Distinguished Alumni Award

The Distinguished Alumni Awards were authorized by the Board of Trustees in 1951. It is the University’s highest honor presented to its alumni.

Eight Penn State Alumni to receive Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2025
Eight Penn State alumni selected by the Penn State Board of Trustees will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is the University’s highest honor presented to its alumni. The following individuals have been officially notified of their selection by the Board and are invited to accept the award from the University in 2025.

O. Richard Bundy, Jr., professor emeritus of music and former director of the Penn State Blue Band. He earned a B.S. from the College of Education in 1970 and an Ed.D. from the College of Arts and Architecture in 1987.

David C. Han, M.D., F.A.C.S. Professor Emeritus of Surgery, Radiology and Engineering Design, Penn State Colleges of Medicine and Engineering. He earned a B.S. from the Eberly College of Science with honors from the Schreyer Honors College in 1988 and a M.S. from the College of Medicine in 2005.

Charlene Morett Curtiss, retired head coach, Penn State field hockey. She earned a B.S. from the College of Health and Human Development in 1979.

Sylvia H. Rambo (posthumous), former judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Rambo (d. 2024) earned a J.D. from Dickinson Law in 1962.

Jane R. Rigby, astrophysicist; James Webb State Telescope senior project scientist; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She earned a B.S. from the Eberly College of Science with honors from the Schreyer Honors College in 2000.

Joseph Alfonso Sbaffoni, mining industry consultant and retired director, Pennsylvania Bureau of Mine Safety. He earned an AAS from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, in 1973, at Penn State Fayette.

Andy Sieg, head of wealth at Citigroup. He earned a B.S. from the Smeal College of Business and with honors from the Schreyer Honors College in 1989.

John Urschel, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned a B.S. in 2012 and a M.A. in 2013 from the Eberly College of Science.

The nomination cycle for the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award will begin on July 15, 2025. Please check back at that time for the nomination form.

Nominations may include living alumni of Penn State “whose personal lives, professional achievements and community service exemplify the objectives of their Alma Mater.” For your information, links are provided to lists of the current Society of Distinguished Alumni membership, as well as to lists of previous recipients of Alumni Fellow and Alumni Achievement Awards.

Current members of the Board of Trustees, current employees of the University, and current officers and members of the Executive Board of the Alumni Association are not eligible for the award.

Please direct any questions about the award or candidate nominations to the Board Office at dku5025@psu.edu or 814-865-2521.