Leah Meyer Austin Award

Leah Meyer Austin Award

Award Type: National recognition award (not a direct grant)

Status: Active - awarded annually

Overview:
The highest honor given by Achieving the Dream to recognize exceptional whole-college efforts to center equity and advance student success. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in supporting and promoting student success through institutional transformation, evidence-based practices, and equity-centered cultural change.

Awarding Organization: Achieving the Dream (ATD)

Award Timeline:
Established in 2008; awarded annually during the DREAM Conference opening plenary

Focus Areas:

Equity and student success

Institutional strength and alignment of policies/procedures

Student-focused culture

Sustained, substantive improvement in student outcomes

Narrowing and closing of equity gaps

Outstanding commitment to equity-centered cultural change

Creation of culture of evidence

Continuous improvement

Systemic institutional change

Broad engagement of stakeholders

Particular attention to low-income students and students of color

Eligibility:

Must be member institution of the ATD Network

Must demonstrate sustained, substantive improvements in student outcomes

Must show narrowing and closing of equity gaps

Must demonstrate outstanding commitment to equity-centered cultural change

ATD Leader College status typically required

Honors:
The award is given in honor of Leah Meyer Austin, former Senior Vice President for Program Development and Organizational Learning at the Lumina Foundation and Emerita Director of the ATD Board of Directors, whose visionary leadership shaped the development of Achieving the Dream.

Past Winner Recognition:
Past Leah Meyer Austin Award winners have achieved significant national recognition including:

Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence winner: Miami Dade College

Aspen Rising Stars: Pierce College and Palo Alto College

Recent Recipients:

2022: Tallahassee Community College (TCC)

2021: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC)