Curtis Larson was UMN Morris's first class speaker in 1964. He entered the Peace Corps after graduation and died in an automobile accident in Ecuador. Candidates for this award should be actively involved in the campus community, have the ability to represent the views of the graduating class and of UMM as a whole, and be a capable speaker. Nominations are sought electronically each spring, after which a ballot is prepared and distributed to faculty and graduating seniors.
These recognitions of accomplishments with campus, regional, state, national, and international implications attest to the wealth of ways in which Morris students excel and make their positive mark in the world.