The Colorado State University Alumni Association’s 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award celebration was held on Thursday evening, Oct. 13 at the Sutherland Community Garden & Theater.
Videos highlighting the top four Distinguished Alumni Awards and the recipients can be viewed below. The Alumni Association was proud to award recipients from each of the eight colleges and CSU Athletics. Also, watch the entire program to hear the heartfelt acceptance remarks of all our exceptional honorees.
Congratulations to all our Distinguished Alumni Award recipients!
U.S. Army Gen. James H. Dickinson (B.S., ’85) – William E. Morgan Alumni Achievement Award
General James Dickinson’s military career began in 1985 after graduating from CSU and being commissioned as an officer through the campus’ Army ROTC program. He is now a four-star general and the senior air and missile defense officer in the U.S. Department of Defense. In August 2020, he began serving as the commander of U.S. Space Command, where he has authority over 18,000 soldiers. Gen. Dickinson has received numerous awards and decorations throughout his 30-plus-year career. He returns to campus periodically, most recently in May to preside over the commissioning of 50 ROTC cadets and deliver commencement addresses at two college graduations.
Tim Schultz (B.A., ’72) – Charles A. Lory Public Service Award
After attending CSU, Tim Schultz became the youngest county commissioner in Colorado at the age of 25. He went on to hold several positions in state government before becoming the president and executive director of the Boettcher Foundation in 1995. During his 22-year tenure, the foundation’s endowment grew by more than $100 million; they awarded 900 merit-based Boettcher Scholarships and 3,600 capital grants. Tim is one of the founders of the Denver Rustlers, which purchases animals at the State Fair to help 4-H students pay for college. His dedication to the state and its citizens has been recognized with many awards throughout his distinguished career.
Linda Meserve (B.S., “86) – Jim and Nadine Henry Award
Linda Meserve was a walk-on athlete at CSU and lettered in swimming all four years. In 1988, she was hired as an accounting technician at the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU Pueblo). She transferred to the Fort Collins campus in 1998 where she was the first female to serve in numerous roles in Procurement Services, eventually becoming the first female chief procurement officer in University history. She and her team were vital to CSU’s response to COVID-19. Linda has been honored with a Distinguished Service Award and received the title of chief procurement officer emerita when retiring after 31 years last April.
Edward Kendall (B.S., ’18) and honors discipline scholar) – Distinguished Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award
As a Fort Collins native, Edward was motivated to attend CSU by participating in the University’s youth summer science programs. After graduation, he worked as a research associate in CSU’s Regional Biocontainment Laboratory studying respiratory pathogens. In 2019, Edward joined the Peace Corps where he worked with youth in the Republic of Moldova on science projects. After returning stateside, he became a postgraduate research fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He currently serves as a graduate research assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory while pursuing dual master’s degrees. He hopes to work internationally to combat global biological risks.
