CU’s annual Alumni Awards shine a spotlight on high-achieving Buffs who demonstrate excellence, from professional achievements to philanthropic generosity and innovative research.

Each year, a volunteer committee and the Alumni Association review nominations submitted by alumni, faculty, staff, students and community members to select winners for the six award categories. 

“Winning this award is not just a personal honor, but a powerful reminder of the enduring impact of community and education on individual success,” said Stephen Hatfield (Bus’96), winner of the 2023 Leanne Skupa-Lee Award and a leader in the Boulder Forever Buffs chapter.

The 2024 winners, announced in May, include Paul Beddie (IntlAf’89) and Penny E. Patterson (Geol’76; MS’81; PhD’90) for the Alumni Recognition Award, Benny Shendo Jr. (OrgMgmt’87) and Tanya Mares Kelly-Bowry (IntlAf’93) for the George Norlin Award, Joseph Arora (Mgmt’12) for the Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Graduate Award, D.B. Wilson (Hist, Mktg’75) for the Leanne Skupa-Lee Award, Chancellor Phil DiStefano, Reiland Rabaka and Christopher Pacheco (Bio’88; MEdu’16) for the Robert L. Stearns Award, and Manasa Kolavennu (MDataSci’24) and Sydney Strecker (Fin, Phil’24) for the Forever Buffs Student Award.

The awards highlight that alumni can continue their Buff legacy long after graduation. Hatfield continued: “It reaffirms my commitment to uphold and advance the values that define our shared experiences and aspirations at the University of Colorado." 

The recognition culminates with the Alumni Awards ceremony and dinner during Homecoming. It’s an evening of inspiring stories, shared accomplishments, community connection and CU pride.

“We recognize and honor outstanding individuals in our Forever Buffs family. I am always awestruck by the impressive accomplishments and superb character of our award winners. It is a night that makes you proud to be a Buff!” said Ryan Chreist (Kines’96; MPubAd’09), assistant vice chancellor of Alumni and Constituent Engagement and executive director of the Alumni Association.

Visit to register for the celebration. 

  Submit feedback to the editor

Photos by Stephanie Yves

Off

This fall, the (CASE) recognized the Coloradan alumni magazine with three awards in its annual . In addition, CASE recognized the CU Boulder Alumni Association with two awards.  

The magazine was recognized in the following categories: 

• Photography/Portraits | Beyond a Moment, a Movement (Fall 2020 issue)

• Alumni Magazine, General Interest | (Fall 2020 issue and Spring 2021 issue)

• Illustrations | Leaders Emerging (Summer 2021 issue)

The Alumni Association was recognized in the following categories: 

• Short Promo Video | Take Your Buffs Spirit on the Road license plate promotion

• Long Promo Video | Class of 1971: 50 Years Later documentary

In October, the Coloradan story “A Walk in Two Worlds” (Spring 2021 issue) won a , honorable mention for a short form story. It was one of only six awards for institutional writing. The story was written by CU Boulder Strategic Relations and Communications writer, Dan Strain. 

In June, the Leaders Emerging illustrations won a bronze award in the national , and the Class of 1971: 50 Years Later documentary won a silver award. 

The Coloradan is created by editor-in-chief Maria Kuntz and senior associate editor Christie Sounart (Jour’12), designed by and produced by the CU Boulder Alumni Association and Advancement Marketing and Communication teams.  

Off

Patrick Fort (Jour’14) is co-host of the Washington, D.C.-area podcast , which focuses on the connection between the district’s food and the history and culture of the people who make it. His career in audio journalism began at the CU Independent before reporting on D.C.’s dining scene. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he and Dish City changed course, offering up a third season focused on delivery. One of the episodes — “” — was recognized this year with a James Beard Media Award.

What’s your favorite part of telling a story?

In audio storytelling, I think you get a really accurate sense for who people are. You get to hear people as they think, as they react, and I love being able to capture that on “tape.”

Tell us about the creation of Dish City. Did you always know you were interested in reporting on food? Were you surprised by the connection between food and history?

Not at all! I started school thinking I’d study music, but I decided I wasn’t good enough at making music to do that. Instead, I thought I could write about music. This led to my first full-time job as an arts and culture reporter in Aspen (which included writing about food). 

From the very start, Dish City was never a show about food itself. It was a show about places and people and how we experience where we live through food. In our very first episode, my co-host and I talked about , a restaurant with history dating back to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s. This place is a D.C. icon in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, and here was a new, similar restaurant opening nearby. We wanted to investigate this intersection of history and race at a geographically significant place in the District.

Can you talk about putting together the James Beard Award-winning episode and how it felt to be recognized?

