The President's Medal for Scholarship is the highest honor bestowed by SUNY Old Westbury upon a graduating student.
The award dates back to the fall of 1986, when then-President L. Eudora Pettigrew requested that the Academic Policy Committee examine the development of a special award to pay tribute to outstanding academic achievement. The committee recommended that a President's Medal for Scholarship be awarded annually at the spring Honors Convocation. To be eligible to receive the honor, a student must be a senior, having completed a minimum of 24 credits on campus, and having maintained at least a 3.75 grade point average.
Each spring, the campus' academic departments are asked to forward nominations for the medal to the Office of Academic Affairs, which screens the nominees and forwards its recommendation to the campus president.
The first SUNY Old Westbury President's Medal for Scholarship was presented during the Convocation to Honor Academic Excellence in April 1987.
| Year | Recipient | Major |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Susan Strum Dubitsky | Psychology |
| 1988 | Lee Norwood | Psychology |
| 1989 | Donna J. Fyfe | American Studies |
| 1989 | Jacqueline Y. Salmon | Sociology |
| 1990 | Margaret Bores | Psychology |
| 1991 | Karen Jeffrey-Modeste | Biological Sciences |
| 1992 | Donna M. Barr | Politics, Economics and Society |
| 1992 | David Mizrahi | Biological Sciences |
| 1993 | William Shedlick | American Studies |
| 1994 | James A. Farnworth | Politics, Economics and Society |
| 1995 | Ahmed Yussuf Dabarran | Psychology |
| 1996 | Karen Di Bella | Media and Communications |
| 1997 | Michel Mendes | Biological Sciences |
| 1998 | Clare M. Scully | Media and Communications |
| 1999 | Constance C. Rhoden | American Studies |
| 2000 | Donna M. Fuchs | Childhood Education |
| 2000 | Harlan M. Pruden | Politics, Economics and Society |
| 2001 | Rudy Fuentes | Biological Sciences |
| 2002 | Jennifer Posner | Media and Communications |
| 2003 | Jill Janson | Media and Communications |
| 2004 | Gerald Powers | Psychology |
| 2004 | Lindsay Mark | Biological Sciences |
| 2005 | Laura Fuentes | American Studies |
| 2006 | Matthew Foglino | Comparative Humanities |
| 2007 | Laura DiBari | Psychology |
| 2008 | Jimmy Boone | Media and Communications |
| 2009 | Selena Hill | Media and Communications |
| 2010 | Vilma Preta | Politics, Economics and Law |
| 2011 | Brett Stitsky | Politics, Economics and Law |
| 2012 | Lisa Valente | Politics, Economics and Law |
| 2013 | Kevin Bearese | Politics, Economics and Law |
| 2014 | Marc Weiss | Industrial and Labor Relations |
| 2015 | Arianna Wolfe | Health and Society (Public Health) |
| 2016 | Brigette Riley-White | Politics, Economics and Law |
| 2017 | Winsome Rodney | Psychology |
| 2018 | Joshua Stickell | Politics, Economics and Law |
| 2019 | Evan Rufrano | Politics, Economics and Law |
| 2020 | Ashley R. Alvarado | Philosophy and Religion |
| 2021 | Yara Abdelsalam | Biological Sciences |
| 2022 | Olivia Carrera-Lazo | Sociology |
| 2023 | Willie Verastegui | Public Health |
| 2024 | Pooja Aiyar | Finance |