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Notable Alumni & Awards
Notable Alumni
Sharing and recognizing our alumni’s contributions is a true measure of Saint John’s University’s success. Learn more about your fellow alumni’s accomplishments and life experiences on these pages.
Saint John’s alumni have made their mark in every field from business, public service, athletics, and health care to medicine, religion, the arts and more. Explore the categories to the right to learn about these noteworthy alumni.
Award nominations are accepted each year. Contact the SJU Alumni Office for more information.
Alumni Awards
Saint John’s recognizes alumni for service to alma mater as well as career and life achievements through a variety of annual awards. Learn more about these honors:
Father Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus Award
Fr. Walter Reger, OSB – priest, professor, prefect, dean and friend – was the driving force behind the Saint John’s University Alumni Association for years. He had ties to thousands of Johnnies, corresponding with many of them long into their alumni years. So ardent was his dedication that he became known as “Mr. Saint John’s.”
Since 1971, the Saint John’s University Alumni Association has presented the Fr. Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus Award in honor of Fr. Walter’s dedication. The award recognizes outstanding service to the Saint John’s community by an alumnus. It is the highest honor given by the Alumni Association.
Bob Basten Excellence in Leadership Award
Launched in 2009, the award sprung from a conversation among three SJU Class of 1982 friends: Basten, a former Minnesota Viking and business executive who died in 2012 after 10 years with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease; Joe Kiley, a Johnnie all-American football player; and Rob Culligan, university vice president for institutional advancement. They wanted to salute Johnnie football players who represent the program’s hallmark traits.
The Bob Basten Excellence in Leadership Award is given annually to a former Johnnie football player who in his life as an alumnus has exhibited outstanding leadership traits; Is involved in his community and alma mater; Has a sense of fair play carried beyond the gridiron, and as an overall commitment to excellence
The Entreprenuer of the Year Award
This award celebrates the most influential and successful Entrepreneur alumnae/i of Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict. Click the button below to learn more
The Entrepreneur of the Year Awards celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of alumni from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University and. These awards honor individuals who have successfully started and led businesses while embodying Benedictine values of community, service, and leadership. With categories for both SJU and CSB, as well as a focus on social entrepreneurship, the awards highlight those making a lasting impact in their industries, communities, and alma mater.
Alumni Achievement Awards
Launched in 1983, the Alumni Achievement Awards recognize alumni who have been successful in their careers and/or active in church and community service.
The awards are presented annually by the SJU Alumni Association Board of Directors and the university.
Each 20 through 50-year reunion class recognizes an individual classmate for his accomplishments. An awards presentation is part of each class reunion dinner.