The Horniman Prize

Honoring a Legacy of Teaching, Leadership, and Service

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of The Horniman Prize, an annual award recognizing the extraordinary dedication to teaching, leadership, and service exemplified by the late Alexander B. “Alec” Horniman, the Killgallon Ohio Art Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. 

Established by a generous lead gift from his wife, E. Clorisa Phillips, this permanent endowment will celebrate and support individuals who model Alec’s enduring challenge to students, colleagues, alumni, and friends: to invite, include, and inspire others.

Award Criteria

The Horniman Prize will honor individuals whose work reflects the extraordinary qualities Alec Horniman exemplified throughout his life and career. Nominees should demonstrate a sustained commitment to teaching, mentoring, leadership, and service, along with a meaningful impact on students, colleagues, or the broader UVA community. Teaching is defined broadly and may include classroom instruction, mentorship, leadership, or other contributions that advance the development of others.

The selection committee will give particular consideration to individuals who:

• inspire and challenge others;
• invest generously in the growth and development of others;
• foster collaboration and build meaningful connections across Grounds;
• lead with integrity, respect, and a belief in the potential of every individual; and
• embody Alec Horniman’s enduring call to “invite, include, and inspire.”

Nomination Process

Nominations for The Horniman Prize will be accepted by the Foundation annually from all areas of the University of Virginia. Nomination materials will include letters of support from students or those impacted by the nominee, as well as from colleagues. 

Please note: The nomination deadline and other key dates pertaining to the inaugural selection process of The Horniman Prize will be announced in Fall 2026.

Selection Process

Recipients will be chosen by a distinguished jury convened annually by the Foundation. The jury will include representatives from the Foundation, faculty from the Darden School and other schools of the University, as well as former students of Professor Horniman.

Award Details

Recipients will receive an unrestricted stipend and will be welcomed into the Foundation community as a Faculty Fellow, with an invitation to participate in all appropriate Foundation events. Recipients of the Prize will also be recognized at a reception hosted by the Foundation.

Make a Memorial Gift

The Horniman Prize was established through a visionary gift, and additional gifts will ensure that Alec Horniman’s legacy continues to inspire future generations. Gifts to The Horniman Prize endowment will help sustain this unique recognition and expand its long-term impact across the UVA community.

For questions about making a gift or creating a lasting legacy through philanthropy, please contact Pat Ingram, Vice President and Director of Development at the Foundation.

About Alec Horniman

For more than five decades, Alexander B. “Alec” Horniman shaped the University of Virginia through his extraordinary commitment to teaching, leadership, mentorship, and service.

Horniman retired from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in 2021 as the Killgallon Ohio Art Professor of Business Administration after a distinguished career that touched nearly every corner of the University. He was the founder and first executive director of Darden’s Olsson Center for Applied Ethics, helping establish a lasting culture of principled leadership and ethical inquiry.

Alec joined Darden in 1967 and, over the course of more than 50 years, taught all facets of the MBA program and Executive Education. His commitment and service extended beyond Darden classrooms, as he taught ethics, psychology, and leadership to executives and alumni around the world. Within the University, Alec taught graduate students in education, engineering, and nursing; undergraduate students in the College; and administrators in business, finance, student affairs, and other units. He delivered executive programs to School of Medicine clinical chairs. His willingness to forge bonds across the University was inspirational. He taught by posing questions and pushed others to ask “What’s Possible?” 

A member of the Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society, Alec earned numerous accolades over the years, including the Batten Leadership Award, the Morton Leadership Award, and the Ford Foundation Behavioral Science Research Fellowship. In 2014, he received UVA’s highest faculty honor: the Thomas Jefferson Award for excellence in service. 

Alec’s legacy is measured not only in awards and accomplishments. It lives in the countless students, colleagues, alumni, and friends he has challenged to think more deeply, lead more ethically, and “invite, include, and inspire” others.

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