Of-the-Year Awards

Nominations for the 2022-23 academic year OTYs are now open! 

Of-the-Year awards (OTYs) are annual recognition awards administered by the King's Crown Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) and presented at the Residential Life End-of-the-Year Celebration. All Columbia student leaders, faculty, staff, groups and programs are eligible if they correspond with a category of recognition and have greatly contributed to the residential community within the year of nomination.

The NRHH chapter will meet in mid-April to review all nominations and select awardees. Members have specific nomination and voting guidelines to mitigate conflict of interest. The quality of the nominee described in the nomination, not the quality or quantity of nomination, typically determines a winning OTY.

Award Categories and Descriptions

  • Adviser of the Year recognizes an individual staff member who created a supportive environment for student leaders to grow, learn and develop, especially during the year of nomination. Nominations should focus on the work of the nominee in directly advising students, a Hall Council, Columbia Residence Hall Leadership Organization, the Columbia chapter of the NRHH and/or any other student or student organization.
  • Executive Board Member of the Year recognizes an individual who served on an executive board of a student organization and who, in the year of nomination, made significant contributions to the residential community or campus as a whole. Nominees should have gone above and beyond the capacities of their roles on the executive board and demonstrated a commitment to leadership, involvement and/or mentorship. 
  • Organization of the Year recognizes organizations that actively contributed to student leadership and involvement, recognition or other aspects of communal life during the year of nomination. This award recognizes the organization as a whole, not just the accomplishments of a few members. Emphasis is placed on the successes of the organization in residence communities as well as how they have shaped campus life in general. Nominees could include but are not limited to: Hall councils, executive boards, student councils, activities boards and, in general, any organizations outside of Residential Life that positively impacted students. 
  • Program of the Year recognizes a program that demonstrated outstanding leadership in the Columbia residential community and was ideated, planned and executed in line with the mission of the King’s Crown Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary to recognize “the broad power and vast educational potential of the residential experience,” as well as the Residential Life values of personal wellness, responsibility, inclusion, development and engagement.
  • Residential Community of the Year recognizes residential communities, such as floors, suites and halls. Nominations should emphasize specifically what a community has done within the year of nomination, as well as how it has supported others, both within and outside their community. A successful nomination will additionally illustrate what brings such a group of individuals together and how they worked together as a group to accomplish their goals during the year of nomination. Fraternity and sorority organizations are not eligible for this award but may be considered for Organization of the Year instead. 
  • Residential Life Staff Member of the Year recognizes a graduate hall director, residence hall director, assistant/associate director or the executive director of Residential Life who was a significant aid to residents during the year of nomination. Nominees should have gone above and beyond the capacities of their roles and had a lasting impact on those they worked with this year. Resident Advisers (RAs) are not eligible for this award but may be considered for Student of the Year instead.
  • Student of the Year recognizes an individual resident for their active work in fostering a sense of community at Columbia, especially during the year of nomination. Nominees could include but are not limited to: Students who have made a significant contribution to their floor or hall through leadership in programming, volunteering, advocating and/or role modeling for other residents. This year, Resident Advisers (RAs) are eligible for this award. 

Residential Life

Visit

515 Alfred Lerner Hall
2920 Broadway
New York, NY 10027

Call: 212-854-3612

Fax: 212-854-6815

Office Hours

Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.