In 2024, the Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board launched a new category of awards that will each year recognize and honor the impact and achievements of the NYU Steinhardt alumni community. The awards are built upon the five mission pillars of the school—social impact, values-driven leadership, innovation, striving for excellence, and global engagement—which combined are the driving force behind the "Spirit of Steinhardt.”
We are looking for alumni whose impact and contributions are shining the brightest light possible on the vital ecosystems of our society.
We are the School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, whose alumni are the Disruptors, the Visionaries, and the Ascending Champions of our global community.
For a quick summary, check out our Spirit of Steinhardt FAQs.
Meet Our 2024 Recipients
Disruptor of the Year
Adam D-F. Stevens (MA ’18, Drama Therapy) was named 2024’s Disruptor of the Year as part of the inaugural cohort of Spirit of Steinhardt alumni award winners.
Meet Adam D-F. Stevens
Steinhardt Visionary
Susan Antolin (EdD ’22, Leadership and Innovation) was named 2024’s Steinhardt Visionary as part of the inaugural cohort of Spirit of Steinhardt alumni award winners.
Meet Susan Antolin
Ascending Champion
Micheal Quach (BS ’22, Teaching Physics, Grades 7–12) was named 2024’s Ascending Champion as part of the inaugural cohort of Spirit of Steinhardt alumni award winners.
Meet Michael Quach
Award Categories
Disrupter of the Year
The entrepreneur, the innovator, the graduate whose experience at the School has led them to instigate unexpected and groundbreaking change. Our alumni carry this unique code inherently because transformation and discovery are the backbone of every program and major at Steinhardt.
A Disrupter is:
- Someone who consistently seeks to improve and innovate, challenging the status quo to create better solutions with integrity and vision.
- A passionate advocate who is committed to standing out and making their voice heard.
- Someone who can find their voice at any point in their career; hence, a recipient may be an alum from any graduation year.
Steinhardt Visionary
The influencer whose life and career path bear witness to a steadfast commitment to building a better world and being a champion for the causes of social change and impact. The alum's career trajectory is built in the halls of those organizations and entities dedicated to advancing society. Our alumni are values-driven leaders whose work is informed by improving the human condition.
A Visionary is:
- Someone with original ideas about what the future will or could be like and puts dreams into action.
- Someone who possesses the mindset to recognize revolutionary opportunities and follows a path to connect them into a new enlightened reality.
- Someone who has already carved out a distinct objective for their life’s work; hence, they will be an alum who has been committed to their calling and mission-driven work for a minimum of fifteen years.
Ascending Champion
The ascending champion whose achievements are already noteworthy in a career trajectory in its earliest stages. The recent alum is an emerging leader whose future path will continue to reflect the fundamentals of the Steinhardt mission pillars and bring their voices and talents to bear on whatever they have set their sights upon.
An Ascending Champion is:
- The rising star who has found their calling and is dedicating their life’s mission to following their true path.
- The placeholder for inclusion in the history books of the future.
- An alum who has embarked on their career path within the past ten years.
Nominate an Alum
Submit a Nomination"Can I self-nominate?"
No self-nominations will be accepted.
"Are faculty and staff eligible for the Spirit of Steinhardt awards?"
Faculty and staff of NYU Steinhardt are not considered eligible for the Spirit of Steinhardt awards.
"How will I know if my nominee has been selected?"
A detailed timeline for the process and call for nominations and selection of awardees can be found online. Submitters will be notified when the process has been completed prior to the public announcement of award recipients.
"When and how will awards be presented?"
The Spirit of Steinhardt awards will be presented annually at the Alumni Luncheon during NYU Alumni and Families Weekend held in October.
"Can I submit more than one letter of recommendation?"
Only one letter of recommendation should be submitted per nomination.
"Can I submit a paper application?"
Nomination forms must be electronically submitted.
"Can I nominate more than one person?"
Nominators will only be allowed to submit one name for each category and will be asked to identify their candidate's achievements/merit as being either in the area of culture, education or human development.
- Nominees must be alumni of NYU Steinhardt who have distinguished themselves through their professional and personal accomplishments in the categories designated.
- Nominees' accomplishments are recognized by their peers and/or professional organizations in some capacity.
- Nominees' achievements in any award category will also reflect in some capacity aspects of the five mission pillars of NYU Steinhardt: social impact, values-driven leadership, innovation, striving for excellence, and global engagement.
- Considerations of equity and diversity will be paramount in selecting award recipients.
- Consideration will be given to equitable recipient distribution annually and in future years on an ongoing basis from among alumni of each of NYU Steinhardt’s 11 Departments.
- No self-nominations will be accepted.
- Faculty and staff of NYU Steinhardt are not considered eligible for the Spirit of Steinhardt awards. (There are multiple awards for each of these cohorts already awarded by NYU and the School.)
- Members of the Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board and Dean’s Advisory Council are not eligible for the awards.
- Nominees/candidates for the awards should be prepared to receive their awards in person at NYU Alumni and Families Weekend.
- Nominations will be sought from the entire Steinhardt Community via the following 3 means:
- A call to Steinhardt alumni worldwide via email
- Request for nominations from members of Steinhardt’s eleven Departments and Research Centers
- Recommendations from members of the Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board
- Deadlines for nominations will be set out in all communications.
- Nominators will be asked to complete a form submitting all relevant details for their nominee, including the category of the award.
- Nominators will only be allowed to submit one name for each category and will be asked to identify their candidate's orientation as being either in the area of culture, education, or human development.
- Forms will be electronically submitted, collected, collated, and distributed to the Dean’s Advisory Board in a timely manner by the Office of Alumni Relations.
- Nominations without proper submission documents will not be considered.
- A sub-committee of the Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board, in conjunction with the Dean’s Office and the Office of Alumni Relations, will review all submissions. The final selection of the award recipients will be made by the Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board.
- The Spirit of Steinhardt awards will be presented annually at the Alumni Luncheon during NYU Alumni and Families Weekend.
- A detailed timeline for the process and call for nominations and selection of awardees will be forthcoming and publicly announced in all communications.
April 21: Nomination process opens for 2025
May 21: Deadline for all nominations
June 18: Recipients of 2025 Spirit of Steinhardt awards announced
Oct 25: Spirit of Steinhardt 2025 Awards Luncheon
Background
The NYU Steinhardt alumni community is a vast network of more than 90,000 graduates residing around the world who are engaged in a multitude of careers that reflect the range of programs offered at the School’s 11 departments. The achievements of these alumni are closely intertwined with the education they received at Steinhardt—an institution that is committed to being the outstanding vehicle for advancing the education, health, and well-being of people and communities around the world through the course of the human lifespan.