Lake Michigan College is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Alumni Awards, honoring graduates who exemplify excellence in service, professional achievement, and community impact.
LMC Communications Director Jennifer Shoemaker tells us the LMC Alumni Association Board of Directors is encouraging colleagues, friends, and community members to recognize deserving alumni who have made a meaningful difference.
The college gives out three awards each year. First up is the Gladys Peeples-Burks Alumni Service Award.
“And that is for someone who has offered professional, personal contributions directly to LMC or the LMC community somewhere around locally, around the state of Michigan, things like that,” Shoemaker said. “So somebody who has really done some significant or personal contributions there.”
Shoemaker says the next award is the Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award.
“This is to an alum who has accomplished significant success personally, professionally.”
Last year’s winner was a successful doctor who holds several patents on new medications.
Shoemaker says the third award is the relatively new Alumni Achievement Award, which goes to someone who has graduated from LMC in the last 15 years and has distinguished themselves.
The nominations are being taken online now, and the deadline is June 15. The awards will be given out at a ceremony sometime over the summer.
“We generally do it in conjunction with a show at the Mendel Center. And so beforehand, we have a reception and we have the alumni award winners there, their families, friends generally accompany them. And so we have the reception and they get to go up on stage and receive their award. The person giving the award talks a little bit about the person and they receive their award. Do pictures and all of that. And then afterwards, the winners and their family and friends are all invited to go in and see the show.”
Shoemaker says it’s LMC’s pleasure to honor those graduates who have gone on to make a difference in their communities, wherever in the world they might be.
“This is really our way of recognizing students that have come through our halls and the great things that they’ve gone on to do. And not only do we want to recognize that for them, but we also want to let the rest of the community and the LMC community and LMC alumni know what their peers are doing and what they’ve gone on to do. It’s always interesting to find out.”
You can submit a nomination for a Lake Michigan College Alumni Award right here.
