Centennial Medalists

Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences confers the Centennial Medals.

Each June, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medal, first awarded in 1989 on the occasion of the school’s hundredth anniversary, honors alumni who have made contributions to society that emerged from their graduate study at Harvard. This year’s honorands are, from left: president emeritus Neil L. Rudenstine, Ph.D. ’64, LL.D. ’02, “Harvard’s good shepherd”; Sarah Blaffer Hrdy ’68, Ph.D. ’75, exploder of “anthropological myths”; Frederick Brooks, Ph.D. ’56, a pioneering engineer of computer innovation; and “visionary” economist Jeffrey Sachs ’76, Ph.D. ’80, JF ’81. For the full citations, see www.harvardmagazine.com/go/centennial_medalists.

Most popular

Zelia Nuttall

Brief life of a remarkable anthropologist (1857-1933)

Harvard Students, Alumna Named Rhodes and Marshall Scholars

Nine Rhodes and five Marshall scholars will study in the U.K. in 2026.

Explore More From Current Issue

Skyline view of Harvard University with trees in autumn colors and a river under a cloudy sky.

Your Views on Conservatism on Campus, Doxxing, and More

Readers write in about international students at Harvard, the September-October cover, and changes at the Chan School of Public Health.

Six women interact in a theatrical setting, one seated and being comforted by others.

A (Truly) Naked Take on Second-Wave Feminism

Playwright Bess Wohl’s Liberation opens on Broadway.

Map showing Uralic populations in Eurasia, highlighting regional distribution and historical sites.

The Origins of Europe’s Most Mysterious Languages

A small group of Siberian hunter-gatherers changed the way millions of Europeans speak today.