During Reunion, Carleton’s Alumni Association recognizes alumni who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in their field or community, who have provided exceptional service to the College, or who are young alumni and have made a significant contribution that embodies the spirit of Carleton.

While anyone may submit a nomination, nominations typically come from classmates in Reunion years. If you are interested in submitting a nomination and have questions, please reach out to alumniawards.group@carleton.edu.

The deadline for nominations is November 15. Guidelines for the nominations process are available via downloadable PDF at right. Award selection is made by the Alumni Council’s Awards and Nominations Committee, and awards are presented during Reunion weekend in June of the following year.

It is truly an honor to be nominated for an Alumni Association Award. Generally, about half of the nominees are selected in a given year. Because of this, keeping the nomination confidential is strongly recommended. The Alumni Association considers nominations for three types of awards:

Distinguished Achievement Award

The Distinguished Achievement award recognizes exceptional achievement and impact within the field or fields of professional accomplishment, non-professional pursuit, or volunteer service. This honor is intended for living alumni of the College, and preference is given to those in the Reunion classes.

Exceptional Service Award

These awards recognize exceptional service that contributes substantially to the well-being of the College by furthering its purposes and programs. Individuals currently serving the College as employees, trustees or council members are not normally eligible, but can be nominated if they have retired or completed their service. This recognition is not restricted to alumni and may include friends, faculty, administrators or others who have served the College.

In the Spirit of Carleton Award

These awards honor Carleton alumni from the most recent 15 classes who have made significant and/or transformational contributions to civic or professional organizations and who demonstrate the attributes of Carleton’s liberal arts education. Recipients show initiative, creativity, purposefulness and a commitment to quality and improving their community.


‘C’ Club Hall of Fame

In addition, the ‘C’ Club Board considers nominations for the ‘C’ Club Hall of Fame, which recognizes and honors Carleton letter winners, coaches, and others who have made outstanding contributions to Athletics at Carleton. Learn more about the ‘C’ Club Hall of Fame nominations process.


A Step-by-Step Guide to the Nomination Process

  1. Download and review the Alumni Association Award Guidelines.
  2. Contact the reunion committee nominations coordinator for your class directly.
  3. By November 15 of the year prior to your reunion, prepare and submit to your class nominations coordinator a nominations packet no more than 12 pages in length, including:
    • A cover letter addressed to the Alumni Council Awards and Nominations Committee and that succinctly summarizes why the nominee should receive the award, listing any special honors they have received and providing evidence that the nominee’s work or service is truly transformative to his/her field or exceptional in his/her service, and that this activity is sustained over time. Please include your contact information and that of the nominee.
    • Letters of support from colleagues in the same field or from those who have worked directly with the nominee. See Alumni Association Award Guidelines for tips on what these letters should address.
    • Other supporting materials that directly and explicitly relate to the nominee’s impact in their field. See Alumni Association Award Guidelines for tips on what should/should not be included.

A maximum number of 12 pages will be accepted per nomination.

Nominators and recipients will be notified of the Alumni Council’s Awards and Nominations Committee’s decision in early February.

Please note that in an average year, the Alumni Council honors 14-18 recipients with Alumni Association Awards. The nomination pool ranges from 25-35 in a given year. It is truly an honor to be nominated. Because not all nominees receive awards, keeping the nomination confidential is strongly recommended.

Save complete nominations packet as a PDF and email to alumniawards.group@carleton.edu.

Nominations may also be mailed via USPS to:
Carleton College
Office of Alumni Relations c/o Alumni Awards
One North College Street
Northfield, MN 55057