Alumni Awards

The college recognizes alumni achievements with three annual awards: the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards (DEAA), the Recent Alumni Award (RAA), and the Alumni Engagement Medal (AEM).

Established in 1966, the DEAA honors graduates and friends who have distinguished themselves through outstanding personal qualities, knowledge, and significant contributions to their fields. Award winners may fall into several categories: Education, Research and Invention, Government Service, Industry and Commerce, and Private Practice. A sixth Special category is for alumni with distinguished careers outside those five categories or for non-alumni with distinguished service to the college.

Established by the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Board in 2013, the RAA recognizes one outstanding alumnus/a each year for professional achievements, continued service to the college or university, and admirable personal characteristics within 10 years of graduation from the college.

The AEM was established in 2021 for college academic degree programs and the BOLD Center to recognize highly engaged alumni who impact their areas through volunteerism and/or philanthropy. Each academic degree program and the BOLD Center is able to select one alumnus/a annually who has been significantly engaged during the previous year. Examples of engagement include outstanding volunteerism such as serving in a volunteer role, event and program support, student engagement, department/degree program advising, and/or philanthropic support.  

Finally, the Engineer of Distinction Award was established in 1997 to recognize lifetime achievement in the engineering profession. This honor is a special circumstance award given periodically by the dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Awards are presented at the Engineering Awards Banquet each spring.