Centennial Medalists

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.

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: “singular scholar” of East Asian studies Ezra Vogel, Ph.D. ’58, Ford Research Professor of the social sciences at Harvard; “arts advocate” Earl Powell III, Ph.D. ’74, director of the National Gallery of Art; molecular biologist Susan Lindquist, Ph.D. ’77, of MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (see “What Stress Reveals,” page 10); and “stellar astronomer” Frank Shu, Ph.D. ’68, now at UC, San Diego.

The full citations are available here.

Related topics

You might also like

Conan O’Brien Named Harvard’s 2026 Commencement Speaker

The comedian, host, and 1985 graduate will deliver remarks at the May 28 ceremony. 

These Harvard Mountaineers Braved Denali’s Wall of Ice

John Graham’s Denali Diary documents a dangerous and historic climb.

Rabbi, Drag Queen, Film Star

Sabbath Queen, a new documentary, follows one man’s quest to make Judaism more expansive.

Most popular

Robert Frost revealed in his letters

Robert Frost’s “doubleness,” revealed in his letters—and poems.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Special Olympics

Brief life of a world-changer: 1921-2009

The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard

How an abundance of A’s created “the most stressed-out world of all.”

Explore More From Current Issue

A close-up of a beetle on the textured surface of a cycad cone and cycad cones seen in infrared silhouette.

Research in Brief

Cutting-edge discoveries, distilled

Older man in a green sweater holds a postcard in a warmly decorated office.

How a Harvard Hockey Legend Became a Needlepoint Artist

Joe Bertagna’s retirement project recreates figures from Boston sports history.

A diverse group of individuals standing on stage, wearing matching shirts and smiling.

How a Harvard and Lesley Group Broke Choir Singing Wide Open

Cambridge Common Voices draws on principles of universal design.