Director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer were on hand Monday night to be honored at the 2009 This is Tisch! gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York.

Other honorees at the event, hosted by actress Kristen Johnson, were actress Marcia Gay Harden, arts philanthropist Diana King, and HBO Documentary Films president Sheila Nevins.

"Tisch is the gold standard when it comes to arts training," Grazer said in a statement.

Presenters at the fundraiser for the school included Sony Corporation CEO and president Howard Stringer, director Spike Lee, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner.