The National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, a group dedicated to honoring diversity and tolerance, awarded University of La Verne President Devorah Lieberman with an Ellis Island Medal of Honor during a May 7 ceremony in New York.

Honorees who receive the award exemplify a life dedicated to community service and celebrate the history, traditions and values of their ancestry.

Others who have received the medal in the 30 years it has existed include six United States presidents, Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Rosa Parks and Lee Iacocca.

Lieberman has not only taken the University to new heights, but has also been at the forefront of changing the national conversation about higher education, said Dr. David Lizárraga, who nominated Lieberman and is a 2015 recipient of the medal. Lizárraga is CEO of The East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU), an organization that empowers families and entrepreneurs in underserved communities by providing access to capital.

“President Lieberman is a first-generation American whose mother traveled from Czechoslovakia through Ellis Island,” Lizárraga wrote. “Her mother instilled in her the importance of giving back to this country and to the world. She has spent her life educating students and preparing them to be future world leaders.”

Lizárraga also cited in his nomination letter numerous recent honors Lieberman has received, including being named “President of the Year” by the Association of College Union’s International and being approached by the Gates Foundation to serve on two national ‘think tank’ groups focused on examining and reimagining higher education funding models.

Submitted by