GOV. CHARLIE CRIST
	WILLIAM D. CLAY
	MARVALENE HUGHES
	MARK THIEMENS
	ANDY MILLER
	JIM PITTS

Florida State University alumni from across the nation will reconnect with their alma mater when they return to campus for "007 Homecoming: Garnet and Gold Encounters," and one of the most significant events of the week and the year is the FSU Alumni Association's Annual Homecoming Awards Banquet, slated for Friday, Oct. 26.

Among this year's honorees: Florida governor and FSU alumnus Charlie Crist.

The 2007 Homecoming Awards Banquet--reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and program to follow--will be held in the Grand Ballroom at the FSU Alumni Center on West Tennessee Street. Reservations are required; the cost is $60 per person. Contact Kathleen Trusz, (850) 644-2761 or <ktrusz@alumni.fsu.edu>.

Begun in 2005 to honor the distinguished recipients of the honors bestowed as part of FSU's Homecoming celebration, the Oct. 26 banquet will recognize the 2007 "Grads Made Good," chosen each year by the FSU Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society; the Alumni Association's Bernard F. Sliger Award winner as well as its Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal; and the recipient of the Ross Oglesby Award, selected annually by the student-run Garnet and Gold Key Honorary from among nominated members of the FSU faculty or staff.

Alumni Association President Barry Adams calls the Homecoming Awards Banquet an embodiment of what homecoming at FSU is all about: love of alma mater, fondness for a special place, exceptional professional and personal achievement, and often untold service in support of a remarkable university. "Few events demonstrate the fullness of collective and individual passion for advancing this institution as this one does," he said.

"The Grads Made Good recognition is arguably the best-known honor presented to FSU alumni," Adams said. For 2007, the distinguished Grads Made Good are:

Crist, the current governor of Florida, who received his Bachelor of Science degree in political science in 1978. While at FSU, he served as student body vice president, setting the stage for his career in politics; was a member and officer of the Garnet and Gold Key Honorary; and was elected by his fellow students as the 1977 Homecoming Chief. Crist earned his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Ala. In 1992, he brought his FSU enthusiasm back to Tallahassee when he won a seat in the Florida Senate, where for six years he served as chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee and as chairman of the Appropriations Criminal Justice Subcommittee. After Crist completed his Senate service, Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him as deputy secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. In 2000, he won a special election and became Florida's last elected commissioner of education. Crist was elected as the state's attorney general in 2002.

William D. Clay, Jr. (B.A., '71; M.S., '74), who serves as a special adviser in the Division of Nutrition and Consumer Protection for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Clay, who resides in Rome, Italy, has visited and worked in more than 90 countries throughout his career. "When I was at FSU in the late '60s and early '70s, the U.S. was going through tumultuous times, and we all needed to figure out how to cope and, hopefully, shape what was going on around us," he said. "My FSU experience--both the academic and the social aspects--was fundamental to making me who, and how, I am. It extended the base from which I have continued to grow."

Marvalene Hughes (Ph.D., '69), president of Dillard University in New Orleans. She is the first female president of Dillard, a historically black, four-year university. Her leadership is credited with guiding the university through the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, which caused more than $400 million in damage to the campus. Prior to beginning her tenure at Dillard University, Hughes served for 11 years as president of California State University-Stanislaus, where she is credited with increasing enrollment by 40 percent and achieving many national rankings for the first time in the institution's history. Last year, she delivered the invited keynote address at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, to the International Conference for Women University Presidents. In 2005, "Black Voices" selected Hughes as one of the "Top 10 Black Women in Higher Education in America."

Mark H. Thiemens (Ph.D., '77), dean of the Division of Physical Sciences at the University of California-San Diego and a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He is an atmospheric chemist who conducts research on atmospheric aerosols and strategies to detect bioterrorist agents on aerosols. He has served as chair of UCSD's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and is founder and director of the university's Center for Environmental Research and Training. Thiemens' research has taken him to the most remote regions of the Earth, including the South Pole, and extended even to the solar system, with devices to collect samples from stars and planets for analysis. Thiemens was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2006.

The Homecoming banquet also will honor the recipient of the 2007 Bernard F. Sliger Award--named for FSU's 10th president, the late Bernard F. Sliger--which recognizes a member of the university community who has, through his or her efforts, made a major contribution to the fulfillment of FSU's mission. This year's winner of the Alumni Association's top honor is Andy Miller (B.S., '73), president of Seminole Boosters, Inc., the athletic fund-raising arm of FSU. Under his leadership, Seminole Boosters has grown to more than 15,000 members and generates $20 million annually in support of FSU's intercollegiate teams. Miller was the catalyst for the University Center's construction and has made Seminole Boosters one of the nation's top booster organizations.

"Andy Miller's legacy goes far beyond doing a job and doing it well," Adams said. "He is highly respected because he nurtured the interest of FSU alumni and friends when it wasn't commonplace to do so, and he did it just as the university was emerging as a leader in public higher education. FSU is fortunate to have had his quiet leadership working full-time on our behalf."

The Homecoming Awards Banquet also marks the official appearance of the Grand Marshal, selected each year by the Alumni Association in recognition of exceptional commitment, leadership and service to FSU. The title of Grand Marshal designates the honoree as the standard bearer of the spirit of Homecoming. For 2007, the Grand Marshal is James Pitts, director of FSU's world-renowned International Programs--which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

A member of the FSU faculty since 1968, Pitts was the 1978-1979 president of the Faculty Senate, and has served the university in a variety of administrative positions, including associate dean of the College of Business, vice president for University Advancement, and chairman of the University Center Building Committee, among others. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the FSU Foundation, the FSU Alumni Association, Seminole Boosters, FSU Financial Assistance, and the FSU International Programs Association, Inc.

"The Homecoming Grand Marshal designation carries with it the admiration of FSU alumni and friends," Adams said. "It is intended to be an acknowledgement of an individual, but this honor also speaks volumes about those who shape this university and help secure its future through support, advocacy and successful leadership. Jim Pitts, this year's recipient, has been in the forefront in building our renowned International Programs as well as inspiring others to serve and give time and energy to advance FSU."

Finally, the banquet will feature the much-anticipated announcement of the 2007 "Ross Oglesby Award" winner, chosen since 1973 by the student-run Garnet and Gold Key Leadership Honorary from among nominated faculty or staff with 10 or more years of exemplary service and commitment to students and the university. Unlike the other annual Homecoming awards, the identity of the Oglesby winner is a closely held secret that will be revealed for the first time--including to the recipient--on Oct. 26.

For the 2007 Grads Made Good, the award-winning spirit will continue at the ODK Homecoming Breakfast and Initiation on Saturday, Oct. 27, at which they will be the featured speakers. Open to both Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society members and non-members, the breakfast will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Suwannee Room on the FSU campus. The cost is $6 per person. Reservations are requested. Contact Vanessa Solomon at (850) 645-5323.

For more information about events during "007 Homecoming: Garnet and Gold Encounters," visit the Alumni Association Web site at: <www.alumni.fsu.edu/homecoming>.