Five alumni nominated for highest honor

To remind University students, particularly graduating seniors, of what could be accomplished with their respective degrees in the post-college world, the Rutgers University Alumni Association will induct five nominees into the annual Hall of Distinguished Alumni in early May.
“[The award] is the highest honor bestowed on Rutgers alumni,” said Jim Rhodes, chair of the RUAA, which chooses the nominees.
All five nominees from health, broadcast journalism and technology fields will be inducted at the Heldrich Hotel in downtown New Brunswick on May 2, Rhodes said.
The nominees for this year include Walter Alexander II, a medical and military pioneer and the first black man to graduate from the College of Engineering; Dorothy Cantor, the first person with a doctorate of psychology degree to lead the American Psychological Association; Mir Imran, an inventor and entrepreneur who has founded more than 25 high-tech biomedical companies; Ralph Izzo, leader of PSEG and sustainable energy pioneer; and Natalie Morales, a national correspondent for NBC, according to a University press release.
“It’s a distinguished class; these are individuals that would stand out in any arena, not just Rutgers,” Rhodes said.
The award has been given out since 1987, but this is the first year it is being organized by RUAA, since the association was only formed last summer, he said.
“[The award] honors individuals that have distinguished themselves, not just in terms of Rutgers University, but [also] in some other manner,” Rhodes said.
The caliber of the nominees sets them apart not only within the University but as outstanding members of society as well, Rhodes said.
Cantor, a member of the first graduating class of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology in 1976, said she is thrilled and honored to receive the award from the Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
Cantor, nominated by GSAPP for the award, is the first and only clinician to date to serve as the 105th president of the APA, and only the eighth woman to do so, she said.
The experience as a member of the first class at GSAPP was a unique one, where the world-class faculty and opportunity to participate in planning the then-new program as a student helped Cantor find her voice, she said.
“The first article which I published in a professional journal was the result of an independent study which I did at GSAPP,” she said. “I have since written scores of articles and six books.”
Cantor’s work directly influenced the creation of the Patient’s Bill of Rights enacted during the Clinton administration, she said.
Another prestigious alum, Walter Alexander, made University history as the first black man to graduate from the School of Engineering, Class of ’43, according to a University press release.
Alexander made another first as the first black man to be appointed to the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry in 1972 and served as a Tuskegee Airman in 1945, according to the release.
RUAA sifts through dozens of nominations after sending out a call to all facets of the University and alumni to send in their choices for the award, a process they kept from the last committee, Rhodes said.
RUAA formed a committee of members of the administration, faculty and alumni to sift through and choose nominees, he said.
About 250-300 people are expected to attend the black tie affair, featuring emcee Sheryl Lee Ralph, a star of Broadway, television and movies, and Tribeca Rhythm, in addition to several student performances, Rhodes said.
The event, comparable to any awards show on television, is an opportunity to showcase the University and the prestigious alumni whose accomplishments make it great, Rhodes said.
The physical award itself is a unique, customized piece created by Mason Gross School of Arts professor and sculptor Herk Van Tongeren in 1986, said Anthony Guido, a representative of University Alumni Relations.
The Hall of Distinguished Alumni is on display throughout Winants Hall on the College Avenue campus, Rhodes said. Tickets are $90 and are available on the RUAA Web site at Ralumni.com.