The 2024 nomination period is now open. Submissions must be received by January 31, 2024 at midnight to be considered. Nominees who were not selected from the last two cycles will be considered again this year. If you wish to check on the status of a previous nomination or make updates, contact alumnimerit@slu.edu.
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MERIT AWARDS
The President and administrative officers of Saint Louis University established the Alumni Merit Award to bring to the attention of the community and the nation in a dignified and dramatic way the end-product of the University's diverse, well-rounded educational program - namely its distinguished graduates. There are two categories of this prestigious recognition: School and College Alumni Merit Awards and the Pioneer Award.
SCHOOL AND COLLEGE ALUMNI MERIT AWARDS
Award Description:
One graduate from each of the 14 schools, colleges and centers of Saint Louis University will be recognized with an Alumni Merit Award. Each distinguished alumnus/alumna is honored in recognition of his or her outstanding achievement, dedication to a chosen profession and commitment to the mission of the University.
Criteria:
Any living alumnus/alumna who exemplifies, in his/her daily life, the mission of Saint Louis University. These men and women shall have achieved outstanding success:
- in their professional life;
- or in their intellectual pursuits;
- or in their community involvement;
- or demonstrates continued interest and evidence of support toward the enhancement of Saint Louis University.
Note: Full-time Saint Louis University faculty and staff are not eligible to receive the Alumni Merit Award. However, full-time faculty and staff who are at the point of retirement or have already retired are eligible. Any student currently enrolled at SLU during the award year is not eligible.
Determining the Nominee’s School or College:
One or more alumnus/alumna will be recognized from each school and college of Saint Louis University. The following process will be used for this designation:
- All nominees are considered for the award from the school/ college where the degree program from which they graduated is currently housed.
- If an individual has multiple degrees from Saint Louis University, he/she will be placed in the pools for each school/ college they graduated from for consideration.
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If the nominator is not sure which school/college the alumnus/alumna graduated from, the Office of Alumni Engagement will be able to make that determination once the nomination is received to ensure that each candidate is in the correct pool before being reviewed by the Alumni Merit Committee.
Selection Process:
Nominees will be reviewed by a committee consisting of staff members and alumni volunteers, with final review from the dean of each school/college. After the recipients have been selected, the Office of Alumni Engagement will compile information about the recipients for review by the President’s Office.
THE PIONEER AWARD
Award Description:
As the first institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River, Saint Louis University was founded, operated, and served to educate pioneers who helped shape the history of our region and nation. In calling on this same pioneering spirit that helped forge the foundation of Saint Louis University, the Pioneer Award is an annual recognition of an alumna or alumnus who is hardworking, innovative, driven, committed to Jesuit ideals and has distinguished him/herself in his/her life’s pursuits. Most importantly, the Saint Louis University Pioneer Award is given to the alumna or alumnus whose actions, accomplishments and pioneering spirit have helped paved the way for others.
Criteria:
Any living or deceased alumnus/alumna who exemplifies, in his/her daily life, the mission of Saint Louis University. These men and women shall be:
- Distinguished professionally;
- First among peers to achieve something; a trailblazer in field; paving the way for others;
- Committed to service, social justice and the Jesuit ideals.
Note: Full-time Saint Louis University faculty and staff are not eligible to receive the Alumni Merit Award. However, full-time faculty and staff who are at the point of retirement or have already retired are eligible. Any student currently enrolled at SLU during the award year is not eligible.
Selection Process:
Nominations will be reviewed by representatives of the Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement. The top candidate will be presented and approved by the president of Saint Louis University.
SUBMIT A NOMINATION FOR BOTH AWARDS:
Important Note: the form has a time limit and partial forms cannot be saved. To ensure your answers are not lost before you submit them, please consider preparing your answers on a separate document ahead of time before entering them into the form.
- Any person may recommend an alumnus/alumna for the Alumni Merit Awards or Pioneer Award.
- Please be prepared to provide information on the nominee’s achievements and qualifications in the following categories:
- School/College Alumni Merit Awards Nomination:
- Professional Accomplishments
- Intellectual Pursuits
- Awards, Honors and Recognition
- Community Service
- Commitment to the Jesuit Mission
- Continued Support of Saint Louis University
- Pioneer Award Nomination:
- Professional Accomplishments
- Intellectual Pursuits
- Awards, Honors and Recognition
- First Among Peers/Paving the Way for Others
- Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
- Community Service
- Commitment to the Jesuit Ideals of Social Justice
- Continued Support of Saint Louis University
- When completing the nomination form, please be as detailed and thorough as possible as this section is crucial for the selection process. The strength of your nomination depends on the information and supporting materials you provide to best represent the accomplishments of your nominee. Referencing a separate cover letter or CV is not an acceptable answer for a section. If you do not complete a section, it will impact the nominee’s score.
- Please fill out each section as thoroughly as possible. Keep in mind that reviewers may not be familiar with industry-specific language or awards, so the more information you can provide about why an accomplishment or accolade is significant, the stronger the nomination.
- If you are not sure what to include in a nomination, check out your nominee’s LinkedIn profile, request their resume or CV, or talk to family and friends to find out additional details. When all else fails, contact the nominee and ask them what they are most proud of in their career!
- In addition to text-based questions about the nominee’s achievements and qualifications, the form will also ask you to upload a CV or resume and any available letters of recommendation. Please have these ready when you begin the form as there is not a way to exit and return to the form after you have already started.
Presentation of the Award:
The recipients will be honored with their awards during the Commencement Recognition Dinner on Friday, May 17, 2024, as well as verbally recognized during the University Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18, 2024.
For any questions, please email alumnimerit@slu.edu.