Leadership and Service Awards
The annual Saint Louis University Leadership and Service Awards Ceremony recognizes students, staff and faculty who exemplify the qualities and excellence of service, leadership and the Jesuit philosophy of men and women for others.
Established in the spring of 1992, the Leadership and Service Awards celebrate the significant achievements of students, student organizations, faculty and staff for their contributions of leadership and service to Saint Louis University and the surrounding community. Individuals are encouraged to nominate a person or organization they believe exemplifies the above qualities. There are more than 15 award categories to choose from. Nominations are reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff who select the award recipients.
View Photos from the 2022 Leadership and Service Awards
Individual Awards: Graduating Students
Father Mario Ross Leadership and Service Award
This award, named after Father Mario Ross, former director of campus ministry, is given to recognize a graduating student who has achieved a well-rounded record of experience in co-curricular involvements and who has made outstanding contributions to leadership and service during his/her time at Saint Louis University. This is one of Saint Louis University's top honors for student involvement.
Father Paul Reinert Service Award
This award, named after Father Paul Reinert, former University president and chancellor emeritus, recognizes a graduating student who has achieved a well-rounded record of experience and made outstanding contributions to community service and involvements during his/her time at Saint Louis University. This is one of Saint Louis University's top honors for student involvement.
Spirit Award
This award is presented to senior or graduate student leaders who have established a long-term record of service and leadership in student organizations and campus activities. Recipients must display a strong sense of SLU’s mission, school pride and spirit, serve as role models for other student leaders, have significantly impacted co-curricular life at SLU, maintain good academic standards and have overall outstanding leadership history throughout their careers at SLU.
Student Hall of Fame Award
This recognition honors graduating students who have exemplified dedication and faithfulness to the mission and ideals of Saint Louis University through exceptional personal or professional accomplishment throughout their career at Saint Louis University.
Individual Awards: Current Students
Mev Puleo Social Justice Award
This award is named in honor of Mev Puleo, a 1985 graduate of Saint Louis University, who went on to become a successful photojournalist. Before her death in 1996, Puleo’s work focused on the lives of poor people around the world. This award recognizes a student who has succeeded in bringing an awareness of social justice issues to others and has personally challenged him or herself to experience other cultures and lifestyles.
First Year Transition Programs
The award recognizes members of the FYE community who have made significant contributions to the academic and/or personal lives of first-year students. The likely pool of candidates will draw from SLU 101, U101 Peer Instructors, Transfer mentors, and Oriflamme Leaders.
Fraternity and Sorority Member of the Year
The Fraternity and Sorority Member of the Year recognition awards seek to highlight the outstanding contributions of chapter members in the SLU community. These students exemplify the mission, values and purpose of their own organization and have made a significant impact in the fraternity and sorority community overall.
Residence Hall Leadership
This unique student leadership award gives special recognition to one student in each class year who has demonstrated strong leadership roles in their community. The primary criteria for this award are that the student has had significant and consistent participation in formal leadership positions or informal community development involvement at Saint Louis University.
Social Action Award
The Social Action Leadership Award recognizes a student who has demonstrated strong leadership through the cultivation of awareness of social issues or injustices that have the potential to directly impact student life and/or campus culture at SLU. This student must be an advocate who seeks change in the community and is devoted to spreading awareness of these social issues campus-wide.
Student Assistants / Student Employment
This award honors outstanding student employees who work in an on-campus department.
Unsung Hero Award
The Unsung Hero Award is established to recognize and acknowledge a particular student who has made significant contributions above and beyond their position in an organization or on campus. The recipient may not have been otherwise recognized for their accomplishments and achievements. All members of recognized student organizations are eligible to be nominated and receive this award. The committee will consider the nomination based upon the following criteria: contributions and impact upon the College and community and level of involvement in activities or organizations.
Billiken Rising Star Award
This award is presented to an emerging freshman or sophomore for exhibiting exceptional leadership ability, contributions to campus life, university pride, and showing potential for other leadership roles.
Joe Hodes Student of the Year Award
This award is presented annually by the Student Government Association in recognition of one student who has made a lasting impact on the Saint Louis University community, has exemplified the ideals of servant leadership and has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to student life in the spirit of the Jesuit mission.
Mary A. Breummer Award
This award is presented annually by the Student Government Association in recognition of one member of the faculty, staff or administration that has made a lasting impact on the Saint Louis University community and has exemplified a dedication to advancing the student experience.
Faculty Excellence Award
Senator of the Year Award
The Bill Nordmann Community Service Award
This award is named after Bill Nordmann, a 1988 graduate of Saint Louis University,
who lost his life in a 1991 plane crash. During his years at SLU, Nordmann was very
involved in student organizations, particularly those associated with community service
and campus ministry. After graduating he joined the Peace Corps in order to extend
his commitment to helping and learning about others. This award is named in his honor
in recognition of his spirit and the significant impact he had on student service
initiatives at SLU. This award is given to the student organization or student committee
which has had the most impact on the sites or agencies to which the members have contributed
volunteer service.
(Note: This award does not apply if students receive credit, certificates or payment
for their service.)
Multicultural Award
This award is presented to a registered student organization that conceived, planned and implemented a program that promotes the celebration and understanding of multiculturalism and diversity.
Outstanding Co-Sponsored Program
This award is presented to the registered student organizations that planned and provided the most outstanding cosponsored program that positively impacted students on campus and demonstrated collaboration and teamwork among organizations.
