Eight will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2021 The Board of Trustees is bestowing the Distinguished Alumni Award, the University's highest alumni honor, to eight individuals.Image: Patrick Mansell Eight will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2021 March 10, 2021 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Eight Penn State alumni selected by the Penn State Board of Trustees will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is the University's highest honor presented to its alumni. The following individuals have been officially notified of their selection by the board and are invited to accept the award from the University in 2021. Lisa S. Baird, commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League. She earned her bachelor of arts in English from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1982 and her MBA from the Smeal College of Business in 1984.