Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna Nomination Information
Criteria/Purpose ( Word Document or PDF )
Nomination Form ( Word Document )

Outstanding Alumni Chapter Awards

The Chapter Recognition Program was developed to encourage and promote leadership, chapter membership and chapter activities. Each chapter is categorized according to potential alumni in the chapter area. Awards will be presented to the top three chapters in each category, according to the Honor Chapter Point System. The categories are as follows:

Category I In-State Chapter, membership of 1 to 600
Category II In-State Chapter, membership of 601 to 1200
Category III In-State Chapter, membership of 1201 and above
Category IV Out-of-State Chapter, membership of 1 to 1000
Category V: Out-of-State Chapters, membership of 1001 and above

A point system is used to determine the most outstanding chapters. Special recognition, along with appropriate awards, will be given to these chapters at the annual Alumni Association awards banquet. Recognition and appropriate awards will also be given to all chapters which meet their membership quota and accumulate a minimum of 400 points.