2024 Alumni Awards

A Letter from Sarah Schutt Each year, the Wisconsin Alumni Association® is proud to bring you news about remarkable UW–Madison alumni and supporters who are making a positive impact. Our annual awards program is designed to recognize Badgers who are living the Wisconsin Idea and to share the pride we all experience by association. Our 2024 recipients are inspiring and unique in the ways they have leveraged their UW– Madison education and supported the mission of the university.

The Forward Award recognizes alumni within 15 years of graduation who exemplify the Wisconsin Idea by demonstrating the ideals of progress, service, and discovery.

The Luminary Award honors mid-career alumni who serve as aspirational examples through accomplishments in their professions and/or service or philanthropy.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the most long-standing award offered by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. It honors lifetime achievement by alumni in their professional fields, in service to their alma mater, or in contributions to their communities and the world. This year, we are especially excited to announce the inaugural recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, which is presented by the chancellor’s office with support from the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association. This award honors individuals or couples whose unparalleled contributions to the university have significantly transformed UW–Madison’s ability to carry out its mission. Our 2024 recipients, John ’55 and Tashia ’55 Morgridge, epitomize the essence of the Distinguished Service Award. They have made invaluable contributions not only through their service and wise counsel for various university endeavors, but by making the largest individual philanthropic gifts in UW–Madison’s history. John and Tashia have positively transformed every aspect of campus, from the Morgridge Institute for Research to the university’s ability to provide scholarships and retain world-class professors; from the Morgridge Center for Public Service to the new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. We will be forever grateful for their visionary, unprecedented giving and their love for the university.

In these pages, we also celebrate alumni who have been recognized by fellow Badgers for career success, community service, or contributions to their local alumni chapters.

If you know of fellow alumni deserving of recognition, we encourage you to nominate them for one of next year’s awards at uwalumni.com/awards.

On, Wisconsin!

Sarah Schutt Chief Alumni Engagement Officer and Executive Director Wisconsin Alumni Association

UWALUMNI.COM/AWARDS

5