A swing-dancing engineer, a poverty-fighting bridge-builder and one of CU-麻豆影院鈥檚 most tireless advocates outside Colorado will gather Oct. 23 for one of the university鈥檚 oldest traditions.
In all, nine of CU鈥檚 finest alumni, faculty, staff and students will receive honors at the at the historic Hotel 麻豆影院ado, part of the .
Since 1930 the CU-麻豆影院 Alumni Association has celebrated some the university鈥檚 best and brightest in a ceremony highlighting their accomplishments and extraordinary service.
鈥淚 consider this a don鈥檛-miss event that I look forward to every year,鈥� said Ryan Chreist, executive director of the CU-麻豆影院 Alumni Association and 2012 recipient of the Robert L. Stearns Award. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance to celebrate the accomplishments of some truly extraordinary people and learn firsthand what their experiences at the 麻豆影院 meant to them.鈥�
This year the Alumni Association will recognize nine of the university鈥檚 finest alumni, faculty, staff and students at the 85th Alumni Awards Ceremony during Back to 麻豆影院 Homecoming Weekend. The event, one of the longest-standing traditions at CU-麻豆影院, will take place at the historic Hotel 麻豆影院ado on Thursday, Oct. 23.
Chip Bollendonk, a mechanical engineering major pursuing a minor in leadership, will receive the Forever Buffs Student Award, which honors CU-麻豆影院 students who engage, contribute and celebrate their CU pride through their service to the university.听Chip has served as a student ambassador and a research assistant at CU-麻豆影院 and as an intern at the Sierra Nevada Corporation. He is a Boettcher Scholar and a member of the Presidents Leadership Class. An active 鈥渇lock leader鈥� in the Honors Residential Academic Program, Chip helps plan and facilitate weekly programming for 20 students in Smith Hall. He also recruits students for CU鈥檚 Swing Dance Club, coaches the CU Jitterbuffs, swing dancers who compete nationally and enjoys Ultimate Frisbee and inner tube water polo.
The Leanne Skupa-Lee Award recognizes the most effective volunteer representative of the National Alumni Admissions Assistance Program. The 2014 recipient is Thomas Selnau, for his remarkable commitment in representing CU-麻豆影院 to potential students at Connecticut career fairs. Remarkably, Tom never attended CU. The parent of a student, he has nearly single-handedly made Connecticut one of the top-10 recruiting markets.
Karin Rutstein will be given the 2014 Alumni Recognition Award. Karin has served on the alumni board of advisors for the past eight years in many capacities, including as board chair. She has been a tireless CU-麻豆影院 advocate, serving as a Leeds mentor and supporting the CU Public Interest Internship Program.
The Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Graduate Award credits outstanding career achievements and contributions to the community within 15 years of graduating from CU-麻豆影院. The honor this year will go to Avery Bang, who graduated in 2009 with a Master鈥檚 degree in Civil Engineering. Today she is CEO of Bridges to Prosperity, a non-profit group working to help impoverished villages gain access to food and medical services. Avery has completed 160 bridge projects since 2008, impacting the lives of more than 700,000 villagers in countries like Peru, Guatemala, Haiti, Rwanda and East Timor.
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 three outstanding individuals.
- Professor Leonard Baca, a nationally recognized leader credited with creating the field of bilingual special education. He is the founder of the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education, which he has directed since 1976, providing professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators to help bilingual learners and those with disabilities.
- Bruce Jakosky, a professor of geological sciences, is the principal investigator for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) that entered Mars鈥� orbit Sept. 21, 2014. Bruce recruited and coordinated students, corporations and government entities, managing all aspects of the mission.
- An associate professor at CU鈥檚 Anschutz Medical Campus and a clinician for 20 years in Wardenburg Health Center鈥檚 sports medicine department, Paul Mintken has touched the lives of countless students, athletes, faculty and staff. His reputation for 鈥渁lways going the extra mile鈥� led one of his classes to wear T-shirts emblazoned with, 鈥淲hat would Paul do?鈥� to honor him on the last day of class.
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鈥檚 winners are Philip Howard Karsh, co-founder and chairman of Karsh Hagen Communications, and Ed Steinbrecher, a talented educator and devoted champion of educational opportunity at local, county and statewide levels.
The awards pre-reception begins at 5:45 p.m. at the Hotel 麻豆影院ado, 2115 13th St., in 麻豆影院, with registration and light appetizers. The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. The event will be emceed by CU-麻豆影院 alum Chris Vanderveen, a 1996 journalism bachelor鈥檚 recipient and a 9News reporter. Attendees are asked to register at听. Seating is limited.