The Kaufman Award was established by the NYUCD Omega Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the national honor society of dentistry, to honor Dean Emeritus Kaufman on the occasion of his retirement in 1998. The award celebrates the excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service that defined Dr. Kaufman's career, culminating in his deanship from 1985 to 1998. It is presented annually to the student who has attained the highest grade point average during her or his freshman year.

Kurt graduated with honors from Binghamton University (SUNY), where he majored in biology with a special focus on cellular biology. While in college, his extracurricular activities included volunteer work with the American Cancer Society and local hospitals. During that period he also spent time assisting a close friend who had been a practicing dentist for 10 years. "That experience," says Kurt, "convinced me that dentistry was the right career path to follow." His academic record to date at NYUCD shows that he made the right choice.