The award is named for Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, whose examples of public faith included giving praise and honor to God before kings, and continuing to pray publicly, even on penalty of death.
The first Daniel Award for Courageous Public Faith was presented to President George W. Bush on March 16, 2011 at a dinner celebrating ACU's 50th anniversary celebration at the Phoenix Convention Center, with 1,260 in attendance and raising $1.5 million in scholarships for ACU students [REF].