2026 Alumni Association Awards Nominations

Please provide all information to the NIU Alumni Association no later than March 6, 2026

Thank you for considering an outstanding alumnus for nomination for a 2026 NIUAA Alumni Award. 

There are three categories:

Distinguished Alumni Award
F.R. Geigle Service Award

Outstanding Young Alumni Award
 

You can learn more about them by clicking here. 

To ensure quality of nominations and fairness in review, you are limited to no more than two letters of support. We also encourage you to draft a brief summary of why you feel the nominee is deserving. If not selected as a winner in the category he/she/they are nominated in, the nominee could be chosen for another category other than the one originally selected. 
 

Nominees are all graded on a rubric, which qualifies them based on the below categories.  The committee encourages you to consider these categories when drafting and submitting nomination materials:

Engagement with NIU – How has this nominee been involved with NIU since graduation, including participation, philanthropy, volunteerism, and vocal support?

Visibility – A nominee with a high level of public profile will be graded higher than one with a lower one.

Achievement – What has the nominee accomplished in their life, professionally, in research, as a leader, or other relevant ways?

Volunteer Activities – What has the nominee done outside of their profession for their community, nation, or world?

If your nominee does not receive the award this year, don’t worry – they will remain in the pool for two additional years, and you may update your nomination materials by emailing Reggie Bustinza (rbustinza@niu.edu). Nominees are not informed they have been nominated unless they are selected.

The ceremony will take place on the Friday of Homecoming, 2026 (date TBD) and award recipients are required to attend in-person.