Alumni Awards
For more than 60 years, Seattle Pacific University has celebrated outstanding individuals through our Alumni of the Year and Medallion awards. This year, SPU is collectively honoring the many SPU alumni who serve on the front lines of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This short film focuses on three — two nurses and a physician — working hard to save lives at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.
Front-line Falcons
Watch Front-line Falcons featuring SPU alumni working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch now
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Meet Our Featured SPU Alumni
Dr. Steve Mitchell, MD, FACEP ’87
Medical Director, Harborview Medical Center Emergency Department
Associate Professor, University of Washington Department of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Steve Mitchell recently led the effort to establish a new database that links all Washington state hospitals for a cooperative approach to emergency pandemic management.
Listen to his episode “Emergency Response” on the SPU Voices Podcast.
Learn more about Steve’s work, his unusual path to becoming a physician, and his motivations and hopes, even in the face of pandemic exhaustion.
Raquel (Rocky) Dixon, RN, BSN, PCCN ’19
Harborview Acute Care Ward
Raquel (Rocky) Dixon, RN, BSN, PCCN ’19, serves on the COVID-19 protocol specialist team at Harborview.
Bethany Houston, RN, BSN ’19
Harborview Trauma Care Center
Bethany Houston, RN, BSN ’19, cares for patients regardless of their ability to pay, many of whom suffer from addiction and mental illness in addition to physical trauma. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a flood of patients experiencing overdoses or suicide attempts.
The Alumni Board urges you to nominate individuals you believe deserve special recognition in the categories below. Final selection is made by the Alumni Board after careful deliberation. There are no restrictions on the number of nominations you can submit.
Categories
Alumnus/a of the Year
The Alumnus/a of the Year personifies the goals that SPU has for its alumni. The selection committee looks for a balance among the areas of vocational accomplishment, community service, Christian commitment, and support for SPU. The engagement of the whole person is the quality possessed by every Alumnus/a of the Year honoree. Each recipient, in addition to having broad impact and influence, represents the ideals of the University.
Medallion Award
The Medallion Award is given to individuals who have provided outstanding service to the University, the community, and a chosen vocation. The recipient of this award will be an SPU alumnus or alumna whose contributions have made a significant impact in a particular field of service.
Distinguished Achievement Award
Like the Alumnus/a of the Year Award recipient, the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award personifies the goals that the University has for each of its graduates. Unlike the other awards, these honorees may include an SPU officer, a member of the Board of Trustees, a non-alumnus/a, or others who have volunteered service to SPU. The selection committee looks for a balance among the areas of vocational competence, community service, Christian commitment, and support for the University. The engagement of the whole person is the quality possessed by every Distinguished Achievement Award honoree.
Roy Swanstrom Distinguished Centurion Award
The Roy Swanstrom Distinguished Centurion Award honors a Seattle Pacific University Centurion alumnus who personifies the qualities, principles, and values that the Centurions stand for, in both his personal and his professional lives beyond the SPU community. The recipient of this award will have demonstrated rigorous servant leadership, devout Christian character, and the qualities of a true gentleman.