On Thursday, Oct. 30, the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) will host the annual Honorary Recognition Ceremony at Memorial Union. The ceremony is open to the public, and members of the college are encouraged to attend.

This year, CALS will present the Distinguished Alumni Awards to Tom Kennedy (BS’68, dairy science, MS’73, PhD’75, veterinary science) and Bill Kennedy (BS’72, agricultural journalism), and the Distinguished Recent Graduate Awards will be presented to Dantrell Cotton (BS’14, community and environmental sociology) and Maya Warren (PhD’15,  food science). Read about our 2025 honorees.

These are some of the highest honors bestowed by the college. The Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement and service, was established in 2009. The Distinguished Recent Graduate Award, established in 2024, recognizes graduates who earned their degree in the last 20 years and have made extraordinary contributions to their field or public service. 

For more information about the awards, and to register for the event visit cals.wisc.edu/honorary. Please RSVP by Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.