Distinguished alumni

Stanley Bonnema ’67 Distinguished Professional Achievement

Stan Bonnema served 39 years in the University of Minnesota’s department of chemistry, 31 of those as its senior administrative director. As such, he was responsible for the chemistry department’s annual operating budget of more than $10 million and employees that included approximately 40 faculty, 220 graduate students, 40 staff and 30 post-doctoral associates. He also oversaw two multi-year, multimillion dollar renovations of the department’s facilities. When Bonnema received the University of Minnesota’s President’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2012, university president Eric Kaler wrote that his excellence served as “a model for your colleagues and coworkers to emulate.”

Bonnema attended Northwestern from 1963 to 1965 before transferring to the University of Minnesota and earning a bachelor’s degree in microbiology in 1969.

Award year: 2017