Three alumni leaders honored with Harvard Medal

Thomas A. Dingman, Deborah Kaufman Goldfine, and Walter H. Morris Jr.

April 20, 2026

6 min read

Annual award recognizes exceptional service

Part of the
Commencement 2026
series

A collection of stories covering Harvard University’s 375th Commencement.

Thomas A. Dingman, Deborah Kaufman Goldfine, and Walter H. Morris Jr. have been selected by the Harvard Alumni Association to receive the 2026 Harvard Medal.

First awarded in 1981, the Harvard Medal recognizes extraordinary service to the University in areas that include leadership, fundraising, teaching, innovation, administration, and volunteerism. Alumni, former faculty and staff, and members of organizations affiliated with the University are eligible for consideration. The medals will be presented to recipients on Harvard Alumni Day, June 5.

Thomas A. Dingman ’67, Ed.M. ’73

Compassionate, energetic, and widely beloved, Dingman has served at the heart of the Harvard community for 45 years, bringing his generous spirit to pivotal roles that have shaped the undergraduate student experience.

As dean of freshmen for 13 years, Dingman prioritized creating an environment that nurtured first-years’ sense of belonging on campus and connection with their peers. Frequently found eating with students in Annenberg or strolling the Yard in his bright-red jacket, he launched several initiatives that have become time-honored traditions at the College — including Convocation, the ceremony that marks students’ official start as members of the Harvard community, and the Reflecting on Your Life program, group sessions that encourage first-years to ponder larger questions about their time at Harvard and beyond.

Dingman reorganized the Freshman Dean’s Office staff to better support students’ transition to College and established more opportunities for undergraduates to engage with faculty outside the classroom.

After working as a secondary school teacher, Dingman began his 45-year career at Harvard as an assistant director in the admissions office. Before becoming dean of freshmen, he held a range of administrative and mentoring roles at the College, including assistant and associate dean of the College, resident dean in Leverett and Dudley Houses, director of the Parents Association, and coordinator of disability services. He was awarded the FAS Administrative Prize in 1996.

After retiring in 2018, Dingman continued to serve Harvard as a special adviser to the dean of Harvard College, and he eagerly helped plan in-person Commencements for the classes of 2020 and 2021 following the pandemic.

Dingman continues to advise first-year students and is an adviser for the renewal of Eliot House. He remains involved with the Harvard Alumni Association as a College director on the HAA board, a mentor to first-year directors, and an alumni interviewer.

Deborah Kaufman Goldfine ’85

Dedicated to strengthening Harvard athletics, engaging alumni, and supporting students, Kaufman Goldfine has been a loyal Harvard volunteer and philanthropic leader for decades. A former three-time captain of the women’s tennis team, she is a lifelong champion of women’s tennis and women’s sports.

Kaufman Goldfine has played a central role in alumni engagement and fundraising for athletics as executive chair of the Harvard Radcliffe Foundation for Women’s Athletics, and as a longtime member and co-chair of the Friends of Harvard Tennis. In 2024, she spearheaded the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Harvard Women’s Tennis, which raised more than $1 million for women’s tennis and reconnected a broad network of alumnae. She served multiple years as a volunteer assistant women’s tennis coach and established a mentoring program connecting student-athletes and alumni. She was also a member of the Harvard Visiting Committee for Athletics. Kaufman Goldfine’s tenacity and institutional knowledge have benefited the larger University community in roles on the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility and as a College director on the HAA board.

Deeply engaged with her class, Kaufman Goldfine has co-chaired every reunion since her 10th and has been a Harvard College Fund volunteer for 35 years. She has co-chaired the Schools and Scholarships Committee in Newton, Massachusetts, for 20 years, working with hundreds of alumni volunteers, interviewing countless College applicants, and serving as a mentor to numerous undergraduate students.

Kaufman Goldfine has been recognized for her efforts with the Hiram Hunn Award for admissions work, the John P. Reardon Jr. Alumni Award for extraordinary service to the University through leadership and engagement activities, the Albert H. Gordon ’23 Award for college fundraising, and various honors by the Harvard tennis program.

Walter H. Morris Jr. ’73, M.B.A. ’75

A valued and steadfast member of the Harvard community, Walter Morris has worked unwaveringly to cultivate and strengthen alumni engagement and foster lifelong learning in a variety of roles for the HAA.

As HAA president from 2008 to 2009, Morris focused on creating opportunities to build vibrant communities of Harvard alumni in cities across the U.S. and around the world. He helped expand Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) — what he called “clubs without walls” — that connect alumni by interest and background. During his tenure, the number of SIGs grew from 21 to 30 organizations, and the HAA launched the inaugural Global Networking Night, an annual program bringing thousands of Harvard alumni together through informal networking events.

Returning to Harvard often to attend lectures and presentations, Morris embraced a love of lifelong learning and worked to foster new avenues for fellow alumni to expand knowledge and remain connected to the University.

Morris first became involved with the HAA in 1995, when he served on its Graduate Schools Committee at the urging of then-executive director Jack Reardon ’60, who was Morris’ first-year proctor and mentor throughout College. Since then, he has served as an HAA Elected Director, as chair of the HAA Awards Committee, on his College reunion committees, and on the Committee for the Happy Observance of Commencement for more than a decade. He received the John P. Reardon Jr. Alumni Award in 2011.

A longtime and active member of the Harvard Black Alumni Society and the HBS African-American Alumni Association, Morris has participated on various panels and in Harvard Black Alumni Weekend. He has also been involved in the Harvard Club of New York and held various leadership positions with the Harvard Club of Washington, D.C.

A former banker, Morris is a retired principal at Ernst & Young LLP.

Nominations for the 2027 Harvard Medal should be submitted by June 30, 2026 via the online form. Nominations received after the deadline will be considered for the following year.