Faculty/Staff Search

OR

Department/Unit Search

A person holding a Western Alumni hat. They are greeting another person warmly.

Alumni Awards

Recognize alumni making an impact in media, information and beyond

Alumni Awards

Recognize alumni making an impact in media, information and beyond

A person holding a Western Alumni hat. They are greeting another person warmly.

Alumni Awards

Recognize alumni making an impact in media, information and beyond

  1. Home
  2. Alumni
  3. Celebrate Outstanding FIMS Alumni

Celebrate Outstanding FIMS Alumni

FIMS alumni have been shaping media, research, and communities for decades. The Alumni Awards celebrate those who are making a meaningful impact—through innovation, leadership, and service.

Nominate for a FIMS Award Nominate for a Western Alumni Awards of Merit
With more than 10,000 graduates since its founding, FIMS is part of a growing and influential alumni community. This legacy builds on the strong foundations of Library and Information Science and Journalism at Western, with alumni dating back to the mid-1940s.

2026 Award Recipient

Mary Ann Mavrinac smiling for a professional portrait

Mary Ann Mavrinac

MLS'84

Leadership. Innovation. Lasting impact. Those qualities have defined the career of Mary Ann Mavrinac, MLS'84, who has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence for her outstanding contributions to librarianship.

Read Mary Ann's Profile

FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence

Presented each fall at Western Homecoming

Nomination Deadline: March 31, 2026

Nomination details

Nominations closed

Recognizes outstanding professional achievement, community impact and innovation.
Nomination Form

Western Alumni Awards of Merit

Presented by Western's Alumni Association

Awards include
• Dr. Ivan Smith Award
• Professional Achievement Award
• Community Service Award
• Young Alumni Award

Nomination Deadline: March 20, 2026

Nomination details

Nominations closed

Recognizing alumni across Western for exceptional professional and community contributions
Nomination Form

Nomination details for FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence

Nominations are welcome from:
• Alumni
• Students
• Faculty and staff
• Community members

Anyone holding a degree from one of the following programs at Western counts as FIMS alumni!

  • BA in Journalism
  • BA in Media, Information and Technoculture (MIT)
  • BA in Media and the Public Interest (MPI)
  • BA in Media, Theory and Production (MTP)
  • Master of Arts in Journalism (MAJ)
  • Master of Media in Journalism and Communication (MMJC)
  • Master of Library Science (MLS)
  • Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS)
  • Master of Arts in Media Studies
  • Master of Arts in Popular Music and Culture (PMC)
  • Master of Health Information Science (MHIS)
  • PhD in Library and Information Science
  • PhD in Media Studies
  • PhD in Health Information Science

This degree range encompasses students who graduated from either of FIMS' founding schools (LIS or Journalism) going back to the mid-1940s, right up until present day with students graduating under the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (founded in 1997).

We're interested in FIMS alumni who are making a positive difference in the world through their professional or personal work in media, information, community development and social justice, government, the arts, politics, and leadership. We will recognize many forms of achievement, including within professional activities, community service, service to the university, social impact and innovation, or contributions to equity, diversity, inclusion and access in institutional and community contexts.

It doesn't matter what year the person graduated, or how professionally established they are; if they're making significant change out in the world or contributing something big to one of our related fields of study, we'd love to hear about it.

An awards committee made up of current students, staff, faculty and FIMS alumni will collectively choose a winner from the pool of nominations.

Recipients are typically announced in mid- or late-June.

The formal presentation of alumni awards happens during Western's Homecoming celebrations.

For questions related to the FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence, please contact Allison Price at allison.price@uwo.ca. 
For full details and contact information, visit the Western Alumni Awards of Merit webpage.