The U uses Founders Day not only to celebrate the school’s founding in February of 1850, but also to take a look at the progress that’s been made.
Every February, the Alumni Association hosts a banquet to recognize professionally successful alumni for their accomplishments. This year, those receiving awards range from lawyers to rocket scientists.
Susan Porter, the awards committee chair in the Alumni Association, said the banquet is designed to honor the U and recognize honorary alumni “who served their national and local communities and have supported the university’s mission in providing excellence.”
There are two major awards in addition to a Founders Day Scholar scholarship. Four individuals will receive the Distinguished Alumni Awards designed for graduates who come back with service to national and instate communities and made contribution to the U. The second is the Honorary Alumni Award which recognizes those who attended and contributed research, service and support but did not graduate from the U.
Mary Thiriot, an associate director at the Alumni Association, said, “The Founders Day distinguished and honorary alumni awards are the highest recognition the U gives annually.”
The awards are decided after a thorough process. The association beings with alumni who have been nominated and then they review and discuss who represents the U the best every year. Thus, the awards are considered to be of high status.
“This is a great way to show the exceptional education that the university can offer,” Porter said. “It shows that there are people out there making an impact on the world because of the educational opportunities the U provided.”
This year’s award winners vary in their fields, Porter said. Gregory J. Goff, the president and chief executive officer of Tesoro, will be awarded the distinguished alumni award. Other recipients are Brent C. James, chief quality officer at Intermountain Healthcare and head of the Institute for Health Care Delivery, Gretchen McClain, the chief director in the launch of the International Station Program and Clayton J. Parr, who has been listed in The Best Lawyers of America and has worked with the geothermal legislation in Utah.
John and Melody Taft, leaders of the International Center for Earth Concerns, are the Honorary Alumni Award recipients. They donated 16 acres of land to the U in 2012 for construction of the Taft-Nicholson Environmental Humanities Education Center.
Though it may take rocket science to receive an award, attending the banquet only requires an invitation. The event is not only an awards ceremony, but also a place where U graduates who have made an impact can be recognized. Specific students who show potential at the U are sponsored by the alumni.
The banquet will be hosted at the Little America on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.
@chriswritine