Registration for the ACES Alumni Awards Gala is open and available until March 22, 2024.

 

The 2023 ACES Alumni Award of Merit recipients are:

  • Colleen Gibbons, Syracuse, New York - M.S. ’09 and Ph.D. ’13 human development and family studies
  • Ron Lloyd, Girard - B.S. ’94 and M.S. ’01 crop sciences
  • Wayne Swigert, Taylorville - B.S. ’74 agricultural and consumer economics 

The ACES Career Achievement Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement and/or made extraordinary humanitarian contributions resulting in meaningful or life-changing impacts for a significant population.

The 2023 ACES Career Achievement recipients are:

  • Jessica Campbell, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Ph.D. ’06 nutritional sciences
  • Peter Hansen, Gainesville, Florida - B.S. ’76 agriculture
  • John “Jack” Murray, Champaign - B.S. ’78 crop sciences

The ACES Outstanding Young Alumni Award is presented to alumni under the age of 40 who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, or, through outstanding leadership or service, have significantly enhanced or improved the lives of others.

The 2023 ACES Outstanding Young Alumni recipients are:

  • Kirk Builta, Mahomet - B.S. ’07 agricultural leadership, education, and communications
  • Matt Farell, Denver, Colorado - B.S. ’09 food science and human nutrition
  • Krista Swanson, Oneida - B.S. ’07 crop sciences; M.S. ’09 agricultural and consumer economics

The ACES Family Spirit Award honors alumni families who have demonstrated their support of the college as alumni and/or students.

The 2023 ACES Family Spirit recipient is:

  • The Wyffels Family - Two generations of Wyffels have graduated from the University of Illinois. The family has provided decades of support to the College of ACES, Illinois Athletics4-H and Extension, and Agronomy Day.

Registration for the ACES Alumni Awards Gala is open and available until March 22, 2024.

Read the ACES Press Release here:

2023 College of ACES awards celebrate exceptional alumni | College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences | UIUC (illinois.edu)

 

Know an alum who would be a great future award winner?  Consider nominating them!  Review our past award applications below for reference:

Nominate an ACES Alum

We invite you to nominate an ACES Alum today to recognize their outstanding contributions.  

Learn more about each award below.

View all past award winners

ACES Award of Merit

Recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of living University of Illinois College of ACES alumni who have excelled in their careers, leadership or service upon graduation from college. Awardees will be honored at the ACES Alumni Association Awards Gala. The selected individuals will also become Round Barn Society members and will be pinned when receiving their recognition.

Scoring

Scoring will consist of professional accomplishments and service to professional organizations, service to the University of Illinois and College of ACES, community achievement and service to the community as demonstrated in the nominator’s letter of endorsement and additional letter(s) of reference.

Guidelines for Nomination:

  • Submit the completed nomination form.
  • Attach one to three additional letters of reference. Consider one letter of reference from a University of Illinois past or current faculty or staff member. Names, addresses and an email must be included on reference letters.
  • Attach resume of nominee (no vitas please).
  • All nomination forms, resumes, and letters of recommendation must be completed and submitted electronically to acesalumni@illinois.edu.
  • Applications are due September 15, 2023.

Candidates will be considered for one year. Nominators can resubmit an updated nomination for two subsequent years. If a nominee is not selected within a three-year period, the candidate can be re-nominated after three additional years.

View videos of ACES Award of Merit winners

ACES Career Achievement Award

Recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of living University of Illinois College of ACES alumni who have had exceptional professional achievement and/or made extraordinary humanitarian contributions. Awardees will be honored at the ACES Alumni Association Awards Gala. The selected individuals will also become Round Barn Society members and will be pinned when receiving their recognition.

Scoring

Scoring will consist of professional achievements, growth in career path, impact on industry, impact on others from professional experience, leadership exhibited in profession, professional organization membership and roles, and service to others as demonstrated by the nominator’s letter of nomination and additional letter/(s) of reference.

