Kansas University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has selected four of its graduates for the highest honor given to its alumni.

The recipients of the 2011-12 Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award are Robert Kipp, of Leawood; Maria Prather, of New York; Juan Manuel Santos, of Colombia; and Marla Spivak, of St. Paul, Minn.

Santos was elected as the president of Colombia in June 2010 and received degrees in economics and business from KU in 1973.

Kipp worked in city administration for Lawrence, Fairborn, Ohio, and Kansas City, Mo., as part of his 50 years of experience in civic leadership. He served as city manager in Kansas City and graduated from KU with a master’s in public administration in 1956.

Prather is the curator of modern and contemporary art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she has been in residence since 2008. She graduated from KU with degrees in art history and French in 1978 and a master’s in art history in 1981.

Spivak is a MacArthur Genius Fellow and distinguished McKnight professor and extension entomologist in the department of entomology at the University of Minnesota who has researched honey bee health, breeding and behavior.