Former Harvard president to be honored for dedication to ‘truth-seeking,’ academic rigor

Award will be given as part of American Council of Trustees and Alumni’s 30th anniversary

Lawrence Summers, president emeritus of Harvard University, will be honored with an outstanding education award this weekend for his long reputation of defending rigorous academics, advocating for free speech, and attempting to steer modern universities back to their “truth-seeking” mission.

The Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education comes from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni as part of its 30th anniversary celebration Friday in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to higher education, particularly his commitment to academic rigor and expanding access to quality education.

“ACTA, with the guidance of our distinguished selection committee, selected Dr. Larry Summers to receive this award because of his steadfast commitment to the core principles of liberal arts education, academic freedom, and the free exchange of ideas,” spokesperson Gabrielle Anglin told The College Fix in an interview last week. Her organization focuses on promoting liberal arts education, protecting academic standards, and championing the free exchange of ideas in higher education.

Summers, an economist and former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is known for speaking out against “political correctness,” antisemitism, and other problems on college campuses in recent years.

“I believe universities are as important as any institution in our country. I am flattered and honored that my efforts to strengthen Harvard, and universities more generally, are being recognized at a moment when issues around the future of higher education have been more contentious and more important,” Summers said in a recent email to The College Fix. 

When asked about advice for young professors, Summers noted the influential position a professor is in and cautioned against passivity.

“All progress comes from ideas and their dissemination and application. As a professor you are doing profoundly important work. Never accept the prevailing views uncritically or suppose that conventional wisdom can’t be overturned,” he told The Fix. 

According to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, Summers has made an incredible impact on higher education throughout the entirety of his career. 

These include “significant reforms to strengthen the undergraduate curriculum” while he served as present of Harvard from 2001 to 2006, Anglin told The Fix.

“He emphasized the importance of a broad-based education that includes core requirements such as science, mathematics, and the humanities. These initiatives are meant to ensure that students receive a well-rounded education that prepares them for a rapidly changing job market and helps them become informed citizens,” Anglin said. 

Summers also has been a “vocal advocate for free speech and academic freedom, both within the academic community and in the broader public sphere,” she said.

“He uses his platforms to call attention to how universities are failing to uphold their purpose of truth-seeking. He also warns against the dangers of government overreach in academic affairs. His messages on the importance of maintaining an environment where diverse ideas can be freely exchanged and debated are clear and crucial in today’s free speech climate,” Anglin said. 

The award that he will receive is named after the late philanthropist Philip Merrill, who Anglin described as an “outspoken proponent of academic excellence and an articulate spokesman for the importance of historical literacy in a free society.”

Summers’ willingness to speak out and his persistent determination to create real change is a significant factor in why ACTA is honoring him with the award.

“Larry Summers has consistently been a strong, courageous, principled, and influential champion of academic freedom and free speech both at Harvard and in the larger public sphere,” ACTA President Michael Poliakoff said. “His frequent, prominent public writings and media interviews provide constructive criticism of universities’ failures to live up to their special truth-seeking mission, while observing the dangers of coercive government intrusion.”

As part of its 30th anniversary celebration, ACTA also is honoring Panayiotis Kanelos, the chancellor at University of Austin, with its Hero of Intellectual Freedom Award.

This piece was originally published by The College Fix on October 24, 2025.