Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni
Distinguished Alumni Award
More than 200 alumni have received this award
The Emporia State University Distinguished Alumni award is the highest honor that can be granted to an alumnus of Emporia State University by ESU Alumni Association. Awarded each fall during Homecoming, it recognizes the outstanding professional accomplishments of ESU's finest graduates. Since the inception of the award program in 1960, more than 200 alumni have received the award.
Candidates are nominated for the Distinguished Alumni award by alumni and ESU faculty. As much information as possible is gathered on each candidate. The information is evaluated and an initial selection is made by a committee representing alumni and faculty. The Alumni Association Board of Directors approves or makes final selection of those who will receive the award. A maximum of five alumni can receive the award in a given year.
Past Distinguished Alumni have included teachers, research scholars, humanitarians, administrators, public servants, doctors, lawyers, and leaders in business, industry, and the military. All are respected in their professions and community. Most important, they are Emporia State University graduates who have given ESU a rich heritage.
Nomination Form
To submit a nomination, please fill out the nomination form. Please note: for consideration during the upcoming calendar year, nominations are due by October 31. Nominations received after this date will be considered for the following year.
Current Recipients
Dennis Brockman
Dennis Brockman (BSB 87 – Business Administration), Starbucks Corporation’s senior vice president for U.S. Retail Operations, has built his substantial corporate career as much on leadership skills as he has on the technical intricacies of selling cups of Pike Place Roast.
David E. Gussak
Dr. David E. Gussak is a professor for the Florida State University (FSU) Graduate Art Therapy Program, where he has taught with distinction for more than 20 years. He’s also the coordinator of the FSU/Florida Department of Corrections Art Therapy in Prison Program.
George Poole
Retired since 2017 as a professor of mathematics at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Dr. George Poole’s place among this year’s class of Distinguished Alumni at Emporia State University is rooted in bedrock principles of education: a passion for a given subject and an appreciation for those who teach it. His national expertise as a research mathematician is just as intense.
Jackie Vietti
Dr. Jackie Vietti’s personal and professional relationship with Emporia State University that is among her most treasured and ongoing memories. Now a facilitator at the Kansas Community College Leadership Institute, Vietti notably served as ESU’s interim president in 2015.