By Melanie Eversley

NBC newsman Al Roker, a longtime fixture on the “Today” show, will receive the 38th annual Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, his coworkers announced on the program Wednesday morning.

“This is just a very very high honor,” Roker said from the “Today” show plaza in New York.

The award, presented by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, pays homage to the recipient’s accomplishments and leadership.

“Al Roker has long been a trusted and treasured voice in homes all across America,” Dean Battinto Batts said in a statement. “His integrity and commitment to honesty and fairness are the very values that guided the career of our school’s namesake, Walter Cronkite.“

Roker joined “Today” as a weather caster in 1996 and cohosts the “3rd Hour” of the program.