Photo courtesy of Teachers College

Although the list-topper for Vh1’s 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons needs no further accolades, your university casually handed over a Klingenstein Leadership Award to Oprah Winfrey last week in Chicago.

The Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership, a Teachers College entity, recognized Oprah for her work towards improving education. The award specifically cites Oprah’s Book Club, and the two-year-old Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls, a posh boarding school in Johannesburg, South Africa. Also singled out for funding scholarships and new schools were three separate Winfrey-driven philanthropies: The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program, and Oprah’s Angel Network.

Did a last-minute candidate for Class Day Speaker just enter the ring? Class of 2009, start hoping. Walking out of here with a free car would probably ease the pain of the current job market.