The Wharton School has awarded the Dean's Medal to Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica.
The Dean's Medal is the highest award given by Wharton.
It was created in 1983 to recognize leaders in business, public service and academia who have successfully used their management talents to make a positive impact on people's lives.
Arias is a 1987 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and is well known for his efforts to establish stability and democracy in Central America.
He was first elected in 1986 and drafted a peace treaty signed by five Central American governments in 1987.
Arias then went on to established the Foundation for Peace and Human Progress.
The foundation is made up of three centers that advocate for equal opportunities for Central American women, conflict resolution in the developing world and philanthropy targeting Latin America, among other objectives.
Under Arias' leadership, the Costa Rican economy also flourished.
He is known as a free-trade advocate who has pushed for the debt relief of third world countries.
The medal was conferred on Arias June 7 at the Wharton Global Forum, which was held in Costa Rica's capital, San Jose.
Past recipients of the award include former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, Wang Dao-Han, former mayor of Shanghai, and Reginald Jones, former chairman of General Electric.
