Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award honors primarily nurse alumni who have demonstrated excellence in nursing practice, nursing research, health policy, nursing education, or nursing administration; or have provided exemplary service to humanity; or have a distinguished career in nursing. Non-alumni or organizations that have made significant contributions to the alumni, School of Nursing, and/or nursing profession may also be considered for an Honorary Distinguished Alumni Award.
General Award Criteria
All nominees must:
- Be an alumnus of Columbia Nursing, except if nominated for the Honorary Distinguished Alumni Award.
- Meet the four (4) general award criteria before being considered for a Distinguished Alumni Award.
- Recognized as an outstanding nurse leader by colleagues
- Served as a leader in facilitating the growth and development of nurses
- Led innovations to advance the profession of nursing
- Mobilized significant and sustained contributions to nursing
Specific Award Criteria
All nominees must:
- Meet all specific award criteria listed under the Distinguished Alumni Award for which they are nominated. The Distinguished Alumni Award categories are listed below and the criteria follows:
Nursing Practice
Purpose: To recognize a nurse alumnus who has made significant contributions as a clinical practice nurse.
The nominee:
- Recognized as an exemplary clinical practice nurse by clients, families, communities, and/or healthcare organizations.
- Collaborated with colleagues to improve clinical nursing utilizing evidence-based research.
- Led unique contributions to improve quality client outcomes and healthcare delivery.
- Contributed significantly to innovations in clinical practice through presentations and publications at the national and/or international level.
Nursing Research
Purpose: To recognize a nurse alumnus who has made significant contributions as a nurse researcher.
The nominee:
- Demonstrated expertise in research, research design, instrumentation, statistics, and related areas.
- Conducted, completed, and disseminated research resulting in publications and presentations.
- Recognized as a role model (educator, mentor, or facilitator) in guiding and supporting other researchers, graduate students, and novice researchers.
- Utilized scientific research that led to innovative changes in clinical nursing practice at the national, and/or international level.
Health Policy
Purpose: To recognize a nurse alumnus who has made significant contributions to health policy.
The nominee:
- Fostered the political and legislative effectiveness of nurses.
- Developed health policy that promotes the health care of consumers.
- Promoted the public recognition of nursing as a scholarly discipline when developing legislative and regulatory processes and policies.
- Advanced the nursing profession by leading the implementation of health policy at the national and/or international level.
Nursing Education
Purpose: To recognize a nurse alumnus who has made significant contributions as a nursing educator.
The nominee:
- Recognized as an transformative nurse educator by colleagues and students.
- Demonstrated leadership in education, curriculum design, innovative teaching methodologies, assessment, and evaluation.
- Led efforts for accreditation of academic programs and/or credentialing of educational programs in health care organizations.
- Contributed significantly to nursing education through publications and presentations at the national and/or international level
Nursing Administration
Purpose: To recognize a nurse alumnus who has made significant contributions as a nurse administrator.
The nominee:
- Recognized by colleagues for their knowledge, skills, attitudes and intangible leadership qualities in managing a healthcare system.
- Created a high-quality practice environment that recruits and retains nurses and their colleagues to function effectively in their practice setting.
- Utilized innovative approaches in nursing management that positively influenced healthcare.
- Contributed significantly to nursing management through presentations and publications at the national and/or international level.
Neighbors Humanitarian
Purpose: To recognize an alumnus who has exceptional service to humanity.
The nominee:
- Recognized as a remarkable humanitarian serving individuals, families and/or communities.
- Cared for others without regard for personal gain, recognition or compensation.
- Provided sustained and dedicated service to underserved populations.
- Promoted the public recognition of nursing as a human service profession.
In Memoriam for Lifetime Achievement
Purpose: To recognize a deceased alumnus for Lifetime Achievement in nursing.
The nominee:
- Satisfied the criteria for the distinguished career in nursing award during the lifetime of the alumnus.
Honorary
Purpose: To recognize a non-alumnus or organization that has made significant contributions to the alumni, School of Nursing, and/or nursing profession.
The nominee:
- Organized significant and sustained contributions to the alumni, the School of Nursing, and/or the nursing profession.
- Rendered distinguished service that positively impacted the alumni, the School of Nursing, and/or the nursing profession.
- Contribute to the advancement of the nursing practice, policy or education through service to the profession.
- Enhanced the goals/image of Columbia Nursing and the nursing profession at the national and/or international level.
Distinguished Career in Nursing
Purpose: To recognize a nurse alumnus with extensive experience in nursing who has a distinguished career in nursing.
The nominee:
- Recognized as an outstanding nurse who has made sustained and exceptional contributions to nursing during his/her career.
- Satisfied all four (4) criteria in two (2) specific award categories, such as:
- Nursing Practice
- Nursing Research
- Health Policy
- Nursing Education
- Nursing Administration
Distinguished Alumni Award Process
- Nominator submits a completed Distinguished Alumni Award Nomination Form for their nominee. The nomination form is due on January 21, 2026 and is listed below:
- Committee members score each nominee based on the general award criteria to determine eligibility for a Distinguished Alumni Award.
- Committee members score each nominee based on the specific award criteria under the Distinguished Alumni Award category for which they were nominated.
- Committee members review individual and aggregate scoring analyses for all nominees.
- Committee members make the selection for an award based on consensus.
- Each nominator is notified of the committee's decision regarding his/her nomination(s).
- Recipients are formally notified regarding their selection for a Distinguished Alumni Award and their award category.
- Recipients are recognized at Alumni Reunion and honored at the Alumni Awards Ceremony.