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Home Distinguished Alumni Awards Distinguished Alumni Awards Nomination Information

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS NOMINATION INFORMATION

Recognizing Our Alumni Successes

The University of Iowa Distinguished Alumni Awards Committee—which includes members of our Alumni Leadership Council—aims to recognize a broad range of qualified candidates who embody the university’s core values by honoring them with Distinguished Alumni Awards. The committee selects an annual recipient in each of the following categories:

  • The Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award recognizes graduates or former students who demonstrate significant accomplishments in their business or professional lives as well as distinguished service to their university, community, state, or nation.
  • The Distinguished Alumni Service Award recognizes graduates or former students who demonstrate specific and meritorious service to their university, community, state, or nation.
  • The Distinguished Alumni Hickerson Recognition Award recognizes graduates or former students for outstanding contributions to their alma mater. This award is named in honor of the late Loren Hickerson (40BA), the university’s first full-time alumni director and an ardent UI champion.
  • The Distinguished Recent Graduate Award recognizes graduates or former students, age 40 or younger at their time of nomination, for significant accomplishments in their business or professional lives as well as for distinguished service to their university, community, state, or nation.
  • The Distinguished Friend of the University Award recognizes individuals who are not alumni for specific and meritorious service that enhances and advances the university.
  • The Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes retired or former faculty for significant achievements and for specific meritorious service that enhances and advances the university. Nominees need not be alumni.
  • The Distinguished “Forevermore” Staff Award recognizes retired or former staff for significant achievements and for specific meritorious service that enhances and advances the university. Nominees need not be alumni.

NOMINATION FORMAT

Graduates, former students, faculty, staff, and friends of the University of Iowa may make nominations (the Distinguished Alumni Awards Committee reserves the right to reassign nomination categories, if deemed applicable). Nominators should submit the following:

  • Cover letter that states the nomination category, endorses the candidate’s qualifications, and highlights how the nominee embodies the UI's core values
  • Nominee's vita or professional résumé, including a current address
  • Three or more letters of recommendation from other individuals who support the nomination
  • Any additional information that would further substantiate the nomination

EXCLUSION FROM ELIGIBILITY

Current members of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement’s board of directors and staff, members of the Alumni Leadership Council, and current full‑time university faculty and staff are not eligible to receive these awards. Individuals currently in a position of elected or appointed office or known to be launching a campaign are also not eligible to receive these awards. All nominees must be living at the time of nomination and cannot have received a University of Iowa Distinguished Alumni Award in the same category in the past. Nominations by active Awards Committee members will not be reviewed until the member’s term has concluded on the committee. The Awards Committee reserves the right to consider and approve exceptions to the exclusions from eligibility.

AWARDS TIMELINE

Nominations for the 2026 awards will open in May 2025 and close on January 31, 2026. The Distinguished Alumni Awards Committee will meet in April 2026 to review all nominations and make the annual selections. Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at a special ceremony on the Friday before the University of Iowa's Homecoming (Fall 2026).

MAIL NOMINATIONS TO:

The University of Iowa Center for Advancement
Distinguished Alumni Awards
One West Park Road
Iowa City, Iowa 52244

For more information, email Nici Bontrager or call 319-467-3607.

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Forever Hawkeyes: Henry and Patricia Tippie

Henry and Patricia Tippie have given to the University of Iowa for more than 60 consecutive years?largely to the UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business. As a boy in Belle Plaine, Iowa, Henry Tippie (49BCS, 09LHD) was fascinated by sports. Whether it was clipping sports articles from the newspaper or playing for his high-school baseball team, athletics were, and continue to be, a lifelong passion. That love of sports has always included the Iowa Hawkeyes. For more than 50 years, Henry and his wife, Patricia, have been Iowa football season-ticket holders. Among his many fond memories is the 2010 Orange Bowl where the Hawkeyes defeated Georgia Tech. That day also happened to be his 83rd birthday. "It was my best birthday ever," he says with a smile. The Tippies love the Hawkeyes. Throughout the years, they've created several scholarships for student-athletes and supported facilities enhancements at Kinnick Stadium. "We believe in the mission of Iowa athletics?that today's Hawkeyes are tomorrow's leaders," says Henry. "We are honored to support the athletic and academic experiences of Iowa student-athletes, which we see as an investment in the future." "I benefited beyond all expectations by attending the University of Iowa. I feel strongly about repaying the benefits I received." - Henry Tippie But their giving doesn't stop with athletics. The Tippies?who are top University of Iowa donors?have provided transformational support for business students, which is why the college is named in the couple's honor. Ultimately, the Tippies invest in Iowa because of the educational assistance Henry received as a student. After serving in the 20th Air Force during World War II in the Western Pacific Theater, Henry was admitted to Iowa on the G.I. Bill. "Without the University of Iowa, who knows what might have happened in my life," says Henry. "I have always felt that my education at the University of Iowa provided me a foundation that allowed me to build on and expand my horizons. It's why Patricia and I give back to this state and its people." Patricia, a graduate of Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, sees the role that Iowa played in Henry's life. That's why she's proud to support both her alma mater and the Hawkeyes. "Our alma maters have had a tremendous impact on our lives," says Patricia. "We are honored to pay it forward and assist in the growth of the next generation." Watch: Henry and Patricia Tippie

Alumni Career and Professional Development Resources

On this web page you'll find information to help connect you with other Hawkeyes, in addition to resources to help advance your career and further your education at Iowa.

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NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity that works to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.

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