The Phil Lyons Outstanding Staff Advisor Award
The Phil Lyons Outstanding Staff Adviser Award is given to the student organization staff advisor who has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the organization through investments of time and energy, who has impacted the student members in a significant way and who has been a role model as members grow in their involvement in the organization.
The Avis E. Meyer Outstanding Faculty Adviser Award
The Avis E. Meyer Outstanding Faculty Adviser Award is given to the student organization faculty advisor who has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the organization through investments of time and energy, who has impacted the student members in a significant way and who has been a role model as members grow in their involvement in the organization.
- Andrea Somoza: Fr. Mario Ross Leadership and Service Award
- Megan Spasenoski: Fr. Paul Reinert Service Award
- Carly Manshum: Mev Puleo Social Justice Award
- Jack Johnston: First Year Transition Programs
- Darren Manion: Fraternity Member of the Year Award
- Kaitlyn Bergin: Sorority Member of the Year Award
- Samuel Kramer: Residence Life Leadership Award
- Anushah Sajwan and Marissa Oxendine: Social Action Award
- OASIS: Multicultural Award
- Lauren Paul: Spirit Award
- Andrea Villalpando: Unsung Hero Award
- Helena Cooper, Reed Mclean and Justice Hill: Student Hall of Fame
- Amogh Chariyamane, Kristen White and Allison Twohig: Billiken Rising Star Award
- Dr. Ginge Kettenbach: Avis E. Meyer Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award
- Jessica Trout: Phil Lyons Outstanding Staff Advisor Award
- Drashti Topiwala: Joseph F. Hodes Student of the Year
- Dr. Heather Wade: George D. Wendel Civic Leadership Award
- Billiken Bounty: Bill Nordmann Community Service Award
- Beatrice Beirne: Fr. Mario Ross Leadership and Service Award
- Rachel McBeath: Fr. Paul Reinert Service Award
- Brielle Heraty: Mev Puleo Social Justice Award
- Melissa Apprill: Phil Lyons Outstanding Staff Advisor Award
- Lacy Hance: First Year Transition Programs
- Justice Hill: Fraternity Member of the Year Award
- Katie Wiseman: Sorority Member of the Year Award
- Joe Reyes and Sophie Mueller: Social Action Award
- Sarah Jones and Matthew Staley: Spirit Award
- Erin Egizio: Student Assistant/Employee
- Joseph Reznikov, Jori Brewer, Joe Reyes and Claire McNamara: Student Hall of Fame
- Joe Laughlin: Unsung Hero
- Liam John and Skylar Carroll: Billiken Rising Star Award
- Joe Laughlin: Joseph F. Hodes Student of the Year
- Debie Lohe: Mary A. Breummer Award
- Suzy Kickham: Fr. Mario Ross Leadership and Service Award
- Julia Griffin: Fr. Paul Reinert Service Award
- Julia Nouse: Mev Puleo Social Justice Award
- Campus Kitchen: Bill Nordmann Community Service Award
- Lydia Bullock: Phil Lyons Outstanding Staff Advisor Award
- Asmira Alagic: Avis E. Meyer Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award
- Ella Dotson and Canh Ta: First Year Transition Programs
- Andrew Houston: Fraternity Member of the Year Award
- Madison Fagan: Sorority Member of the Year Award
- Pakistani Students Association: Multicultural Award
- Tommy Johnston: Residence Hall Leadership Award
- Evie Cora: Social Action Award
- Andrew Wagner: Spirit Award
- Delanie Muenchen: Student Assistant/Employee
- Devonn Thomas, Jordan Glassman, Chandler Beck and Arjun Bagai: Student Hall of Fame
- Katie Kersting and Benjamin Rael: Unsung Hero
- Antonio Donohue, Ayona Ghosh and Aric Hamilton: Billiken Rising Star Award
- Mental Health Week: Outstanding Co-Sponsored Program
Billikens LEAD: The Servant Leadership Experience at Saint Louis University
Through the guiding pillars of the Billikens LEAD framework, students will explore the following competencies by participating in Billikens LEAD events:
- Learn: Research, Reflection and Application
- Empower: Collaboration and Mentoring
- Act: Social Responsibility and Goal Setting
- Discern: Change Creation and Personal Reflection
Student Leadership Honoraria
The Student Leadership Honoraria strives to recognize students for their efforts as student leaders. Recipients will learn to articulate their impact on the SLU community, as well as their goals for their organization during their leadership term. Honoraria recipients receive $3,000 toward their SLU expenses. The honoraria is suspended for the 2020-21 academic year, but updates for fall 2021 will be posted here.
Expectations for Honoraria Recipients
- Maintain a mentor relationship with your existing organization advisor. Required to meet a minimum of three times prior to the completion of the Impact Project, utilizing guided activities such as an Examen, goal setting and reflection.
- Participate in the Billikens LEAD competency TedxTalk series. This includes attending educational sessions followed by Student Leadership Honoraria cohort peer presentations. Each Honoraria will be required to give their own five- to seven-minute presentation on a chosen Billikens LEAD competency for their peers and invited guests.
- The Student Leadership Honoraria experience will culminate in a year-end Impact Project Fair directly before the Leadership and Service Awards. The Impact Project is an opportunity to reflect on your leadership role in the 2020-2021 year and an opportunity to demonstrate and/or articulate how you have developed in your leadership roles through this experience.