Alumni Awards

The IST Outstanding Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by the college upon its graduates. The award recognizes IST alumni who have demonstrated a record of outstanding accomplishments and who have made significant contributions leveraging their expertise and knowledge gained through their degrees.

Purpose

• Recognize outstanding alumni for their professional accomplishments and highlight the impact of IST alumni.
• Foster and cultivate a relationship between alumni and the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
• Provide enhanced opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to interact with accomplished alumni.

Eligibility

• Individuals who have received an undergraduate or graduate degree from the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State.
• Individuals who have made a significant professional impact in their field.

Nomination and Selection Process

• Nominations are typically open during the late spring and early summer.
• Nominations can be submitted by Penn State faculty, staff, alumni, friends and students.
• The nominator must submit a letter of support with their nomination form. This letter must be from someone other than the nominator.
• Normally one, but up to three, outstanding alumni will be selected as awardees in June for the academic year. Awardees will be notified shortly after the selection process.
• The college’s Alumni Relations and Stewardship Officer will schedule a visit to campus for the award recipient(s). This will normally happen in coordination with the fall semester and will allow the college to formally recognize the award recipient(s) while allowing the recipient(s) to interact with faculty, staff, and students.

Past Recipients

• 2025 – Steve Sharer '11
• 2024 – Alison Flanigan '05 and Eric Flanigan '05
• 2023 – Nathan McNeese ‘14g
• 2022 – Scott Robertson '13g
• 2017 – Steve Garguilo ’09
• 2016 – Mark Poblete ’07
• 2015 – Sean Cooney ’06
• 2014 – Margaret (Maggie) Sapovchak ’03
• 2013 – Nick Berardi ’03

The IST Emerging Professional Award recognizes alumni who have graduated from the college within the last 10 years. Awardees are recognized for earning notable achievements by leveraging their IST degree while making a positive impact on the world.

Purpose

• Recognize IST alumni from the last decade for their professional accomplishments and highlight the impact of IST alumni.
• Foster and cultivate a relationship between alumni and the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
• Provide enhanced opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to interact with accomplished alumni.

Eligibility

• Individuals who have received an undergraduate or graduate degree from the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State within the last 10 years.
• Individuals who have made notable achievements impacting their field.

Nomination and Selection Process

• Nominations are typically open during the late spring and early summer.
• Nominations can be submitted by Penn State faculty, staff, alumni, friends and students.
• The nominator must submit a letter of support with their nomination form. This letter must be from someone other than the nominator.
• Normally one, but up to three, outstanding alumni will be selected as awardees in June for the academic year. Awardees will be notified shortly after the selection process.
• The college’s Alumni Relations and Stewardship Officer will schedule a visit to campus for the award recipient(s). This will normally happen in coordination with the fall semester and will allow the college to formally recognize the award recipient(s) while allowing the recipient(s) to interact with faculty, staff, and students.

Past Recipients

• 2025 – Michael Whang '21
• 2024 – CJ Smulligan '17
• 2023 – Christy Grim ‘17

The College of IST Dean's Alumni Excellence Award is presented at the behest of the dean to highlight and celebrate the extraordinary work and accomplishments of IST alumni. The award was created in 2024 to honor IST alumni who are doing outstanding work in the field of information technology. Alumni who earned their IST degree at University Park Campus or Penn State World Campus are eligible.

Past Recipients

• 2025 – Julio Ortiz '08
  
• 2024 – C. Frank Igwé '08