George Rupp
Arthur Levinson
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Two Princeton graduates -- George Rupp, president and chief
executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, and Arthur
Levinson, president and chief executive officer of Genentech -- have
been selected as the 2006 recipients of the University's top honors for
alumni.
Rupp, a member of Princeton's class of 1964 who also has served as
president of Columbia and Rice universities, has been chosen for the
Woodrow Wilson Award. Levinson, a 1977 graduate alumnus who is known
for his pioneering role in scientific research, will be awarded the
James Madison Medal.
They will receive their awards and deliver addresses on campus during Alumni Day activities on Saturday, Feb. 25.
The Wilson Award is bestowed annually upon an undergraduate alumnus or
alumna whose career embodies the call to duty in Wilson's famous
speech, "Princeton in the Nation's Service." Also a Princeton graduate,
Wilson served as president of the University and as president of the
United States.
The Madison Medal is named for the fourth president of the United
States and the person many consider Princeton's first graduate student.
Established by the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni, it is
presented each year by the University to an alumnus or alumna of the
Graduate School who has had a distinguished career, advanced the cause
of graduate education or achieved an outstanding record of public
service.
On Alumni Day, Levinson will speak on "Creating and Sustaining a
Corporate Culture of Scientific Innovation" at 9:15 a.m., and Rupp will
present a lecture on "Local Conflicts/Global Challenge" at 10:30 a.m.
Both talks will take place in Richardson Auditorium of Alexander Hall.
Wilson Award winner
"George personifies the phrase: Princeton in the Nation's Service,"
wrote one alumnus in nominating Rupp for the Wilson Award. He devoted
three decades to service in the field of American higher education, and
now is leading relief and rehabilitation efforts around the world.
Rupp earned his A.B. in English from Princeton in 1964, continuing on
to earn a B.D. from the Yale Divinity School and a Ph.D. from Harvard.
He was the John Lord O'Brian Professor of Divinity and dean of the
Harvard Divinity School from 1979 to 1985, when he became president of
Rice University. During his eight-year tenure at Rice, applications for
admission almost tripled, federal research support more than doubled
and the value of the endowment increased by more than $500 million.
In 1993, Rupp was named president of Columbia, where he focused on
enhancing undergraduate education, on strengthening the relationship of
the campus to surrounding communities and New York City, and on
increasing the university's international orientation. During his nine
years there, he also completed a financial restructuring of the
university and a $2.84 billion fund-raising campaign that achieved
eight successive records in dollars raised.
Since joining the International Rescue Committee in 2002, Rupp has been
responsible for overseeing the work of the New York-based organization,
a global leader in emergency relief, rehabilitation, protection of
human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement services and
advocacy for those uprooted or affected by conflict and oppression. The
organization works in 25 countries, and also resettles refugees in the
United States through a network of offices in 16 cities around the
nation.
Madison medalist
Trained as a scientist, Levinson quickly has become known for his
business acumen as well. "It is extraordinary to have an individual
with an outstanding reputation as both a scientist and an
entrepreneur," said Dan Abramowicz, president of the Association of
Princeton Graduate Alumni and the chair of the Madison Medal selection
committee. "What makes Dr. Levinson so unique is that he excels in both
of these areas."
A graduate of the University of Washington-Seattle, Levinson earned his
Ph.D. in biochemical sciences from Princeton in 1977. He then began
conducting postdoctoral research at the University of California-San
Francisco. He was recruited by UCSF faculty member and company
co-founder Herbert Boyer as a senior scientist for Genentech in 1980.
Levinson set upon a new area of research, the use of mammalian cells to
produce proteins. Once deemed controversial and costly, the method is
now considered a standard for the industry. In 1990, he became vice
president of research at the company, modifying the research focus by
honing in on a narrower set of targets and insisting upon longer and
more involved clinical trials. His leadership has helped Genentech
become one of the world's leading biotech companies.
Levinson was named president and chief executive officer of the South
San Francisco-based company in July 1995. He was made a member of the
board of directors that same year and was named chair of the board in
1999. He was inducted into the Biotech Hall of Fame in 2003, voted "CEO
of the Year" in 2004 by the San Francisco Times, selected by Business
Week in 2004 as "One of the Best Managers" and recently listed by
Forbes as "One of America's Most Powerful People."
