The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) established the HACU Hall of Champions to honor those who embody the mission of the Association through exemplary efforts “To Champion Hispanic Success in Higher Education.” The seventeenth and eightteenth inductees into the HACU Hall of Champions are Salme Harju Steinberg, Ph.D. and Mr. Frank Reyes who were honored on October 25, 2021 during HACU's 35th Annual Conference.

Dr. Salme Harju Steinberg is an historian, writer, professor, and leader in higher education.  A specialist in U.S. economic and social history, she publishes and lectures in these areas.  She served as president of Northeastern Illinois University for twelve years between 1995 and 2007.  She is the author of Reformer in the Marketplace:  Edward W. Bok and the Ladies’ Home Journal, and a contributor to many scholarly journals and publications.  In 2009, in collaboration with the American Council on Education and the Ocean University of China Press, her autobiography is included in Footprints to Success in the Academy:  Personal Stories by American Higher Education Leaders. 

After earning her doctorate in history from the Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Steinberg taught at Goucher College and Northwestern University.  She was elected to the Hunter College Hall of Fame by the alumni association of Hunter College, where she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History.

As president of Northeastern Illinois University, a state university serving over 12,000 students and the most diverse university in the Midwest, as well as being a Hispanic Serving Institution, she was known for her commitment to diversity in the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students and integrating the fine arts and international education into the university experience.  Under her leadership, Northeastern also became well-known as an institution that celebrates the fine arts and performing arts on campus. Dr. Steinberg remains committed to student access and excellence and to creating opportunities for first-generation college students to study/work abroad. 

While Dr. Steinberg was president of the University, she served as Chair of the HACU Governing Board from 2002-2003 and in various leadership roles from 2001 to 2006 on the Governing Board.  She also served on the Program Advisory board of the HACU-Kellogg Leadership Fellows, mentored Fellows, and was a member of the Leadership Group with the U. S. Department of Education and HACU implementing a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance educational opportunity.  She was a member of the HACU Task Force on International Education, the precursor to the HACU Commission on International Education, and was an original member of the HACU Commission on International Education. She has been a keynoter and presenter at HACU conferences on topics such as the financing of U.S. higher education as well as integrating international education into the curriculum.  As President Emerita of Northeastern Illinois University, she continues her service on the International Commission of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities as well as the HACU Government Relations Committee.  

She chaired the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Board of Trustees for six years and served on the board overall for twelve years.  Nationally, her many awards include recognition for her leadership in student diversity, student access to higher education, international education, and the arts.  On behalf of Northeastern Illinois University, she accepted the Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education from the Institute of International Education.  In 2004, she was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Chicago by the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2006, she was awarded the Amicus Poloniae bestowed by the Polish Ambassador to the United States.   In 2008, Northeastern Illinois University celebrated the naming of the Salme Harju Steinberg Fine Arts Center in her honor.

She is a member of The Chicago Network and active in various arts and charitable organizations in the City of Chicago.   She is married to Dr. Michael S. Steinberg; they have two children, William Harju Steinberg and Katharine L. Daniels.