Awards: John W. Kluge

Drew Gilpin Faust received the $1 million John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, which recognizes individuals "whose outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences has shaped public affairs and civil society." Faust is a historian, the president of Harvard University and author of six books, including the Bancroft Prize-winning work This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War.

"The Library of Congress is thrilled to recognize Drew Gilpin Faust for her extraordinary work researching, writing and teaching about the fabric of American life," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. "Through her extensive writing about Southern identity, she has explored themes of deep relevance to our national conversation on race and gender. As the first female president of Harvard University, she has also led one of the most esteemed educational institutions in the world through a period of intense growth and transformation."

Faust commented: "I am deeply honored to receive the Kluge Prize and would like to thank the Library of Congress for this recognition and for the vital mission it pursues on behalf of our nation. The humanities and social sciences have never been more important to our understanding of society and the increasingly connected world we inhabit. They allow us to see the world through the eyes of others, to understand the common hopes and aspirations we share, to cultivate judgement and discernment, and to identify and pursue the questions that must animate our pursuit of a better future."

Hayden selected Faust from a list of finalists for the prize, which is administered by the Kluge Center in the Library of Congress. The center's mission is to "reinvigorate the interconnection between thought and action," bridging the gap between scholarship and policymaking.

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