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Princeton University Honors Distinguished Alumni with Top Awards

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Notable alumni Kevin Gover and Terence Tao have been chosen to receive the top awards at Princeton University's Alumni Day, to be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026. Kevin Gover, a Class of 1978 alumnus and current under secretary for museums and culture at the Smithsonian Institution, will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award. Terence Tao, a 1996 graduate alumnus and professor of mathematics at UCLA, will receive the James Madison Medal.

Key Takeaways:

  • Kevin Gover, Class of 1978 alumnus, will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award for embodying the call to duty in Wilson's 1896 speech, "Princeton in the Nation's Service."
  • Kevin Gover is the under secretary for museums and culture at the Smithsonian Institution since 2021, leading the office that oversees the institution's history and art museums.
  • Gover has dedicated his career to building a more inclusive America and has received numerous awards for his work with Native American communities and educational institutions.
  • Terence Tao, a 1996 graduate alumnus, will receive the James Madison Medal for his distinguished career in mathematics, advancing the cause of graduate education, and achieving an outstanding record of public service.
  • Tao is a professor of mathematics at UCLA and a Fields Medal winner, with research contributions to compressive sensing and number theory.
  • Tao has also been a vocal advocate for academia and science, arguing for preserving the productive bonds between government and academia.

Statistics:

  • 12 states were represented by Kevin Gover's law firm, which grew into the largest Native American-owned firm in the country.
  • 14 years was the duration of Kevin Gover's tenure as director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City.
  • 15 years was the age at which Terence Tao published a math book to train secondary-school teachers.
  • 1 in 10 MRI scans can be produced up to 10 times faster thanks to algorithms developed by Terence Tao and his team.
  • $3 million was the cash gift given to Terence Tao upon winning the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.
  • $584 million was the amount of National Science Foundation grants to UCLA that were suspended, later reinstated by a court ruling, in 2025.
  • 70 years was the duration of the productive bonds between government and academia that have strengthened the health, security, and competitiveness of the United States.

Sources:

  • Princeton University Advancement Communications, "Awards and Honors for Distinguished Alumni," released by Princeton University on November 3, 2025.

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