In 1954 Nivola was named to direct the Design Workshop at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he stayed until 1957. He was also visiting professor or artist in residence at Columbia University (1961), Harvard (1970 and 1973), Dartmouth (1978), UC Berkeley (1978–79 and 1982), and the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (1982). The American Institute of Graphic Arts awarded him its Certificate of Excellence. In 1972 the American Academy of Arts and Letters admitted Nivola as its first non-American member.