This award, established in 2018, is presented annually by the Penn State Nursing Alumni Society to an alumnus/alumna who has provided outstanding volunteer service to the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. Volunteer service can be in the areas of mentoring students, board and council service, serving as a preceptor for students enrolled in any education program in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, etc.
Criteria:
1. Must be a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing.
2. Must have outstanding volunteer service to the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing.
Submit a Nomination
Nomination Deadline: September 30, 2026
If you wish to submit a nomination, please complete the Nomination Form.
Nomination materials must include the following in order to be considered complete:
- Nominee name, email, graduation year, job title, business/organization
- Name and email address of a reference that could discuss the nominee’s qualifications for this award if contacted
- Rationale for the nomination in 500 words or less explaining:
- how the nominee has the potential to significantly impact the nursing profession.
- how the nominee demonstrates exemplary professional practice.
- how the nominee demonstrates the ability to advocate on behalf of the nursing profession and the be interest of the community.
- Link to nominee’s LinkedIn profile, if applicable
- Optional: Information supporting the nominee’s outstanding qualities (news articles, research articles, CV/resume, awards, etc.). This is not intended to be a letter of support.
If you would like to submit the nominee’s resume/CV and other additional supporting materials (research/news articles, additional awards, volunteer experiences, etc.) or have any questions about the nomination process, please email us at conalumni@psu.edu.
Current Recipient
Maxine Lewis ’14
Maxine Lewis is a 2014 graduate and a dedicated leader within the Penn State Nese College of Nursing Alumni Society. An active member of the Alumni Society Board from 2020 to 2025, she also served on the Board of Directors from 2018 to 2025 in several key roles, including Careers Committee Chair and Secretary of the Executive Committee.
Maxine helped create the Annual Surviving Your First-Year Alumni Panel, strengthened alumni involvement in the SNAPS Career Fair, and played an important role in establishing Welcome Back events at both Behrend and Hershey. She was especially instrumental in organizing the annual Welcome Back Ice-Cream Social at Penn State Behrend, which was recently recognized with the Penn State Alumni Association Fellowship and Networking Award. From July 2024 through June 2025, she also served as Secretary of the Alumni Society Executive Board, bringing thoughtful leadership, organization, and a strong spirit of collaboration.
Past Recipients
2025 – Lois Thompson ’91, ’19g
2024 – Lauren Thumm ’08
2023 – Gail Latimer ’83
2022 – Wendy Forrest Edgar ’92
2020 – Joelyn Niggel ’74
2019 – Jennifer Sprankle ’92
