King’s Crown Leadership Awards

The annual King’s Crown Leadership Awards are given to students who either did a good job running a student group or did the administration's bidding, sometimes both. Almost everyone on the executive board of a student government organization receives some kind of recognition. In this regard, the King's Crown Leadership Awards are SDA's way of recognizing all the people who essentially do their jobs for free.

The awards are in the shape of King's Crowns and were first given out in 1904-1905 by the King's Crown student organization. Columbia however lists the official establishment date for the awards as 1916 in official literature, such as school bulletins, for unknown reasons.

Benefits

There is an annual dinner in late April or early May for all recipients, which is held in the Low Library Rotunda and is in fact quite nice. A few of the annual prizes given to students on the basis of alumni gifts with very specific instructions are presented at this event instead of Class Day. Depending on the nature of the award, recipients also receive a pin, money, a certificate, or some combination of these.

Selection

There's a selection committee made up of some of the members of student councils and headed by an administrator from SDA. They vote on individuals and club award recipients after a nomination period. Not all awards are based on nominations from students; those that are not are presumably based on nominations from administrators. Club award recipients have to interview for their awards.

The Awards

There are multiple award types and categories.

Crown Leadership Awards

Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Copper, depending on how long you've been a student leader and whether or not you're graduating. Also available in Horizon for one individual in each category who was almost in the next category up, but not quite. These students all receive pins in the respective colors.

Organization Achievement

There are five different awards for clubs that have excelled over the course of the academic year. Only one representative from the club attends the dinner, for each club that has been nominated.

Leadership Legend

Awards for individual graduating seniors who were exceptionally involved on campus. The awards are:

• Pioneer: as a student leader, the awardee has been instrumental in the creation, revival or rehabilitation of a student organization, a major event or program, and/or student policy.

• Bridge Builder: as a student leader, the awardee has been pivotal in establishing or supporting connections between student groups and/or between student groups and the Administration.

• Indelible Mark: as a student leader, the awardee has in some capacity left an indelible mark on the Columbia community.

External Links

All of this information is available in more detail on the SDA website, which is also accessible under kingscrown.info.