Each year, the West Virginia University Alumni Association bestows its highest honor on its alumni through the Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Nominations are currently being accepted for the Class of 2005 inductees.

The Academy honors and recognizes WVU graduates who are nationally or internationally recognized in their professions. Inductees are nominated by the general membership or their respective schools/colleges and selected based on their personal and professional achievements, dedication to WVU and commitment to their communities.

The Academy of Distinguished Alumni is the most prestigious award presented to alumni of West Virginia University,said Stephen Douglas, president and chief executive officer of the WVU Alumni Association.We have extraordinary alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their professions on many different levels. The Academy enables us to recognize the best of the best of West Virginia University and celebrate these achievements.

Since its inception in 1988, the Academy has recognized more than 60 alumni, including best-selling novelist Stephen Coonts; Jerry West, President of Basketball Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies; Ray Lane, President and Chief Operating Office of Oracle Corporation; and Dr. Jennie Hunter-Cevera, President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute.

The Academy of Distinguished Alumni inductions will be held Feb. 12. The WVU Alumni Association must receive all nominations by 3 p.m. Nov. 1. For nomination criteria, including nomination packets, please visit http://alumni.wvu.edu or call 1-866-WVU-ALUM.

The WVU Alumni Association, chartered in 1873, represents more than 158,000 University graduates residing in every county in West Virginia, every state in the union and approximately 60 foreign nations. With nearly 100 registered chapters and constituent groups, the Association’s 26,000 dues-paying members support Homecoming Weekend, the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni and dozens of other social and philanthropic programs.