The SUNY Old Westbury Presidential Medal is an honor initiated by the campus in 2026 by President Timothy E. Sams. The medal is to be bestowed upon national and international visionaries and leaders who epitomize the University's mission and vision as an institution dedicated to excellence, equity and service.
Recipients of this medal are meant to be those people who stand apart because they are transcendent and transformational. They do not merely make progress in their fields. They break through longstanding barriers using fresh insight to create entirely new lines of inquiry that challenge our preconceived notions about the world around us. They change not just what we think but how we think.
| Year | Name | Title and Affiliation | Event Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Dr. Molefi Kete Asante | Professor, Department of Africology, Temple University | First Presidential Medal to be awarded to founder of theory of Afrocentricity |