Nominations are solicited from previous winners as well as leaders from several national academic organizations. They are carefully reviewed with particular scrutiny given to candidates' sustained records of innovation and accomplishment.

"Each of these leaders has an academic vision focused on a commitment to excellence. They all see the university as an integral part of their communities, and view the health of K-12 education as central to the future of higher education," said Vartan Gregorian.

"At a time when resources are scarce, we hope these awards will allow outstanding leaders to maintain the momentum of their most critical and innovative educational initiatives," Gregorian added.

The Academic Leadership Award, established in 2005, is an investment in leadership by Carnegie Corporation that builds on the foundation's long tradition of recognizing, developing and sustaining exemplary leadership in higher education.

Dr. Kirwan, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM), is nationally recognized for his commitment to diversity, efforts to place math and science learning at the center of the educational enterprise and for ensuring America's young people have access to excellent education that is also affordable. Under the Chancellor's direction, USM has made progress in closing the achievement gap in Maryland by initiating efforts to increase college retention and completion rates for lower income and underrepresented students and to help ensure that more Marylanders have access to excellent education that is also affordable. A respected mathematician, Chancellor Kirwan has placed a strong emphasis on increasing the number of graduates in science, technology, engineering and math (so-called STEM disciplines), and thus boost the supply and improve the quality of students entering teaching and STEM fields. Kirwan has reached out aggressively to the broader community to help ensure that his institutions are serving society. In partnership with other universities and organizations such as the Governor's Workforce Investment Board, Kirwan has been deeply involved in harnessing the resources of the state's institutions of higher education to better meet Maryland's workforce and economic development needs. Under Kirwan's leadership, the University System of Maryland has extended its outreach to the Baltimore City Public Schools and other school systems throughout Maryland. His commitment to K-12 education led to the creation of a teacher professional development, recruitment and retention program that has established teacher academies to cultivate future teachers from within the state's K-12 system and to improve student learning. Kirwan has led USM in implementation of its Effectiveness and Efficiency initiative (E&E), developed to build quality and hold down costs. To date, E&E has resulted in more than $100 million in cost savings and emerged as a model for higher education nationwide. In addition, while president of the University of Maryland, College Park, Dr. Kirwan championed the creation of living-learning communities, which link students' curricular and residential experiences to create deeper understanding and integration of classroom material, and which have been recognized as a pioneer and as a national model in this area.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding."