 Rubin was cited for her “dynamic, intense and penetrating approach to the teaching of language and Filipino literature.”

Among the recipients of the Gawad Pambansang Alagad were Prof. Ruperta VR.Asuncion (UP Los Baños), Prof. Delfin Tolentino (UP Baguio Cordillera Studies Center director) and alumnus Edgardo B. Maranan.Asunción was recognized for her contributions to Ilocano literature and Tolentino for his “wide-ranging and intense examinations of Filipino art and culture,” in his essays in English.