The Student Leader Awards is an end of year banquet hosted by the Office of Student Engagement & Events to recognize student leaders. During the banquet, student leaders, as well as faculty/staff supporters, are honored for their achievements and involvement with clubs/organizations on campus. A series of awards are distributed, graduating seniors are acknowledged, and the evening is spent celebrating the hard work of student leaders at Morris!

Matthew Ian Helgesen Memorial Award

This award was established in memory of Matthew Helgesen to honor the values of UMM and reflect student initiative and creativity in leadership. This year, the Matthew Ian Helgesen Memorial Award was given to Gray Kruse, captain of the Bad Movie Club. Gray has worked to keep the Bad Movie Club active and engaging for students over the past few years. 

John Brian Becker Award

This award was established in honor of the late John Becker to honor and thank a student identified as being a progressive thinking individual whose activism has made an impact on campus or beyond by raising public awareness and promoting social change. This year, the John Brian Becker Award was given to Allie Jutton, active Peer Health Educator and leader in MoQSIE. Allie has planned and managed the annual Drag Show and helped bring greater contraceptive accessibility to the Morris campus.

Outstanding Faculty or Staff Support of Student Leadership

This award recognizes faculty and staff who support student leaders and student-initiated and -directed activities. This year, there were five nominees: Julie Eckerle, Lucas Granholm, Adolfo Mendonca, Jade Simonton, and Mauri Systo. The Outstanding Faculty or Staff Support of Student Leadership Award was given to Lucas Granholm and Jade Simonton.

Stephen Graves Granger Award for Outstanding Student Leadership

The Stephen Graves Granger Award for Outstanding Student Leadership has been re-named this Spring in efforts to "perpetuate Steve’s memory and recognize his foundational leadership role in establishing the campus, crafting our distinctive student centered model, and advancing our work to become one of the nation’s top public liberal arts colleges." At the student leader banquet this year, we were lucky enough to have Arden and Sue Granger in attendance to see Steve's legacy carry on and continue to be an important pretense in student life. There were 24 nominees this year that were recognized: Cree Anoka, Gracie Arends, Nova Austin, Bethanie Besile, Kianna Big Crow, Dongting Cai, Matilyn Carl, Denisse Carreon, Alayna Fjelstad, Benjamin Giese, Erin Gunn, Alex Happ, Roy Humlicek-Spindler, Lydia Hurst, Hal Johnson, Ella Kauffman, Allison Koos, Richard Lange, Nibras Luqman, William Marsan, Muthu Meenakshisundaram, Ella Menke, Clover Reynolds, Taylor Waukazo.
The winners of the Stephen Graves Granger Award for Outstanding Student Leadership were Kianna Big Crow, Matilyn Carl, Hal Johnson, and Muthu Meenakshisundaram

Graduating Seniors

At the Student Leader Awards, graduating seniors are also recognized for their involvement, dedication, and participation with clubs/organizations and on campus throughout their time at Morris. To the Morris graduates: Thank you and good luck in your future endeavors!