Columbia College Awards

Edward S. Brainard Memorial Prize

This prize is awarded to the member of the Columbia College graduating class who is judged by classmates to be most worthy of distinction for qualities of mind and character.

James Christopher Caraley Memorial Prize

Awarded to a Columbia College Junior who has demonstrated the greatest commitment to the value of preservation of the natural environment or of world peace and order.  This prize was established in memory of James Christopher Caraley, 1959– 1979, Class of 1981, by his family and friends.

Charles H. Bjorkwall Prize

This prize is awarded annually to a member of the Columbia College graduating class for unselfish service to the College community. The prize was established by Ottle Emma Bjorkwall in memory of her brother, Dr. Charles H. Bjorkwall.

Columbia College Scholar Athlete Award

This award is presented by the Office of the Dean to a Columbia College graduating student who has distinguished himself or herself as a varsity athlete and scholar.

Richard H. Fox Memorial Prize

Awarded to the Columbia College senior who has demonstrated leadership through positive team contributions, dependable action and consistent hard work, leaving a lasting impact on the College. The student must have participated in co-curricular programs and must be one who combines intelligence with the desire to assist their fellow students.

Robert Shellow Gerdy Prize

Awarded to that member of the Columbia College graduating class who, throughout the undergraduate years, has made a significant contribution as a member of the staff of one or more College student publications.

Robert Harron Award

Awarded to a member of the junior class who has demonstrated qualities of compassion, generosity and dignity while serving to celebrate and enhance life at Columbia. Established by his friends in memory of Robert Harron, who, in the course of his 30 years of service at Columbia, served as assistant to the president and director of University Public Relations.

Andrew C. Heinrich Prize

This prize is awarded to a member of the Columbia College senior class who has spent at least two years serving the local community through volunteering at a local, national, or international organization. 

Milch Prize

Awarded annually to the member of the Columbia College junior class who in demonstrating ethical and principled leadership in co-curricular as well as scholastic activities has done the most to enhance the reputation and prominence of Columbia College. The prize was established by Dr. and Mrs. Henry Milch.

Leonard A. Pullman Memorial Prize

Awarded to a Columbia College Senior who displays those qualities of outstanding scholarship and significant service to the College exemplified in the life of Leonard Pullman, Class of 1962. The recipient must occupy a position of responsibility in a non-athletic Columbia College activity.

Van Am Prize

Awarded to select members of the sophomore class who are most distinguished for public service, ethical decision making, and/or actively building positive relationships within the Columbia community. A cash award is presented to the student activity of each winner’s choice. Established by the Class of 1898 on the occasion of its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Columbia Engineering Awards

School of Engineering and Applied Science Student Activities Award

This award is presented to the Columbia Engineering senior who by virtue of their willingness, energy, and leadership has significantly contributed to the cocurricular life of the School.

School of Engineering and Applied Science Scholar Athlete Award

This award is presented by the Office of the Dean to a graduating Columbia Engineering student who has distinguished themself as a varsity athlete and scholar.

Bernard Jaffe Prize for the Encouragement of Inventiveness in Engineering

Awarded by the engineering faculty to undergraduate and graduate engineering and applied science students who exhibit exceptional curiosity toward the engineered world and a predisposition toward inventiveness and novel problem solving in both theoretical and physical contexts. Preference is given to students whose endeavors are directed toward the betterment of the human condition, as was the life work of Bernard Jaffe ’38, ’39. The Jaffe Prize is made possible by Fern Jaffe.

Zvi Galil Award for Improvement in Engineering Student Life

This cash prize honors the engineering-focused student group that most improves engineering student life during the academic year through a commitment to engineering or through integration of engineering with other sectors of the university.

Robert D. Lilley Award for Socially Responsible Engineering

Awarded annually to support the activities of student clubs that have as their primary focus socially responsible engineering, which may include engineering projects in the developing world or in economically and/or socially disadvantaged regions of the United States, campus education efforts that focus on the connection between engineering innovation and betterment of the human condition, and student research projects specifically directed toward socially-responsible engineering practices and solutions in the modern world.

Thomas “Pop” Harrington Medal

Awarded to that student in the Columbia Engineering graduating class who best exemplifies the qualities of character that Professor Harrington exhibited during his forty years of teaching at the school of Engineering from 1894 to 1935. The Harrington Medal is made possible by a very generous and deeply appreciated gift from Dr. Myron A. Coler, B.S. 1934, Ph.D. 1937.