Established in 1971, the Outstanding Alumni Award at Missouri Southern is the highest award given out to an alumnus by the Alumni Association. The Distinguished Alumni Award was created in 2017 as a way to recognize alumni who may be at different points on their professional timeline but have still achieved great success. Awardees for both awards are honored for their outstanding achievements in their profession, and for having made significant contributions to their community, state or nation. Awarded each fall during Homecoming, the Outstanding and Distinguished Alumni awards are given to individuals who are alumni of Missouri Southern and have made unmatched contributions to the University.
The nominee must have graduated from Missouri Southern a minimum of 10 years ago. The Outstanding Alumni Award is given to alumni who have graduated between 10-24 years ago, and the Distinguished Alumni Award is given to alumni who have graduated more than 25 years ago. The award is based on outstanding service, financial support, student recruitment, or other efforts. In cases of exceptional accomplishments, the awards committee may deem it appropriate to present this award to an individual before the time elapsed from school has been reached.
