GSAS Alumni Awards

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GSAS holds in highest regard intellectual inquiry that exerts a profound impact not only in academia, but in the larger world as well. The Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement and the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award celebrate GSAS graduates who have contributed significantly to the academic community and to society while upholding the highest intellectual values in everything they do throughout their careers. They are exemplars who inspire all who aspire to have a lasting impact on the world.

The Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement recognizes accomplished recipients for their profound impact not only on academia, but on the world at large. This award has been presented annually since 1997, and in each year since 1998, it has been presented to one doctoral graduate and one master’s graduate.

The Outstanding Recent Alumni Award honors individuals who have graduated within the past ten years and have excelled in the early stages of their careers, exemplifying what GSAS alumni can achieve. Since 2015, this award has been presented annually to one doctoral graduate and one master’s graduate.

The Campbell Award is presented to a graduating student at each school of Columbia University who shows exceptional leadership and Columbia spirit as exemplified by the late Bill Campbell '62CC, '64TC, Chair Emeritus, University Trustee, and Columbia Alumni Association co-founder. This award has been presented annually since 2016.

Kailani Acosta (’24PhD, Earth and Environmental Sciences)
Campbell Award

Louis Brus (’69PhD, Chemistry)
Dean’s Award for Lifetime Achievement

Timothy L. Macdonald (’75PhD, Chemistry)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Melissa Garcia (’11MA, International and World History)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Anuk Arudpragasam (’19PhD, Philosophy)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Tetiana (Tanya) Kotelnykova (’23MA, Human Rights Studies)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Roni Henig (’18PhD, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies)
Salo and Jeanette Baron Dissertation Prize

Garima Raheja (’22MA, Earth and Environmental Sciences)
Dr. Devon T. Wade Mentorship, Service, and Advocacy Award

Sourav Chatterjee (’20MPhil, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies)
Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student

Manasi Jayakumar (’22MPhil, Psychology)
Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student

Daniel Santiago Sáenz (’21MPhil, Latin American and Iberian Cultures)
Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student

Jason E. Smerdon (Professor of Climate)
Faculty Mentoring

Nancy Worman (Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature)
Faculty Mentoring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2023

Alejandro Cuadrado (’23PhD, Italian and Comparative Literature)
Campbell Award

Colin Kahl (’00PhD, Political Science)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Lauren Faber O’Connor (’05MA, Climate and Society)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Adji Bousso Dieng (’20PhD, Statistics)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Mia Nagawiecki (’16MA, American Studies)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Tyler Campbell, (’23MA, African-American Studies)
Dr. Devon T. Wade Mentorship, Service, and Advocacy Award

Della Maggio, (’23MA, Human Rights Studies)
Dr. Devon T. Wade Mentorship, Service, and Advocacy Award

Ana DiGiovanni (’21MPhil, Psychology)
Presidential Teaching Award

Charles (Chas) Firestone East (’22MPhil, Italian)
Presidential Teaching Award

Connor Martini (’21MPhil, Religion)
Presidential Teaching Award

Achille Varzi (John Dewey Professor of Philosophy)
Faculty Mentoring

Naor Ben-Yehoyada (Assistant Professor of Anthropology)
Faculty Mentoring

John Francis Clauser (’70PhD, Physics)
Lifetime Achievement

2022

Ashley Wells (’22MA, American Studies)
Campbell Award

Carmen M. Reinhart (’88PhD, Economics)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Tongo Eisen-Martin (’05MA, African-American Studies)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Jamil Zaki (’10PhD, Psychology)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Julie Ciccolini (’18MA, Human Rights Studies)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

2021

Elise McKenna Myers (’22PhD, Earth and Environmental Sciences) 
Campbell Award

Carmen M. Reinhart (’88PhD, Economics)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Serge Schmemann (’71MA, Slavic Languages)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Sirine Shebaya (’07PhD, Philosophy) 
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Brian L. Kahn (’09MA, Climate and Society)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

