Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medalists of 2016

Honorands whose contributions to society emerged from graduate study

From left: John O’Malley, Cecilia Rouse, David Mumford, and Francis Fukuyama | Photograph by Tony Rinaldo/Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

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 studies. It is the highest honor the Graduate School bestows, and awardees include some of Harvard’s most accomplished alumni. The 2016 recipients, announced at a ceremony on May 25, are: Francis Fukuyama, Ph.D. ’81, a political scientist, political economist, and author; David Mumford ’57, Ph.D. ’61, a theoretical and applied mathematician who studies visual perception; John O’Malley, Ph.D. ’65, a priest, professor of theology, and historian of early modern Catholicism; and Cecilia Rouse ’86, Ph.D. ’92, an economist who served as adviser to two presidents and is now dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. For more about the honorands, see harvardmag.com/centennial-16.

You might also like

Harvard Business School’s Andy Wu discusses far-out innovations.

Five Questions with Tien Jiang

How brushing and flossing can protect your heart

Inside Harvard’s Most Egalitarian School

The Extension School is open to everyone. Expect to work—hard.

Most popular

How Your Social Circle Affects Your Microbiome and Health

The microbiome may be socially exchanged, modulating both health and metabolism.

A former Harvard College writing tutor changes her mind on LLMs.

Professor Cornell William Brooks and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts hold a lively debate on DEI and Project 2025.

Explore More From Current Issue

Portrait of a man in a denim shirt beside a blue book cover for "Gretal and the Great War" featuring an illustration of a leg holding an army helmet..

The Gretel and the Great War author on how the Lampoon derailed his science career—and set him on a literary path.

Colorful cartoon animals, including dogs, cows, rabbits, and a fence, on a pink background.

Inseparable cows, big dogs fostering a tiny kitten, and a show beagle’s second act

A flooded office scene with computers, a woman working, and a pink sunset backdrop.

A College student’s attempt to recapture the romanticism of the workplace.