Mr. Arthur Clarke is the former President of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA), a position he held from 1994 to 2002. Mr. Clarke was been involved with NASA in various capacities since 1986 and has also been a member of numerous university search and selection committees. His volunteer activities extend into the broader community as well and include: a founding member and current President of the Caribbean Heritage Festival Association; served as president of the National Black Coalition of Canada, Edmonton Chapter; and was recently appointed Honourary Counsul to Jamaica at Edmonton.

Dr. Robert (Gerry) Glassford is the interim dean of the Faculty of Extension and former dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. Dr. Glassford is well known for his volunteer activities in Alberta and Canada where he served as chair or member of more than 30 boards in such diverse yet related professional areas as health, sport, fitness, active living, physical education and recreation. As a fitness and athletics advocate, he has devoted his career to improving the health of all Canadians.

Student Legal Services (SLS) evolved from humble beginnings more than 30 years when a group of UofA law students opened up a store-front office near the Boyle Street Co-op in Edmonton's inner-city and bought and painted a school bus in psychedelic colours that they parked in Jasper Place. These were the first two offices opened to serve the poor and unjustly treated citizens of Edmonton and the remarkable progress of SLS is the sole result of efforts by UofA student volunteers who remain fiercely independent. The organization was incorporated as a society in 1971 and receives annual funding from the Alberta Law Foundation.

In 2001, two Awards of Distinction were presented: one to The Friends of the University of Alberta in the community category, and the other to Dr. Richard Sobsey in the faculty category

The Friends of the University of Alberta Museums were recognized for their extensive volunteer work with The University of Alberta Museums. Established in 1984 to support the teaching and research collections on campus, these volunteers have provided leadership, vision, and countless hours of their time in support of work done by the professional staff. Some of the most notable activities supported by The Friends are the Museum's public programs, ranging from curatorial lectures and tours, to family programming and workshops. These programs, along with a newsletter that documents the people and ground-breaking research associated with the University teaching and research collections, serve as extremely successful links between the University and the community. Those key elements, as well as fundraising for the development of exhibitions, publications, and the purchase of specialized equipment for conservation; serve to highlight the importance of The Friends of the University of Alberta Museums not only to the University, but also within the public community.

Dr. Richard Sobsey was recognized for his dedication in ensuring that the human rights of persons with disabilities are protected. As Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta and Director of the J.P. Das Developmental Disabilities Centre, Dr. Sobsey is well known in the field of developmental disability, and has become nationally and internationally recognized as a world authority on violence and disability. Most exceptional is Dr. Sobsey's volunteer commitment to groups such as the Alberta Association for Community Living, The Alberta Committee for Citizens with Disabilities, and the Council of Canadians on law reform and policy development. These commitments, as well as his service on various community agencies that serve children with disabilities, display his commitment and support of the human rights of persons with disabilities. His tremendous investment of personal energy, coupled with international preeminence as a researcher and scholar in the field of developmental disabilities, continues to link the University of Alberta with local, national and international communities.

Dr. Ronna Jevne was recognized for her extensive volunteer efforts in founding and developing The Hope Foundation of Alberta. She is currently a part time professor in the Department of Education Psychology at the University of Alberta and is also the director of programs and research at The Hope Foundation. Since Dr. Jevne founded The Hope Foundation in 1992, it has flourished with the mission to increase understanding of the role of hope in human life, so that people may enhance their quality of life, health, learning and sense of community. The foundation has also provided a setting where graduate and undergraduate students have come together with the community to carry out hope research and hope projects. Through Dr. Jevne's collaboration with Jack Chesney, Shirley Graham, Allen Eng and others the foundation offers many hope-based programs such as the Hope and Health Retreats, Hope Kids and Images of Hope.

Cst. Robert Rubuliak was recognized for his dedication to safety at the University of Alberta and in the community. Starting in 1996, he took on the task of offering server intervention to clubs on campus. He then became involved with the community by volunteering with People Against Impaired Driving (PAID) and has worked as a member of their Board of Directors. He is also the Treasurer and responsible for Membership at the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association. (ACCPA). Thanks to Cst. Rubuliak's dedication to the University, both Associations have been involved with the University. Students in the Safewalk program at the U of A had the opportunity to participate in a PAID mountain bike fundraising event. PAID then helped students found a chapter of Students Against Drinking and Driving with a $1,000 grant. Amongst all of this, Cst Rubuliak was instrumental in the creation of the University of Alberta Crime Stoppers program which brought together the Students' Union, Campus Security Services, staff and students and the Edmonton Police Service.

