Awards and Recognition

The Alumni Association recognizes outstanding service and dedication to MSU, professional achievement and leadership through our recognition programs. Working with our eight colleges, graduates are selected for College Alumni of the Year and Alumni Fellows. Through our chapters program, recipients are selected for the Distinguished Service Award and Outstanding Young Alumnus. Chapters are also awarded for their service and activities each year through the chapters recognition program. The National Alumnus of the Year award recognizes the achievements of an outstanding alumnus or alumna whose personal life, professional accomplishments and community service best exemplifies the mission of Mississippi State University.

2023 National Alumnus of the Year Recipient

Albert C. Clark, 1965

Mississippi State University is honoring Albert C. Clark with its highest alumni honor. In a campus ceremony on May 19, the Starkville native will be recognized formally as the university’s 2023 National Alumnus.

A 1965 business administration graduate of MSU’s College of Business, Clark is president and CEO of C.C. Clark Inc., a regional beverage distributor, and vice president of Clark Distributing Co. in Kentucky. He is a leader in the community and within his industry, having served in a number of voluntary roles over the years.

He has served on the board of BancorpSouth Bank Inc. and as former chairman of First Federal Bank for Savings. He is current president of the Gulf State Canners Inc. board. A longtime member of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, he also has dedicated his time and support to the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority board, Starkville Rotary Club and the Starkville Chamber of Commerce.

At MSU, Clark has a strong history of support and service. He is a member and past president of the MSU Foundation board of directors and previous board member for the Bulldog Club. He was honored as the College of Business’s Alumnus of the Year in 2004 and was named among the college’s 100 most distinguished graduates during its centennial celebration in 2015.