University Of St. Thomas Alumni Home
crowd photo of previous St. Thomas Day celebration

Annual Alumni Awards

Tommies are everywhere, and they seek to positively impact society and their communities through professional excellence and service around the world.

We proudly honor their extraordinary contributions at the annual St. Thomas Day celebration, during which alumni receive the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award, Humanitarian Award, Monsignor James Lavin Award and Spirit of St. Thomas Award.

Nominations

We are not currently accepting nominations. For future nominations or stories you'd like to share, contact Alumni Relations (alumni@stthomas.edu)!
St. Thomas Day 2023 Honorees (Newsroom)
All seven 2024 St. Thomas Day honorees

St. Thomas Day 2024

We were pleased to come together in celebration of seven exemplary individuals – students, faculty and alumni – who are inspiring change in the world as they live and extend the St. Thomas mission.

We invite you to view the event program, highlighting the accomplishments of our honorees:

  • Professor of the Year Award: Dr. Terry Langan Associate Professor, Department of Economics
  • Tommie Award: Nguyen (Lucky) Phan ’24
  • Spirit of St. Thomas Award: Jazz Hampton ’12, ’15 JD
  • Monsignor James Lavin Award: Father John Malone ’63, ’67 MA
  • Distinguished Alumna Award: Rosa Miller ’88
  • Humanitarian Award: Rick Campion ’90 and Chancey Anderson ’11 MA

Watch Program

Honoring Our Tommies

Every year, we seek out nominations for outstanding alumni who should be recognized for the university's four alumni awards: Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna, Humanitarian, Monsignor James Lavin, and the Spirit of St. Thomas.

Nominating notable alumni helps us elevate those who are making an incredible impact and provides inspiration to our community through stories of their unique journeys. Each honoree will be invited, along with their family and friends, to the St. Thomas Day celebration where they will be recognized for their achievements. Their stories also will be shared through personalized videos.

Hon. Robert Sheran (left) was the first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni award. He was on the team that won the Northwest Debate Tournament of 1936, for the College of St. Thomas. He is shown with Abraham Kaplan and their advisor, Professor Owen McElmeel, and the winner's trophy.

The Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award honors an alumnus/alumna for leadership and service to St. Thomas, the community and in his or her field of endeavor. Since 1971, Alumni Relations has honored an individual each year for their extraordinary achievement.

A culture of service starts with the students (shown here packing meals for Feed My Starving Children), who then continue to serve as alumni.

The Humanitarian Award recognizes an alumnus or alumna for contributions to the betterment of the spiritual and material welfare of the less fortunate. Since 1968, Alumni Relations has honored an individual each year for their extraordinary contributions.

Fr. James Lavin served the St. Thomas community in many ways for over 50 years.

The Monsignor James Lavin Award honors an alumnus or alumna of St. Thomas for outstanding contributions and service to the University of St. Thomas and its programs and services. Since 1994, Alumni Relations has honored an individual each year for the extraordinary contributions.

Group photo of young alumni at networking event
The Spirit of St. Thomas Award recognizes the professional and/or personal achievements of Tommies under the age of 40.