Recognition Awards

Each year, the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice seeks nominees for three recognition awards, the Hall of Fame Award, Distinguished Alumni Award, and Distinguished Service Award. These awards reflect exceptional professional, personal, and service achievements.


Hall of Fame Award

Established in 2010, the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice Hall of Fame Award recognizes and honors the numerous professional and personal achievements of FSU College of Criminology and Criminal Justice graduates. Hall of Fame inductees demonstrate outstanding professional accomplishments, serve the College, FSU, community and/or professional organizations and embody the strength, skill and character of Florida State University. This recognition is usually reserved for alumni or friends of the College for a lifetime career of accomplishments.

Hall of Fame Award Criteria

Hall of Fame inductees demonstrate outstanding professional accomplishments, serve the College, FSU, community and/or professional organizations and embody the strength, skill and character of Florida State University. This recognition is reserved for alumni or friends of the College for a lifetime career of significant accomplishments. Up to three nominees can be inducted into the Hall of Fame each year.

Nominations for the Hall of Fame Award may be submitted here.

The nomination deadline is February 21st.

The nominator will also be asked to submit an electronic document, either a resume, curriculum vita, or professional biography of the nominee. If more convenient, a print copy may be mailed to the College at the following address: College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Criminology and Criminal Justice Building, 112 S. Copeland Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1273. Please address the mail to George Pesta.

Questions about the Hall of Fame Award? Contact George Pesta, Director, Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research, at gpesta@fsu.edu.


Distinguished Alumni Award

In 2014, the College created the Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes graduates who have a record of outstanding professional and personal accomplishments and may be awarded at any time during one’s career.

Distinguished Alumni Award Criteria

Distinguished Alumni Award recipients recognize graduates of the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice who have made an outstanding professional or personal contribution to the College, FSU, community and/or professional organizations. This recognition is reserved for alumni of the College and may be awarded at any time during one’s career. Up to ten nominees can receive this award.

Nominations for the Distinguished Alumni Award may be submitted here.

The nomination deadline is February 21st.

The nominator will also be asked to submit an electronic document, either a resume, curriculum vita, or professional biography of the nominee. If more convenient, a print copy may be mailed to the College at the following address: College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Criminology and Criminal Justice Building, 112 S. Copeland Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1273. Please address the mail to George Pesta.

Questions about the Distinguished Alumni Award? Contact George Pesta, Director, Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research, at gpesta@fsu.edu.


Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Awards were created in recognition of the crucial link students forge through interactions with faculty, staff, and members of the community. These awards are presented to College faculty, staff, and students through an internal process whose strong ties to the College serve to ensure a future alumni population eager to stay connected to the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Distinguished Service Award Criteria

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes members of the College who have made outstanding contributions to the College in their roles as faculty, staff, or students. The award categories include:

Distinguished Service Faculty Award: The College faculty member will have provided exceptional service, mentoring, teaching, and/or research on behalf of the College.

Distinguished Service Staff Award: The College staff member will have provided exceptional service in academic advising, technical support, and/or administrative services within the College.

Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching/Research Award: The College graduate student will have excelled in his or her role as an instructor, teaching assistant, and/or research assistant within the College, mentoring undergraduate students, and/or significantly contributing to the research agenda of the College. Nominees must be Masters or Doctoral students in good standing with the College.

Distinguished Future Alumni Award: The College undergraduate student will have excelled in research projects, internship programs, and/or service to the College. Nominees must be criminology majors in good standing with the College.

Nominations for the Distinguished Service Awards may be submitted here.

The nomination deadline is February 21st.

Note: You may only submit one nomination per category (i.e. you may not submit multiple nominations for the same category).

Questions about the Distinguished Service Award? Contact George Pesta, Director, Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research, at gpesta@fsu.edu.


Who can submit a nomination for these awards?

Any FSU faculty member, staff member, graduate student, undergraduate student, or alumni or friend of the College may submit nominations. No self-nominations are considered. The nominator does not need to be a student or employee within the College.


Reception of Awards

The awards will be granted annually at the Hall of Fame Banquet, which typically occurs in the early Spring. The award recipients are required to attend the award banquet in order to receive the honor. The nominators will be invited to attend the event and introduce their nominees, stating why they chose to nominate them.