GSAS Alumni Awards Selection Criteria Overview

Please consult the GSAS website for full details on the Alumni Awards, including eligibility, nomination process, and submission forms.

The Awards Committee of the GSAS Alumni Association Board carefully reviews all award nominees. To assist you in preparing nominations, this document provides an overview of the criteria the Committee uses in that process.

Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

The Committee evaluates nominees for the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award (GSAS graduates from the past 15 years) using the following criteria:

  • Promise for future excellence, leadership, and/or impact in their chosen field or area of work: A strong nominee distinguishes themselves among peers at a similar career stage through exceptional ability, initiative, and promise. Evidence may include notable professional, academic, or creative achievements; early recognition or honors; and work that signals the potential for significant future accomplishment.
  • Application of GSAS education: A strong nominee draws meaningfully on the knowledge, skills, and intellectual habits cultivated through their GSAS education. This may be evident in their professional path, their approach to their work, their contributions to their field, or their engagement with colleagues and communities.
  • Dedication to improving society: A strong nominee demonstrates a commitment to making a positive impact through their professional work, public service, or other forms of engagement. Evidence may include contributions to their community, efforts to advance equity or expand access, and work guided by integrity and a sense of purpose beyond personal achievement.
  • Supporting documents: Nominations should include a clear and detailed Letter of Support that provides specific examples of how the nominee meets the criteria above. We strongly encourage additional materials—such as a résumé or CV, publications, or other supporting documentation—to substantiate the nominee's achievements and impact. Please consult the nomination form for full details.

Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement

The Committee evaluates nominees for the Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement using the following criteria:

  • Exceptional achievement, leadership, and impact: A strong nominee has attained distinction and commands broad respect within and beyond their field or profession. Their record reflects exceptional achievement and enduring influence, whether through groundbreaking innovation, or the extraordinary breadth and significance of their contributions.
  • Dedicated to improving society: A strong nominee demonstrates a sustained and substantive commitment to the public good through service, leadership, civic engagement, or other forms of contribution. Their accomplishments reflect integrity, social responsibility, and a sense of purpose extending beyond personal or professional recognition.
  • Influence of a GSAS education: The Committee considers how the nominee's graduate education at Columbia shaped their intellectual development, professional trajectory, and contributions to their field or society. For some nominees, this influence may be evident in their scholarship; for others, it may be reflected in the habits of inquiry, judgment, creativity, and leadership, and contributions to their profession or society.
  • Supporting documents: Nominations should include a clear and detailed Letter of Support that provides specific examples of how the nominee meets the criteria above. We strongly encourage additional materials—such as a résumé or CV, publications, or other supporting documentation—to substantiate the nominee's achievements and impact. Please consult the nomination form for full details.