Princeton professors Stanley N. Katz and Joyce Carol Oates were among 10 recipients of the 2010 National Humanities Medal, awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and presented by President Barack Obama at the White House March 2.
Katz, a lecturer with the rank of professor at the Woodrow Wilson School, was cited “for a career devoted to fostering public support for the humanities.” In addition to teaching at Princeton for the last 33 years, he directed the American Council of Learned Societies for more than a decade, building ties between libraries, museums, and foundations.
Oates, a creative-writing professor, was honored “for her contributions to American letters.” She has written more than 50 novels and a range of short stories, non-fiction, and poetry.