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Valparaiso University School of Law Alumni Awards
Selection process & nomination requirements

Selection Process

The School of Law Alumni Board solicits nominations for the awards from all alumni, former award recipients, and other members of the law school community. The School of Law Alumni Board reviews the materials submitted for each candidate and selects those persons whose achievements more closely fit the category for which they have been nominated and who are deemed most deserving of recognition.

The deliberations of the awards are kept confidential. Those individuals chosen to receive awards will be honored during Homecoming Weekend at the law school or at another appropriate time.

School of Law Alumni Awards
Nomination Requirements

If you know someone who deserves consideration for an alumni award, please submit the following to the law school by February 10th.

  • The completed nomination form with your name and address and that of your nominee and his/her supporters.
  • Your letter of nomination giving a detailed explanation of why your nominee should be considered for an award.
  • The candidate’s curriculum vitae or resume (if available and appropriate), plus any other information you feel will be relevant to the committee’s decision.
  • Letters of support (optional) from others who know your nominee and of his/her accomplishments.

Letter of Nomination

Please submit a letter, no more than two pages, stating why your candidate should be considered for a specific award. Be sure to read the criteria for each award carefully, so you can explain clearly and in full how your candidate fulfills those criteria. Your statement should cover the following points wherever appropriate and give any other information you believe to be relevant. Remember that the individual’s accomplishments must be described and interpreted in terms that are clear.

  • What are your candidate’s outstanding achievements that merit recognition?
  • What impact has your candidate had on the profession, service, or community in which he/she has been active.
  • How has your candidate maintained his/her interest in, support of, and involvement with the law school?
  • Has your candidate’s work been an influence in the broader community beyond his/her sphere of vocational or volunteer achievement?
  • Why is this the appropriate time in your candidate’s life or career for this recognition to be awarded?

If appropriate, submit a copy of your candidate’s curriculum vitae or resume. Recent newspaper clippings, book introduction and short articles may provide information helpful to the awards committee.

Letters of Support

Additional references can be an integral part of the nomination process. If you would like to, you may have two other individuals provide letter of support. You can either provide the letters with your nomination packet or make certain that the supporters send their letters directly to Valparaiso University School of Law, 656 South Greenwich Street, Wesemann Hall, Valparaiso, IN 46383, by the deadline date.

Letters that comment knowledgeably on the individual’s specific achievements are the most important and helpful. Possible contacts include professional colleagues and fellow volunteers, former students, former classmates, and friends.

Please share the criteria for the awards and the suggestions listed below with those writing letter in support of your nominee. Supporters should answer the same basic questions:

  • What is your relationship to the candidate, and how have you gained your knowledge of his/her accomplishments?
  • Which of your candidate’s achievement fulfill the criteria for one of the awards?
  • What impact has your candidate had on the profession, service, or community in which he/she has been active? In general terms, please explain the impact of the candidate’s work.
  • Do you know what relationship the individual has maintained with the law school, its faculty, students, or other alumni since graduation?
  • Has your candidate’s work has an influence on the broader community beyond his/her own sphere of vocational or volunteer achievement?
  • Why is this an appropriate time for the individual’s achievements to be recognized?

Nominations must remain confidential. Please do not inform candidates that they are in consideration, since only a limited number of awards are presented each year.

Return this form and accompanying documents by February 10th to:

Valparaiso University School of Law
Francie Thomas, Assistant Director of Advancement
656 S. Greenwich Street, Wesemann Hall
Valparaiso, IN 46383