The Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics and Ethical Practice in the Professions was established by a generous endowment from the late Benjamin Botwinick (1907–2000) and his wife Bessie (1909–2002). Mr. Botwinick graduated from Columbia Business School in 1926 with a Bachelor of Science degree, and went on to become a well-respected CPA at the Benjamin Botwinick & Co. firm. In 1957, Mr. Botwinick and his wife Bessie established the Botwinick-Wolfensohn Foundation, Inc.—formerly the Bened Besel Foundation, Inc.—which supported initiatives focused on Israeli and Jewish welfare funds, medical research, and higher education. In addition to his esteemed career, Mr. Botwinick sat on the board of the American Technion Society and was a trustee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its foundation. After they retired to Florida, the Botwinicks were dedicated and devoted philanthropists who proudly founded the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged.
Benjamin and Bessie’s two children, Edward Botwinick and the late Elaine Wolfensohn, remained committed to Columbia Business School and the ideals espoused by the prestigious Botwinick Prize for Business Ethics and Ethical Practice in the Professions.