Dr. Robert Steadward was recognized for his long-term commitment to the inclusion and integration of persons with disabilities. For over thirty years, Dr. Steadward, a professor at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, has worked to better the health, lifestyle and sport for persons with a disability. He is President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), an organization with 170 nation members. He was also recently appointed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As a result of his many volunteer capacities, Dr. Steadward travels over 120 days per year, most recently to developing nations concerning rehabilitation and disability sport. More close to home, Dr Steadward is founder and director of The Rick Hansen Centre, a multi-disability fitness, research and lifestyle facility located at the U of A for people with disabilities. In addition to his leadership roles in disability sport, Dr. Steadward mobilized Edmonton's successful bid for the 2001 World Athletics Championships and he is Director of Sport Counselling for the Edmonton Sport Institute, a sports medical clinic serving individuals and teams with athletic injuries.

In 1999, two Awards of Distinction were presented; one to Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour in the faculty category, and the other to George Cardinal, Earle Waugh, and Sister Nancy LeClaire in the community category.

Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour was recognized for her extensive work in encouraging women to consider careers in science and engineering. She is currently Assistant Chair in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta and has been the Vice-Chair and Convenor of WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology) since it was created by Vice-President Gordin Kaplan in 1983. Under Dr. Armour's direction, WISEST has grown to offer four programs: a conference for girls in grade 6; a conference for young women in their three years of high school; a six-week program for young men and women in grade 11 which offers summer employment in research and non-traditional fields at the University of Alberta; and an information and support group for young women in science and engineering at the University of Alberta. In her activities as speaker, mentor, teacher, and administrator, Dr. Armour works diligently to create a positive awareness of the University of Alberta. She is well known among Alberta's high school community and has received Provincial and National recognition for her work.

George Cardinal, Earle Waugh and Sister Nancy LeClaire (deceased) have been recognized for their efforts in producing the Alberta Elders' Cree Dictionary. The Cree Dictionary project was initiated in the late 1960s by Sister Nancy LeClaire, a respected Elder of the Samson Cree Nation. When Sister LeClaire died in 1986, Dr. Earle Waugh, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Alberta, assumed editorial responsibility for the project. In 1990, George Cardinal, a Cree Elder from Wabasca, agreed to carry on the authorship of the dictionary, and in December 1998 the Alberta Elders' Cree Dictionary was published. Because Alberta has the largest Cree population in the country, the publication of the dictionary has made a major cultural contribution to the Cree community. It has not only preserved but also rejuvenated the Cree language, and as a result of the availability of the dictionary, Cree communities have been challenged to spend more of their resources to develop Cree language programs. The dictionary has received the Association of Canadian Studies Award of Merit and the Alberta Book Awards Scholarly Title of the Year.

In 1997 two Awards of Distinction were presented in the faculty category, one to Dr. David D. Cass and one to Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer.

Dr. David D. Cass was recognized for his outstanding contribution to the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta over the past 32 years. As Professor of Botany in the Department of Biological Sciences since 1980, Chair of the Department of Botany from 1979 to 1984, and Associate Chair (Undergraduate Studies) from 1996 to 1999, Dr. Cass has established himself as one of the University of Alberta's most-beloved and preeminent instructors. He continuously supports the work of University Teaching Services by giving lectures and workshops for colleagues, serves on University committees and task forces, and has received three teaching awards, including the nationally recognized 3M Teaching Fellowship in 1996. Dr. Cass continues to make strides in botany research and has produced several publications.

Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer was recognized for his extensive contribution to research and instruction in Computing Sciences at the University of Alberta. Dr Schaeffer has taught at the University of Alberta since 1984, and is highly regarded by his students and fellow professors as a vibrant, dedicated and enthusiastic teacher. His landmark achievements in computer programming and artificial intelligence, particularly those encapsulated in Chinook, a checkers-playing computer program that won the 1994 World Checkers Championship, have brought recognition to the University of Alberta. The successes of Chinook have been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records and in a book written by Dr. Schaeffer entitled One Jump Ahead. Recognition for Dr. Schaeffer's research, as well as his ongoing presentations throughout the world and participation in international associations, continue to promote the University of Alberta and the department of Computing Sciences.