Each year, the Antioch College Alumni Board recognizes those alumni who, by their achievements and actions, best exemplify the values and successes held in high esteem by the Antioch College Alumni Association. Five different awards are bestowed: The Horace Mann Award, The J.D. Dawson Award, The Arthur Morgan Award, The Rebecca Rice Award, The Walter Anderson Award. The Board accepts nominations for award candidates throughout the year and reviews them during its regular meetings.
Many award nominations are received each year. Typically, the Nominating Committee of the Alumni Board makes its recommendations to the full Alumni Board at the March meeting one year in advance of the Reunion at which the awards will be presented. (For example, in March 2012, nominees for the 2013 awards are recommended.) This process provides time for confidential contacts with the nominees so that they can arrange to be at the Reunion where the awards will be presented. The public announcement is made shortly before the Reunion at which the awards are to be presented. Many of those not selected for awards during one cycle will be considered again in subsequent years by the Nominating Committee.
Use our online form to send nominations and any background information to Fred Kraus, who will then provide all nominations to the Nominating Committee of the Alumni Board
Horace Mann Award (Victory for Humanity)
The Horace Mann Award recognizes a contribution by alumni of Antioch College who have “won some victory for humanity,” following Horace Mann’s advice to the graduating class of 1859. Nominees should be persons, or groups of persons, whose personal or professional activities have had a profound effect on the present or future human condition. Mann was the first president of Antioch College.
J.D. Dawson Award (Support/Service to College)
The J.D. Dawson Award recognizes significant contributions to Antioch College by alumni or friends of Antioch. The nominees for this award should be persons who have contributed in a significant way to Antioch College or a program of Antioch College. Perhaps best-known for his involvement with the Co-op department, J.D. Dawson’s entire career was dedicated to Antioch College.
Arthur Morgan Award (Support/Service to Community)
The Arthur Morgan Award recognizes contributions by alumni or friends of the College which exemplify the concept of “community” advocated by Arthur Morgan. The nominees for this award should be persons, or groups of persons, who have contributed to their community — either local, national or world — in a manner which brings members of the community together in order to work toward common goals. Morgan served as President of Antioch College for 16 years.
Rebecca Rice Award (Achievement in Profession)
The Rebecca Rice Award recognizes alumni of Antioch College who by their actions, achievements, and leadership have distinguished themselves and their alma mater. The nominees for this award should be persons who have excelled in their vocation or field of study. The award is named for the first female trustee — and longtime faculty member — of Antioch College.
Walter Anderson Award (Breaking Ethnic Barriers)
The Walter Anderson Award recognizes contributions by alumni and friends who have advanced Antioch College’s ideals by breaking down racial and ethnic barriers. The award is named for Antioch’s longtime music department chair, the first African-American department head at a historically non-black institution of higher education. Nominees should have shown fortitude and effectiveness in promoting diversity within the Antioch community and beyond.
Alumni Recognition Awards
The Alumni Recognition Awards, granted between 1958 and 1966, recognized alumni achievements in a wide variety of fields. In 1982, the Recognition Awards began to evolve into the five current alumni awards to better reflect the scope of achievements and actions of Antioch College alumni.