Ithaca College

Political scientist Robert D. Putnam will be awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree by Ithaca College. The degree presentation will take place on Friday, April 17, during the inauguration of Ithaca College President Thomas R. Rochon. Putnam will present an address, "A New 'Greatest Generation'?" as part of the inaugural ceremony.

Putnam is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is best known for his work on how an active community contributes to the welfare of society. His research shows that regions with strong civic engagement -- also called social capital -- enjoy better educational performance, reduced levels of crime and suicide, longer lives and better health, greater economic productivity, higher voter turnout, and more democratic and effective government.

President Rochon nominated Putnam for the honorary degree based on "his excellence as a scholar and teacher, and above all for the energy with which he has applied his scholarship to the community good."

The degree citation notes that Putnam's seminal book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, warned about the decline of civic engagement and social networks in the United States, from the PTA to the political party to the labor union to the bowling league.

"You have exemplified the highest standards of social science rigor and commitment to evidence, while at the same time never using statistical models as a screen to avoid addressing the most important questions," states the citation. "Your simultaneous commitment to scholarly excellence and to the creation of a better society exemplifies the mission and the aspiration that we set for ourselves at Ithaca College."

Putnam is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a past president of the American Political Science Association. In 2006 he received the Johan Skytte Prize, one of the world's highest accolades for a political scientist. In addition to Bowling Alone, his books include Making Democracy Work and Better Together: Restoring the American Community.

He has consulted widely with world leaders and founded the Saguaro Seminar, bringing together leading thinkers and practitioners to develop actionable ideas for civic renewal. Before joining Harvard in 1979, he taught at the University of Michigan and served on the staff of the National Security Council.