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

The Supreme Court Affirmative Action Rulings: An Analysis

The underlying arguments project clashing worldviews of race and appropriate remedies.

The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead

 A Harvard botanist investigates mystic potions, voodoo rites, and the making of zombies.

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

Explore More From Current Issue

Vibrant urban scene at dusk featuring a mural on a building and illuminated structures.

The Goel Center in Allston will open for performances in the fall of 2026.

Black and white photo of Joseph Murray in a white lab coat sitting in an office.

Nobel Prize recipient Joseph E. Murray dedicated much of his career to organ transplant surgery.

Racing driver gives a thumbs up from inside a car, wearing a helmet and safety gear.

Harvard graduate and NASCAR racer Patrick Staropoli on pedals, attention, and fearlessness.