More detailed information about these awards is provided on the university’s Awards page. For more information, please send an email to awards@waldenu.edu.

 

Above and Beyond Award

The Above and Beyond Award is presented annually to a friend or family member of a graduating student whose support above and beyond the call of duty made it possible for the graduate to achieve her or his goal. Graduating students make the nominations.

 

Bernard L. Turner Award

The Bernard L. Turner Award was created to honor the unique contributions to American higher education of Bernard L. Turner, chairman of the board (emeritus) and founding president of Walden University. An innovator in distance graduate education for professionals, Turner left an indelible mark on the Walden curriculum with his lifetime concerns for critical thinking and social change. A passionate advocate of educational equality of opportunity and social justice, he, with persistence and dedication, made the Walden dream a reality. This award is presented to the research mentor (i.e., the chair of the dissertation committee) of the Harold L. Hodgkinson Award recipient.

 

Contribution to the Profession Award

The Contribution to the Profession Award is presented annually to a graduate of each year’s class whose program of study or research has made an important contribution to his or her profession. Walden instructors and staff make the nominations.

 

Extraordinary Faculty Award

The Extraordinary Faculty Award annually recognizes an outstanding Walden instructor from each school or college who exemplifies the university’s core values of quality, integrity, and student-centeredness. Current students, alumni, and instructors make the nominations.

 

Frank Dilley Award

The Frank Dilley Award is bestowed annually upon a Walden graduate whose dissertation is judged as meeting the highest standards of academic excellence. This award was created to honor the singular academic contributions to North American higher education and the particular dedication to Walden University’s academic programs of Dr. Frank Dilley. Dilley personifies Walden’s pioneering spirit, and he greatly contributed to the success of the university.

 

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award

The Harold L. Hodgkinson Award is bestowed annually upon a Walden graduate whose dissertation is judged as meeting the highest university standards of academic excellence. This award was created to honor the dedicated life and distinguished career of one of the nation’s foremost experts in demography, Dr. Harold L. Hodgkinson, and to recognize his instrumental role in the establishment and academic development of Walden University.

 

NTU Outstanding Student Award

The NTU Outstanding Student Award, to honor the heritage of NTU, is presented annually to a student in any one of the NTU programs whose work best exemplifies academic and professional excellence. Walden instructors and staff make the nominations.

 

Outstanding Alumni Award

The Outstanding Alumni Award annually recognizes a Walden graduate who is an exemplar of the Walden scholar-practitioner and who has made exceptional contributions to her or his profession, discipline, or community since graduation. The individual’s contributions typify and personify the mission of Walden University. Third-party references and/or empirical evidence attest to the results of the individual’s contributions, which have had an effect on or enhanced her or his profession or discipline. Current students, alumni, and instructors make the nominations.

 

Outstanding Ed.D. Doctoral Study Award

The Outstanding Ed.D. Doctoral Study Award is bestowed annually upon a graduate of the Walden Ed.D. program whose doctoral study is judged as meeting the highest standards of academic excellence and as having extraordinary potential for impact on an educational system or institution, student issue, classroom, or learning environment as applied by the Ed.D. candidate. 

 

Outstanding Thesis Award

The Outstanding Thesis Award is awarded annually to the Walden graduate whose thesis is judged as meeting the highest standards of academic excellence.

 

Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence

The Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence is bestowed annually on two faculty members who have shown outstanding contributions in the past year through achievements, proven student-centeredness, and a true commitment to serving Walden’s mission of achieving positive social change.

 

Rita Turner Award

The Rita Turner Award was created to honor the total commitment to the founding and sustaining of Walden by Rita Turner, co-founder of the university. Her shared vision of the university, careful attention to major organizational issues, supervision of complex operational details, and concern for fiscal accountability made it possible not only for the university to flourish during its first two decades, but also to grow into the unique global institution it is today. This award is presented to the research mentor (i.e., the chair of the dissertation committee) of the Frank Dilley Award recipient.