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DESCRIPTION:The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize graduates who have ac
 hieved outstanding accomplishments in their professional and personal live
 s\, and who have been an inspiration to fellow alumni\, current students\,
  and/or the community.\n\nThe Macdonald Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) w
 as created by the Macdonald Branch of the ɬÀï·¬ Alumni Association to rec
 ognize distinguished graduates for their outstanding professional contribu
 tions\, scholarly distinction and/or service to the community at large. Th
 e first awards were presented at Homecoming 2006 and are awarded at Homeco
 ming every year.\n\nIn 2009\, we were pleased to introduce the Macdonald D
 istinguished Young Alumni Award (DYAA)\, which recognizes the achievements
  and contributions of our younger alumni.\n\nNomination deadline: June 30\
 , 2025\n\nSubmit a nomination through our online form\n\nEligibility\n\n\n
 	Nominees must be in receipt of a degree or diploma from one of the program
 s offered at the Macdonald Campus.\n	To be eligible for the Distinguished Y
 oung Alumni Award\, nominees must have graduated from Macdonald within the
  last 10 years and be under 35 years of age.\n	Current faculty and staff ma
 y be granted awards for exemplary contributions and commitment beyond the 
 immediate scope of their work.\n	Posthumous nominations will not be conside
 red.\n	For the DYAA Awards\, self-nominations will be considered\, as long 
 as they are accompanied by a reference letter. For the DAA Awards self-nom
 inations are not considered.\n	Current members of the Distinguished Alumni 
 Awards Committee will not be eligible for the awards.\n\n\nCriteria\n\nThe
  DAA and DYAA Awards are given for accomplishments in one of the two follo
 wing categories. The nominator is requested to select a nomination categor
 y\, even if for some nominees both categories may be relevant.\n\nOutstand
 ing professional accomplishments\, scholarly distinction\, and/or service 
 to the discipline or sector\n\nAwardees would typically have leveraged the
  education received at Macdonald Campus to build an impactful career that 
 has led to exceptional contributions in the discipline and/or impact on th
 e sector. The nominee's professional accomplishments are expected to refle
 ct positively on the educational institution.\n\nOutstanding service to th
 e Macdonald Campus Community\n\nAwardees typically made exceptional contri
 butions to the functioning of the institution\, for example through levera
 ging their networks for the benefit of the institution\, supporting fundra
 ising or other initiatives\, mentoring students\, involvement in outreach\
 , or other meaningful connections.\n\nProcess\n\n\n	Nominations will be con
 sidered for the year in which they are submitted.\n	Nominees that are not s
 elected this year may be conserved for two years at the discretion of the 
 DAA/DYAA Awards Committee.\n	Nominations must satisfy the criteria for one 
 of the award categories and be received by the deadline date published.\n	A
 wards will be bestowed during Homecoming every year. They are not bestowed
  in absentia\, save in exceptional circumstances.\n\n\n\n	2024 recipients\n
 \n	\n		Distinguished Alumni Award: Dr. Allan Armitage\, a visionary in hortic
 ulture | BScAgr’67\n\n		Dr. Allan Armitage is a celebrated leader in ornamen
 tal horticulture\, having garnered numerous awards throughout his distingu
 ished career. His journey began at Macdonald College\, where he earned a B
 Sc in Botany. He then worked at Aylmer/Del Monte Food Company in quality c
 ontrol and product development. However\, his talent for communication led
  him to return to Macdonald College to earn a teaching certificate\, after
  which he spent seven impactful years as a high school teacher at Beaconsf
 ield High School in Quebec. \n\n		Eager to deepen his knowledge and contribu
 te to plant science\, Dr. Armitage pursued an MS in Horticultural Science 
 at the University of Guelph and a PhD from Michigan State University. His 
 academic career blossomed at the University of Georgia\, where he served f
 or 35 years\, receiving numerous accolades for his ground-breaking researc
 h\, engaging teaching\, and significant service to the horticultural indus
 try. \n\n		Dr. Armitage has authored 17 books\, many used as key texts in ho
 rticulture programs\, and published over 70 peer-reviewed papers alongside
  more than 500 industry articles. His expertise has taken him to lecture a
 cross Europe\, New Zealand\, Australia\, China\, and North America\, makin
 g him a global figure in horticultural education. \n\n		Beyond academia\, he
  founded the National Association of Specialty Cut Flowers and established
  the renowned Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia\, benefiting orna
 mental plant breeders worldwide. He has also bred numerous popular ornamen
 tal plant cultivars and continues to consult with leading nurseries and gr
 eenhouses. \n\n		In addition\, he launched Garden Vistas\, a travel company 
 that organized tours of the world’s most beautiful gardens\, and developed
  Armitage’s Great Garden Plants\, a widely-used app for plant enthusiasts.
  \n\n		His two daughters reside in Georgia and his son in Oakville\, Ontario
 . Dr. Armitage and his wife Susan live in Athens\, Georgia and make regula
 r visits to friends and family in Canada.\n\n		Distinguished Young Alumni Aw
 ard: Ophelia Sarakinis\, FMT’19\n\n		Raised in Montreal suburbs\, Ophelia Sa
 rakinis' backyard was filled with chickens and a blooming vegetable garden
 \, sparking her deep-rooted love for ag. She went from volunteering at her
  nearest organic farm in high school to eventually studying conventional a
 griculture at ɬÀï·¬.\n\n		After graduating\, Ophelia realized the urgent ne
 ed to create more sustainable farming methods\, so she set up her own litt
 le indoor farm in her parents’ attic. Tired of hard\, tasteless strawberri
 es and concerned about their consistent rank at the top of the dirty dozen
  list (due to high levels of synthetic pesticides)\, she knew exactly wher
 e to start. Through trial and error (and little help from neighbouring bum
 blebees and ladybugs) she discovered that farming vertically in urban spac
 es is a viable solution towards a sustainable future.\n\n		GUSH officially s
 tarted running their vertical farm in 2020\, setting out to grow the best 
 strawberries. \n	\n\n
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250630
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SUMMARY:Nomination deadline: Macdonald Campus Distinguished Alumni Awards
URL:/consortium-rita/channels/event/nomination-deadlin
 e-macdonald-campus-distinguished-alumni-awards-365120
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