Dental Faculty Member Honored for Community Service

Albert J. Thompson, DDS, assistant clinical professor of dental medicine, was honored this fall with an Outstanding Community Service Award, given by Community Impact, a nonprofit organization that gives Columbia students, faculty, and staff opportunities to help people in need in the Morningside Heights, Harlem, and Washington Heights communities.

Dr. Thompson, a 1960 graduate of the College of Dental Medicine, was honored for being a  mentor in Columbia neighborhoods and for his commitment to community service. During his years as a Columbia College student, he was an Ivy League athletic star and qualified for the 1956 U.S. Olympic trials. Read more about Al Thompson the athlete at the Columbia Athletics website.

Columbia also has honored Dr. Thompson by putting his name on a new initiative that offers scholarships and grants to local students to ensure economic diversity on campus. The Thompson-Muñoz Scholarship Program joins other initiatives with similar goals, including the Dyckman Institute Scholarships for outstanding students from Washington Heights and Inwood. The Thompson-Muñoz Scholarship is also named for Carlos Muñoz, who received undergraduate and master's degrees from Columbia.

Each year, up to 40 Thompson-Muñoz Scholars are selected from West Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, and the South Bronx. Scholars are welcomed into the program when they receive their acceptance letters from Columbia.

More information is available in a Columbia News item.