Alumni Awards

The School of Information Sciences Alumni Board is pleased to announce three inaugural awards to be given to School alumni at the upcoming SIS Alumni & Friends Day on March 7. We invite you to submit your alumni award nominations for the following awards:

Director’s Award:

• The Director’s Award recognizes an alumna or alumnus of the University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences who has demonstrated exceptional contributions to the field of library and information sciences based on national merit.
• Nominations for this award are made to the Alumni Board. The UT SIS director selects the winner.

Innovator’s Award:

• This award honors an alumnus or alumna who graduated at least two years earlier.
• The recipient demonstrates innovation in the field of library and information sciences through cutting edge activities, forward thinking, leading trends, or reinventing a traditional service.
• Nominations for this award are made to Alumni Board members. SIS Alumni vote to determine the winner.

Distinguished Career Award:

• This award honors an alumnus or alumna who graduated at least ten years previously.
• The recipient demonstrates a meritorious career based on service, teaching, and/or scholarship.
• Nominations for this award are made to Alumni Board members. The entire body of SIS Alumni votes to determine the winner.

For all submissions, nominators must submit a resume, a letter of explanation, and rationale why the individual being nominated demonstrates national merit and is deserving of this award.

Please send your submissions to SIS Alumni Board President Tiffani Conner at Tiffani.Conner@lmunet.edu. The deadline for submissions is February 2. Alumni will then vote on the nominations from Feb. 3 until Feb. 20. In light of the new awards, the Board has determined to retire the Distinguished Alumni Award, which was inaugurated in 2002.

SIS Distinguished Alumni Award 

The SIS Distinguished Alumni Award was inaugurated at the School’s
30^th Anniversary Celebration held on September 14, 2002 at the UT
Conference Center. To honor graduates who have demonstrated professional
achievement or leadership attributable to their education at the School, the
alumni board chose to select representatives from the 1970s, 1980s, and
1990s - one award for each decade. The Alumni Board voted to retire this award for 2009. Since 2002, the following alumni have
been honored.

• 2008 Distinguished Alumni:

  Pat Powell ('96) Senior Vice-President of Business Development at Information International Associates (IIa)

• 2007 Distinguished Alumni:

  John Wilkin
  ('86) Co-interim University Librarian and Associate University
  Librarian for Library Information Technology, University of Michigan

• 2006 Distinguished Alumni:

  Martha Earl
  ('85) Reference Coordinator, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Preston Medical Library, Knoxville

• 2005 Distinguished Alumni:

  Steve Cotham
  ('78) Manager, Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection and Knox County Archives, Knoxville

• 2003 Distinguished Alumni:

  Jackson “Jack” Maxwell
  ('95) Information Specialist, Memphis City Schools

• 1990s Distinguished Alumni:

  Elizabeth “Liz” Bibby
  ('96) Director, Business Information Services Center, Baker Library, Harvard
  Business School

• 1980s Distinguished Alumni:

  Biddanda “Suresh” Ponnappa
  ('84) Assistant Dean for Learning Resources, Director, Quillen Medical Library and Biomedical Communications Department

• 1970s Distinguished Alumni:

  Vicky Leather
  ('78) Director of Libraries, Chattanooga State Technical College

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Criteria for the School of Information Sciences Distinguished
Alumni Award

1. The candidate must demonstrate professional achievement and/or
   leadership attributable to his or her education at SIS. Examples might
   be:
   • Publications
   • Teaching record
   • Service to profession
2. The candidate must be nominated by students, alumni board, faculty,
   staff, or alumni of SIS.
3. Each nomination must include:
   • a biographical statement on why the candidate is deserving of the
     award,
   • a resume, if available, or a career summary,
   • basic information such as name, address, employment history, and all LIS
     degrees and dates.
4. Candidate must have graduated from the University of Tennessee School
   of Information Sciences/Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences
   at least five years prior to year of nomination.

Award

1. A framed award certificate will be presented to the recipient.
2. The award recipient’s name will be inscribed on a plaque that will be
   displayed in the School’s display case.
3. Reception of the award will be made at a widely attended event, which
   will be up to the discretion of the alumni board of directors.
4. The recipient will be invited to visit the School to address the
   student body and accept the award.

Selection Process

1. The entire alumni board—not including the School’s director, faculty
   representative, or staff representative—must agree by a majority vote on
   the candidate.
2. If the alumni board decides that no worthy candidate is nominated in a
   given year, the Award will not be presented that year.
3. The alumni board will set dates for nominations annually.

Deadline for Award

The Alumni Executive Board chooses the yearly deadline as appropriate
to coincide with School events.