Tucson Standard

The University of Arizona is set to honor its distinguished alumni at the upcoming Alumni of the Year awards ceremony on February 27. The event will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center Grand Ballroom.

The award recipients were nominated by their respective colleges and received formal approval from the Alumni Advisory Council, a group of 19 volunteers who provide guidance on alumni engagement and outreach.

This year's honorees include individuals from various fields such as academia, business, sports, medicine, and more. They have made significant contributions in areas like supercomputing, optics, public health policy, education integration with arts, nursing education, technology innovation in aerospace and defense, and many others.

Jonelle Vold, senior vice president for alumni engagement and prospect development at the University of Arizona Foundation stated: "Our Alumni of the Year award winners embody the values, dedication and passion that define what it means to be a Wildcat. We congratulate each of the winners on this well-deserved honor and thank them for continuing to be excellent representatives of the University of Arizona."

Among those being recognized are Victoria DeFrancesco Soto from W.A. Franke Honors College; Joseph Shaw from James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences; Mary Foote from Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; Joan Ashcraft from College of Fine Arts; Cecil Drain from College of Nursing; Callie Groth from Eller College of Management; Jerry Hunter from College of Engineering; Sean Elliott from College of Humanities; Robin Shambach from College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture; Donald Powell and Susan Powell from James E. Rogers College of Law; Sunita Mishra from College of Medicine – Tucson; Alan Dan Barreuther and Christine Jane Barreuther from R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy; Duncan Buell from College of Science; Jan Lesher from College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Todd Pletcher from College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences; Marilyn Ludwig (posthumously) from College of Education.

The tradition dates back to 1943 when these awards were first established. More information about this year's winners can be found on the Arizona Alumni website.