Announcing the 2026 Borealis Award recipients
Join the celebration of these exceptional alumni, students, staff, faculty, and friends of the College at the Borealis Night of Excellence.
March 20, 2026
The CFANS Borealis Awards Committee is excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 Borealis Awards!
You are invited to join the celebration of these exceptional alumni, students, staff, faculty, and friends of the College. The awards will be presented at the 20th Borealis Night of Excellence on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available during the reception.
Recipients of the 2026 Borealis Awards
- Student Leadership Award (undergraduate student) — Henry Koerner (Third-year student, Agricultural Education)
- Student Leadership Award (graduate student) — Abha Panda (Fourth-year graduate student, Conservation Biology)
- Outstanding Club Advisor Award — Bre Berg (CFANS Undergraduate Student Board)
- Exemplary Staff Award — Kevin Klair (Department of Applied Economics; BS ‘79 Agronomy, Soil Science; MS ‘82 Soil Science; MS ‘92 Agricultural and Applied Science)
- Exemplary Faculty Award (less than 5 years) — Alicia Coleman (Department of Forest Resources)
- Exemplary Faculty Award (more than 5 years) — Frances Homans (Department of Applied Economics)
- Exemplary Postdoc Award — Charlotte Brault (Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics)
- Little Red Oil Can Award — Rose Simon (CFANS Student Services)
- Cultivating Future Leaders Award — Kevin Gentz (Albert Lea High School)
- Outstanding Friend Award — Richard Magnusson (Magnusson Farm)
- Community Builder Award — Nfamara Dampha (PhD ‘20 Natural Resources Science)
- Rising Star Award — Sami Selter (BS ‘19 Environmental Science, Policy and Management)
- Alumni Service Award — Whitney Place (BS ‘10 Applied Plant Sciences, MS ‘13 Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy)
- Distinguished Alumni Award — Cheryl Doss (PhD ‘96 Agricultural and Applied Economics)
- Lifetime Achievement Award — Sally Noll (BS ‘74 Animal Sciences, MS ‘78 Animal Sciences, PhD ‘85 Animal Sciences)
RSVP to the 20th Borealis Night of Excellence
20th Borealis Night of Excellence
Thursday, April 16, 2026
North Star Ballroom, Second Floor, St. Paul Student Center
- 5 p.m. Welcome reception with cash bar
- 5:45 p.m. Awards program
The 2026 Borealis Awards Committee is chaired by:
- Henry Koerner – President, CFANS Undergraduate Student Board
- Connor Slawin – Chair, CFANS Graduate Student Board
- Lovepreet Singh – Chair, CFANS Postdoc Board
- Dennis Fallon – President, CFANS Alumni Society Board of Directors