2020

Caroline Alexander (’91PhD, Classics)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Camilo José Vergara (’77MA, Sociology)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Nina Ansary (’13PhD, History)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Andrew Freedman (’09MA, Climate and Society)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Brent Scowcroft (’67PhD, International Relations)
Dean’s Award for Lifetime Achievement

Viviana Rivera-Burgos (’20PhD, Political Science)
Campbell Award

2019

George D. Yancopoulos (’86PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

John A. Glusman (’80MA, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Matthew Salganik (’07PhD, Sociology)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Amanda Seales (’05MA, African American Studies)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Sarah Arkebauer (’19PhD, English and Comparative Literature)
Campbell Award

2018

Daniel Kurtzer (’76PhD, Political Science)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Madeleine Grynsztejn (’85MA, Art History and Archaeology)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Christine Ann Denny (’12PhD, Biological Sciences)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Elan Kriegel (’10MA, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Devon Tyrone Wade (’18PhD, Sociology)
Campbell Award

2017

Francisco Ayala (’64PhD, Biological Sciences)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Ursula K. Le Guin (’52MA, French and Romance Philology)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Warren Bass (’02PhD, History)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Andrea Batista Schlesinger (’13MA, International and World History)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Foad Torshizi (’17PhD, Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Culture)
Campbell Award

2016

Evelyn Witkin (’47PhD, Biological Studies)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Christopher J. Dixon (’99MA, Philosophy)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Larissa Buchholz (’13PhD, Sociology)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Jeffrey Chen (’11MA, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Angelica Patterson (’15MPhil, Earth & Environmental Sciences)
Campbell Award

2015

Robert Grubbs (’68PhD, Chemistry)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Jacques G. Pepin (’72MA, French and Romance Philology)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

Emily Rauscher (’10PhD, Astronomy)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Shiyang Li (’06MA, East Asian Languages and Culture)
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

2014

Wallace Broecker (’58PhD, Geological Science)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

2013

Jacqueline Barton (’79PhD, Chemistry)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Robert John Carow (’94PhD, Economics)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Michael L. Lomax (’72MA, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2012

Eric Foner (’69PhD, History)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Paul M. Thompson (’77PhD, Sociomedical Science)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Paul B. Auster (’70MA, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2011

John T. Matteson (’99PhD, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Peter Straub (’66MA, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2010

Madeleine Albright (’76PhD, Political Science)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Ric Burns (’83MA, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

Louis A. Parks (’95MA, Ancient Studies)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Service

2009

Frank Macchiarola (’72PhD, Political Science)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

Sybil S. Shainwald (’72MA, Political Science)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2008

Norman F. Ramsey (’40PhD, Physics)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

Peter Lieberson (’40MA, Music)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2007

James Emanuel (’80PhD, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

2006

Leon Lederman (’51PhD, Physics)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

The Hon. Rosa DeLauro (’66MA, Political Science)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2005

Max Frankel (’53MA, Political Science)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2004

Paul LeClerc (’69PhD, French and Romance Philology)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

Ronald Stack (’83MA, Political Science)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2003

Louis Menand (’80PhD, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

William Goldman (’56MA, English and Comparative Literature)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2002

William S. Knowles (’42PhD, Chemistry)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

Dale Chakarian Turza (’74MA, Art History and Archaeology)
Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement

2001

Eduardo Macagno (’68PhD, Physics)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

John Kander (’54MA, Music)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

2000

Judith Rodin (’71PhD, Psychology)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

Anna Kisselgoff (’63MA, History)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

1999

Melvin Schwartz (’58PhD, Physics)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

William T. Golden (’79MA, Biological Sciences)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

1998

Harriet Zuckerman (’65PhD, Sociology)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

1997

R. Gordon Hoxie (’50PhD, History)
Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

The annual GSAS Alumni Awards Dinner celebrates the recipients of the honors described above.

We invite you to read more about the GSAS Alumni Awards Dinners held in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

The Awards Committee of the GSAS Alumni Association Board of Directors is responsible for curating a pool of worthy candidates for the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award. Additionally, the committee makes nominations to the Dean for these awards.

To nominate a deserving GSAS graduate for one of our annual awards, please write to the GSAS Office of Alumni Relations at [email protected].