Clara Mayer Teaching Awards

Since 1988, The New School has recognized outstanding teachers with the Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2014, the university established an Award for Outstanding Achievements in Social Justice Teaching to recognize members of the faculty who significantly advance social justice through their teaching and research.

And beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, the Distinguished University Teaching Awards and the Awards for Outstanding Achievements in Social Justice Teaching will be named in honor of Clara Mayer, a key builder of The New School over its first forty years. While the entire Mayer faculty had roles in those early days, primarily in funding and construction (the original auditorium was dedicated to her father), it was Clara who indelibly shaped the school. She worked alongside Alvin Johnson, the first New School president, implementing a vision of education that sought to contend with the challenges of the moment. She rose from secretary to dean to trustee, and then vice president, making and holding the history of the school. The awards that now bear her name recognize the faculty members who continue that legacy.

2025–2026 Recipients

Distinguished University Teaching Awards

  • Peter Hoffman, Associate Professor of International Affairs, New School for Social Research
  • Alison Kinney, Assistant Professor of Writing, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
  • Arthur Levy, Part-Time Assistant Professor, College of Performing Arts
  • Mimi Maxmen, Part-Time Associate Teaching Professor, Parsons School of Design
  • Kali Mincy, Part-Time Lecturer, Parsons School of Design
  • Wilson Valentin-Escobar, Assistant Professor of Public Humanities and American Studies, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

Awards for Outstanding Achievements in Social Justice Teaching

  • Alexandra Délano Alonso, Professor of Politics and Global Studies, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
  • Ted Kerr, Part-Time Assistant Professor, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

You can read more about this year's distinguished recipients on the 2026 Honorees page.

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