Published: Oct. 18, 2013

Since 1930 the University of Colorado Boulder’s best have been recognized at a special awards ceremony dedicated to highlighting their outstanding accomplishments and extraordinary service.

This year the CU-Boulder Alumni Association will recognize 10 of the university’s finest alumni, faculty, staff and students at the 84th Alumni Awards Ceremony during the university’s Back to Boulder Homecoming Weekend. The event, one of the longest-standing traditions at CU-Boulder, will take place at the historic Hotel Boulderado Thursday, Oct. 24.

Quen Ameyaw, an incredible student who has been an asset to the Student Outreach and Retention Center for Equity, will receive the Forever Buffs Student Award, which honors CU-Boulder students who engage, contribute and celebrate their CU pride through their service to the university.  Quen has devoted hours to CU-Boulder to make students feel welcomed and included in their university.

The Leanne Skupa-Lee Award recognizes the most effective volunteer representative of the National Alumni Admissions Assistance Program. The 2013 recipient is Douglas Nelson, a man devoted to his university and who has given up much of his time to support and provide insight for programs at CU-Boulder all while conveying an undying sense of school pride.

Two alumni who demonstrated extraordinary service to CU-Boulder will be given the Alumni Recognition Award. Scott Donnelly, who has made notable contributions to health, transportation, engineering and the global community through his leadership, engineering skills and generosity, and Midge Korczak, a champion for improving educational opportunities for students and her dedication to demonstrating the value of education, will receive the 2013 award.

The Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Graduate Award credits outstanding career achievements and contributions to the community within 15 years of graduating from CU-Boulder. Recipients this year are Marco Campos, founder of an engineering firm serving the oil and gas pipeline industry and creator of an endowed scholarship at CU-Boulder, and Dave Morin, a social networking extraordinaire and creator of the successful social media company Path, which serves millions of people a month.

Faculty or staff members are honored with the Robert L. Stearns Award for their exceptional achievements and service to the university. This year the award goes to Maren Additon, whose leadership has contributed to the betterment and execution of university initiatives and who was integral to the building of the Center for Community, and Daniel Sher, who greatly improved CU-Boulder’s music college and established CU-Boulder as a cultural and performing arts hub.

Finally, the most historic award, the George Norlin Award, recognizes alumni who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their chosen field and who are devoted to improving society. This year’s winners are David Lewis, a remarkable architectural engineer and a tireless supporter of CU-Boulder’s college of engineering and applied sciences, and Thomas Fredericks, an advocate for Native American rights and one of the leading experts in tribal law.

The awards pre-reception begins at 5:45 p.m. at the Hotel Boulderado, 2115 13th St., in Boulder, with registration and light appetizers. The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception with complimentary heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine. The event will be emceed by CU-Boulder alum Chris Vanderveen, a 1996 journalism bachelor’s recipient and a 9News reporter. Attendees to the free event are asked to register at http://www.alumni.colorado.edu/awards.