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Distinguished Alumni Award

Saluting alumni who live the objectives of the alma mater

Distinguished Alumni Award

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor The Pennsylvania State University bestows upon an outstanding alumnus/a. The award salutes the achievements of outstanding alumni whose “personal lives, professional achievements, and community service exemplify the objectives of their Alma Mater.”

2023 Recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Mark P. Becker

1985 Ph.D. Statistics

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Dr. Mark P. Becker

Dr. Mark Becker is president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), membership organization that fosters a community of university leaders collectively working to advance the mission of public research universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The association's membership consists of more than 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations focused on: increasing access, equity, completion, and workforce readiness; promoting pathbreaking scientific research; and bolstering economic and community engagement.

Prior to leading APLU, Becker spent more than three decades at many of the different types of universities that comprise APLU’s membership, having served as a post-doctoral fellow, professor, dean, provost, and president at flagships, land-grants, and urban serving institutions.

Becker served as president of Georgia State University from January 2009 to August 2021. He led the transformation of Georgia State from a formerly little-known “commuter school” into one of the nation’s premier urban research universities. During his tenure, Georgia State was one of the fastest growing research universities in the nation as sponsored awards more than doubled, and the university became a widely recognized national leader in the introduction of innovative programs and initiatives to foster student success. Under Becker’s leadership, the university became one of the most diverse universities in the U.S., led the country in eliminating disparities in graduation rates based on race, ethnicity, or income, and was first in the nation among nonprofit institutions in graduating Black students.

Prior to assuming the presidency of Georgia State University, Becker served as executive vice president for Academic Affairs and provost at the University of South Carolina from 2004 to 2008. He served as dean of the School of Public Health and later assistant vice president for Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response at the University of Minnesota.

Becker attended Harford Community College in Maryland, earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Towson State University, and his doctoral degree in statistics from the Pennsylvania State University. Becker is a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association.

James H. Stith

1972 Ed.D. Physics

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James Stith

Col. James H. Stith, U.S. Army (Ret.) is vice president emeritus for the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for programs that ensure ethnic and gender diversity in the sciences. Stith is an internationally known physicist and leading authority on physics education and has conducted workshops in a dozen countries.

Stith spent 21 years on the faculty at West Point and was the first African American in its history to be named to the tenured faculty. He has also been a Visiting Associate Professor at the United States Air Force Academy and Visiting Scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. As an educator, he has been cited for his excellence in teaching and for his outstanding rapport with his students. Colonel Stith was an active member of the West Point community, providing leadership in many areas. This service included two years as Chairman of the School Board at the United States Military Academy.

Stith was raised in Brunswick County, Virginia, as the son of a tobacco farmer. His early education was obtained at the three-room Oak Grove Elementary School. He was valedictorian of his high school class and the first in his family to graduate from high school. Stith graduated from Virginia State College in 1963 with a B.S. in physics and an ROTC commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. After fulfilling his military obligation, he earned his doctorate in physics at Penn State. Stith then returned to active duty and joined the faculty at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

His work with the National Research Council resulted in Science Standards (K-12) for the Nation. The Standards document established, for the first time, national guidelines by which exemplary teaching, effective assessment and student knowledge may be measured.

Stith is a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association. He and his wife, Alberta, live in Bowie, Maryland. They have three adult daughters: Dr. Adrienne Stith-Butler, Dr. Andrea L. Stith, Ms. Alyssa J. Stith (deceased) and 2 grandchildren.

Previous Eberly Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

2020
James P. Bradley

2019
Christopher Wolfgang

2018
Barbara Howell Raphael

2017
Richard Silverman

2014
Stephen Mayo
Nicholas Pelick

2013
Alan Bedrick

2011
Sara Campbell Rockwell

2009
LTG George Trautman III

2007
Eric Prystowsky

2005
Alan Schriesheim

2004
Edward Frymoyer
Stuart Seides

2002
Monica Morrow

1999
Duane Alexander
Robert Fortinsky
Joseph Miller

1998
Albert Kligman

1997
James Balog

1996
Gordon Fee

1995
Judith Loftin Davenport
William Perry

1994
T. Ming Chu

1993
J. Lloyd Huck

1992
David Joyner

1991
Harold O'Connor, Jr.

1989
Gary Lyons
Raymond Shibley

1984
Frank Luerssen

1983
Henry Yeagley
Murray Schwartz

1981
Roscoe Brady
LTGN William Brown, Jr.
Robert Elmore

1980
Peter Danos
Kenneth Weston

1979
George Cressman

1978
John Chemerda
Joseph Kriss
James Robinson
Gerald Romig

1977
John McLucas

1976
James Giacobine

1975
J. Edwin Matz
Charles Overberger

1972
Robert Eberly

1971
Paul Doty
M.Gen (Ret.) Walter Tkach

1967
Katharine Boucot Sturgis

1966
Florence Powdermaker

1965
Mary Willard

1964
David Osborne

1959
George Haller

1958
Harold Erskine
Marlin Geiger

1957
Samuel Hinkle

1955
William Decker

1954
Robert Ostermayer
Arthur Shoffstall