It was pretty surreal! This episode is a great representation of what Dish City is — not really about food, lots about history and culture. American Chinese food became synonymous with delivery in the 20th century due, in part, to inventive business owners finding ways to survive as they faced xenophobia and anti-Asian racism. We published the episode at a time in the pandemic when getting food brought to your home was a big deal, and also when there was, again, a rise in anti-Asian racism.

Is there a Boulder specialty that you miss from your time at CU? 

An easy question! I think all the time about the chile verde plate from .

What was the best part of your CU Boulder experience?

The best part of my CU Boulder experience was my time at the . I was given the opportunity to make podcasts for the paper, which was the jumping-off point for my entire career. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for that experience.

  Submit feedback to the editor

Photos courtesy Patrick Fort 

Off

For the first time, the Coloradan alumni magazine has won the grand gold prize in the . 

The magazine was one of 26 grand gold designations out of 2,752 total entries for this year’s awards, and one of three magazines to win a grand gold. The winning entries in the general interest/three times annually category included the fall 2019 issue of the magazine featuring a chalk art sketch of Ralphie on the cover, and the spring 2019 issue featuring Rhodes Scholar Serene Singh (Jour, PolSci'19) leaping in the air. The winners were announced June 10, 2020. 

The magazine — designed by  — is now a finalist for the award, the highest award for excellence in the field. The winner will be announced in late-June. 

Produced by the CU Boulder Advancement Marketing and Communications team, the magazine is led by Christie Henry (Jour'12), who collaborated with Eric Gershon, the magazine’s former editor.

"We unanimously fell in love with Coloradan alumni magazine," said the CASE judging panel. "A departure from the unexpected, the "Slim Jim" format is unusual among college magazines, and it works. Coloradan is a wonderfully sustainable publication that truly captures the DNA of the institution and its landscape with creative photography, design elements and illustrations, a breadth of topics, and interesting people. It’s a compact and concise publication that promises to appeal to a broad readership."

Off

Dinner with 12 Buffs

April 19-22, alumni and students across the U.S. will dine together during the fourth annual Dinner with 12 Buffs. More than 30 alumni hosts as near as Boulder and as far away as New Jersey will open their homes to an intimate group of Buffs for a casual meal and camaraderie.

Last year, financial executive Erik Evans (Math, Phys’00) hosted a fajita dinner for 15 alumni in his approximately 600-square-foot apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. There was CU talk, of course, but another theme emerged.

“Mostly we talked about the struggle,” said Evans. “The struggle of daily life in New York City and what each of us did. It was a really welcome reprieve.”

Lisa Corboy (Mktg’91) hosted several students in Louisville, Colo., for salmon, and will host again this year.

“We have two children at CU now, so we love staying in contact with the student body!” she said. “It helps keep us young.”

Students and graduates of the past decade are encouraged to attend. More information. 

Alumni Association Tidbits 

Join us for Buffs at the Ballpark this summer. Each family-friendly event at a pro baseball park starts with a pre-game reception. All attendees receive a Buffs-themed ball cap. Sites include Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Dates and details at colorado.edu/alumni.

Nominate a CU alum, faculty or staff member or a student for an Alumni Association Award by April 4 at colorado.edu/alumni/awards. Past winners include Grammy winner Dave Grusin (Mus’56), astronaut Scott Carpenter (Aero’49; HonDocSci’00) and women's basketball hall of famer Ceal Barry.

The Alumni Association’s annual nationwide day of service, Buffs Give Back, is May 19-20. Past projects have included tree maintenance in Atlanta, trail cleanup in Seattle and food sorting in Nashville. 

There are new alumni chapters in Baltimore, led by Jeff Spitz (EnvDes’14); Charlotte, S.C., led by Kate Kliebert (Engl’07); and Spain, led by Adam Mackstaller (Fin’95). In London, Sigrid Keough (Comm’89) took the reins as chapter leader.

The Big Red rivalry is back! On Sept. 8, the Buffs take on the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb. Join us for a free Buffs Bash at Pinnacle Bank Arena before kickoff.

Related Articles

Coloradan associate editor Marc Killinger, at left, and editor Tori Peglar (MJour’00) are shown outside the Koenig Alumni Center.

In June your Coloradan magazine won first place from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations. The category was “College and University General Interest Magazines with circulations of 75,000 and greater.”

������������’s&�Բ�����;California Magazine won second with New York University Alumni Magazine and Tufts Magazine tying for third. In previous years, University of Cambridge in Great Britain, Kings College London and Stanford have won first place in the same category.

Coloradan editorial staffers are thrilled to receive this honor. We thank our contributors, designers and readers for always engaging with us and encouraging us to create a magazine that truly connects our Forever Buffs family to each other and the university.

Off