William Anderson Rita E. Hauser Renee M. Landers

This year's winners of the Harvard Medal have been selected by the Harvard Alumni Association. The Medals are given in recognition of extraordinary service to the University.

The 1999 recipients are William G. Anderson '39, Rita E. Hauser, HLS '55-56, and Renée M. Landers '77. President Neil L. Rudenstine will present the Medals on Commencement afternoon, June 10, at the Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association.

Harvard Medal Winners

William Anderson served Harvard with great distinction as University Marshal from 1965 until 1982. In this capacity he was the first to greet visitors to Harvard from all corners of the world, from heads of state to goodwill ambassadors. He also officiated at Commencement Exercises, where his organizational expertise increased the speed and improved the style of the morning program. During the student unrest in the late '60s and early '70s, Anderson worked closely with the administration and senior faculty to orchestrate peaceful and festive ceremonies despite tension on campus. His tenure under Presidents Derek Bok and Nathan Pusey was marked by dependability, effectiveness, and conciliation.

As chairman of his 25th reunion, Anderson revived the spirits of the Class of 1939 and helped to set new attendance and fundraising records. Chairing his 45th and 50th reunions, he also broke participation records and set a new Harvard College Fund record for a 50th reunion. He is currently a member of his 60th Reunion Gift Steering Committee and a Permanent Class Committee member.

Rita E. Hauser, a loyal friend of Harvard, has been an inspirational catalyst moving the University forward at important frontiers. To improve the quality of nonprofit management and the preparation of leaders in this sector, she and her husband Gustave created the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at the Kennedy School of Government. The Center has been a model for other universities. Her desire to encourage women to play leadership roles in philanthropy led her to create the Women's Leadership Challenge Fund, which reached out to more than 200 women across the University. Nearly all of these women continue to serve Harvard in substantial ways.

National Campaign co-chair of the University Campaign and current member of the Executive Committee of the Committee on University Resources, Hauser is also vice-chair of the Dean's Advisory Board at the Law School, a member of the Visiting Committee of the Kennedy School of Government, trustee of the Harvard Law School Club of New York City, and a former member of the Board of Advisers of the Middle East Institute.

Renée M. Landers has used her consummate leadership skills to build coalitions and create an atmosphere of cooperation during her remarkable service to Radcliffe and Harvard. Sensitive to differing opinions, she manages to bring people together in ways that benefit the University. Landers was president of the Board of Overseers, the third woman in the history of the Board, during the final year of her 1991-97 term. While an Overseer, she sat on more than a dozen Visiting and Standing Committees and chaired several. She is currently a member of the Visiting Committees to the Art Museums, the University Health Services, and the FAS Science Teaching and Research Planning Committee.

From 1987-89 Landers was a Radcliffe Trustee, and since 1996 has served as a member of the Advisory Board to Radcliffe's Public Policy Institute. She was also president of the Radcliffe Alumnae Association from 1987-89. An avid singer, she was a member of the Friends of the Radcliffe Choral Society and a former officer of the Campaign for Choral Endowment.