Guidelines for Nomination:

  • Submit the completed nomination form.
  • Attach 1-3 additional letters of reference. Names, addresses and an email must be included on reference letters.
  • Attach resume of nominee (no vitas please).
  • Past Award of Merit winners are not eligible for this award.
  • All nomination forms, resumes, and letters of recommendation must be completed and submitted electronically to acesalumni@illinois.edu.
  • Applications are due September 15, 2023.

Candidates will be considered for one year. Nominators can resubmit an updated nomination for two subsequent years. If a nominee is not selected within a three-year period, the candidate can be re-nominated after three additional years.

View videos of ACES Career Achievement Award winners

ACES Outstanding Young Alumni

Recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of University of Illinois College of ACES young alumni who have had exceptional professional achievement and/or made extraordinary humanitarian contributions. Awardees will be honored at the ACES Alumni Association Awards Gala event. The selected individuals will also become Round Barn Society members and will be pinned when receiving their recognition.

Scoring

Scoring will consist of professional accomplishments and service to professional organizations, community achievement and service to the community, service to the University of Illinois and College of ACES as demonstrated by the nominator’s letter of nomination and additional letter(s) of reference.

Guidelines for Nomination:

  • Nominee must be under the age of 40 as of January 1, 2023.
  • Complete and submit the nomination form.
  • Attach one to three additional letters of reference. Consider one letter of reference from a University of Illinois past or current faculty or staff member. Names, addresses and an email must be included on reference letters.
  • Attach resume of nominee (no vitas please).
  • All nomination forms, resumes, and letters of recommendation must be completed and submitted electronically to acesalumni@illinois.edu.
  • Applications are due September 15, 2023.

 

Candidates will be considered for one year. Nominators can resubmit an updated nomination for two subsequent years. If a nominee is not selected within a three-year period, the candidate can be re-nominated after three additional years.

View videos of ACES Outstanding Young Alumni Award winners

ACES Family Spirit Award

Recognizes a family who has demonstrated their support of the College as alumni and/or current students. Selection will be based on, but not limited to, a display of sincere dedication to the College of ACES and significant connections to the College and University. Awardees will be honored at the ACES Alumni Association Awards Gala.

Scoring

Scoring will consist of service to the University of Illinois and College of ACES after graduation, engagement as a student/(s), service to the community; family engagement with the University as demonstrated in the nominator’s letter of endorsement and additional letter/(s) of reference.

Guidelines for Nomination:

  • Complete and submit the nomination form.
  • Attach 1-3 additional letters of reference. Names, addresses and an email must be included on reference letters.
  • All nomination forms, resumes, and letters of recommendation must be completed and submitted electronically to acesalumni@illinois.edu.
  • Applications are due September 15, 2023

Candidates will be considered for one year. Nominators can resubmit an updated nomination for two subsequent years. If a nominee is not selected within a three-year period, the candidate can be re-nominated after three additional years.

View videos of ACES Family Spirit Award winners

University of Illinois Alumni Association Awards

Illinois alumni are recognized throughout the year for their successes and contributions. Every year during Commencement weekend at the University of Illinois, the UI Alumni Association recognizes outstanding alumni with the Alumni Achievement, Alumni Humanitarian and Distinguished Service awards. Other honors, such as the Chicago Illini of the Year Awards, are presented at annual events. Here is a complete list of awards, past recipients and instructions on how to nominate someone for recognition. Learn more about university awards and how to nominate an alum today!

University of Illinois Alumni Awards include:

  • Alumni Achievement Award
  • Alumni Humanitarian Award
  • Young Alumni Award
  • Chicago Illini of the Year Award
  • Constituent Leadership Award
  • Distinguished Service Award
  • Illini Comeback Award
  • Lou Liay Spirit Award

Please contact the College of ACES Alumni Association if you nominate an alum!

Stay Connected!

Online social networking is a great tool to stay in touch with alumni and friends from the College of ACES!