Distinguished Alumnus Award
The following Guidelines are intended to give nominees a better understanding of the submission process as a whole, as well as to provide insight into the kinds of achievements that are important in this award.
Submission Guidelines
One of the challenges in selecting this award is the difficulty of comparing accomplishments in the various categories of design, practice, education, journalism, public service, and other aspects of our diverse profession. However, this is also a great strength and increases the prestige of the award, in that individual achievement must rise above the usual definitions of a “successful career path” and demonstrate broad, transformative influence, outreach, and leadership. The categories under which nominations are evaluated are as follow:
Category 1 – Distinguished Architectural Practice
- Exemplary achievement in design, evidenced by peer recognition in the form of national or regional awards, publications and other honors over a period of time
- Exemplary achievement in architectural practice management or technical expertise, with evidence of broad influence and sharing of knowledge
- Exemplary achievement and leadership in the AIA or related professional associations
- Unique, recognized and sustained achievement in other professional areas such as building codes, disaster recovery, sustainability, or historic preservation
Category 2 – Community or Public Service
- Recognized public service in government, community development or elected office
- Distinguished military service, acts of exceptional heroism or philanthropy
Category 3 – Distinguished Achievement in Architecture Education or Professionally Related Fields
- Distinguished achievement and leadership in architectural education, publication or research
- Distinguished achievement and leadership in a professionally related field, such as architectural illustration, photography or journalism
Category 4 – Distinguished Alumni Spirit
- Exemplary and outstanding service to and support of the Huckabee College of Architecture and/or Texas Tech University
Therefore, in assembling a nomination submittal, here are some guidelines:
- Nominees should take the time to thoughtfully present their achievements in the specific category in which they are nominated.
- Submissions should go beyond the elements of a standard professional resume or academic
CV and avoid the inclusion of marketing boilerplate. In particular:
- Show how you made a difference beyond the success of your firm, buildings, or projects.
- Show how you shared your expertise not just with clients, but to the benefit of the profession at large, or how you advanced architecture's body of knowledge.
- Show how you and/or your firm, apart from being successful, redefined a typology, developed a new technology, established new paradigms, or mentored emerging firms or individuals.
- Show how independent entities have recognized your achievements with awards in the specific category of your nomination. (For example, in the design category, design awards would be most important; in the education category, teaching awards would be most important; etc.)
- Simply put, the submission requirements are intended to be more rigorous than standard architectural marketing or resume materials. This is in keeping with the singular prestige of the award itself.
There is no automatic carry-over of submissions from year- to-year. For an unsuccessful nominee to be reconsidered in following years, they must resubmit all of their nomination materials, even if those materials are unchanged from the previous year.
These Guidelines are presented in hopes that they will help you all nominees and nominators better understand the factors involved in the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page for further guidance.
Huckabee College of Architecture
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Address
Texas Tech University, 1800 Flint Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
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Email
architecture@ttu.edu