Faculty News
Harvard Business School Investigation Report Recommended Firing Francesca Gino
An internal report from the Harvard Business School revealed that the faculty committee charged with leading the investigation into allegations of data fraud against professor Francesca Gino found her responsible for the alleged misconduct and recommended her termination.
Harvard Will Not Contest Faculty Group’s Petition for Official Union Recognition
Harvard will not contest the Harvard Academic Workers-United Auto Workers’ bid for official union recognition in a last-minute agreement on Monday that sets union elections in early April.
Harvard Prof. Eric Rentschler Sanctioned for Violating Sexual Harassment Policies
Germanic Languages and Literatures professor Eric Rentschler was placed on two-year administrative leave for violating the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ sexual and gender-based harassment and professional conduct policies, Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced in an internal email.
Harvard Faculty Extend Pass-Fail Deadline, Reject Earlier Deadline for Adding Classes
Harvard faculty narrowly rejected a contentious proposal to shift up the deadline for adding classes to the third Monday of the term, while overwhelmingly approving a proposal allowing undergraduates to switch to pass-fail grading through the eleventh Monday.
Harvard Scholars Without Borders Supports Displaced Ukrainian, Russian Scholars Amid War
Through Scholars Without Borders, Harvard has worked to support academics from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus to continue their scholarship despite the threats of war and state repression.
Amid Backlash to Antisemitic Post, Harvard Professor Resigns From Pro-Palestine Groups
Walter Johnson, a professor of History and African and African American Studies, resigned as a faculty adviser to the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and from Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine after the groups faced a wave of backlash for sharing a post containing an antisemitic image.
Harvard Professors Jasanoff, Laibson to Lead Classroom Norms Committee
History professor Maya R. Jasanoff ’96 and Economics professor David I. Laibson ’88 will lead the newly announced Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee on classroom norms, Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced Wednesday.
Harvard Extension School Administrator Accused of Plagiarism in Anonymous Complaint
Harvard Extension School administrator Shirley R. Greene was accused of 42 instances of plagiarism in her 2008 University of Michigan dissertation in a complaint sent to the University Friday — the latest in a string of anonymous plagiarism complaints against Black Harvard officials.
Jonah Steinberg Will Advise Harvard Antisemitism Task Force, Boaz Barak Joins as Member
Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 named former Harvard Hillel Executive Director Jonah C. Steinberg as an adviser to the presidential task force on antisemitism and appointed Computer Science professor Boaz Barak to join the group.
Harvard Faculty to Vote On Advancing Deadline to Join Courses While Delaying Pass-Fail Deadline
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is expected to vote next month on a proposal to move up the deadline for registering for new courses and push back the pass-fail deadline.
Amid Pressure and Ardent Support, Penslar Mulled Stepping Down from Harvard Antisemitism Task Force
History professor Derek J. Penslar considered stepping down as co-chair of the presidential task force on antisemitism following backlash from high-profile critics as faculty and students rallied to his defense.
Charles Fried, Former U.S. Solicitor General and Longtime Harvard Law School Professor, Dies at 88
Charles A. Fried, a longtime Harvard Law School professor and renowned conservative legal scholar who served as a U.S. solicitor general under President Ronald Reagan, died on Tuesday, according to a post on X from his son-in-law.
Harvard Prof. Hochschild Apologizes For Comments on Rufo Extension School Degree
Harvard professor Jennifer L. Hochschild apologized after facing backlash from Harvard Extension School affiliates for remarks on X which were perceived as denigrating students at the school.
Harvard Corporation Members Did Not Discuss Gay’s Removal During Private Dinner, Faculty in Attendance Say
Two members of the Harvard Corporation and four faculty members discussed a perceived culture of self-censorship on campus during a private dinner last Tuesday but did not address Claudine Gay’s future as president, according to all four professors in attendance.
Bonnie Talbert and David Elmer ’98 Named Eliot House Faculty Deans
Harvard faculty Bonnie Talbert and David F. Elmer ’98 will serve as the next faculty deans of Eliot House, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana announced Wednesday afternoon.
Charles Fried Retires From Harvard Law Following More Than 60 Years on Faculty
Last week, Harvard Law School professor Charles Fried — a former U.S. solicitor general and associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court — announced he would retire on July 1, 2024, following a sabbatical leave in the spring semester.
Harvey Mansfield ’53, Stepping Down as One of Harvard’s Longest Serving Professors, Looks Back on Career
Harvard Government professor Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. ’53, one of the few outspoken conservatives on campus, is retiring from the University.
Former Harvard Professor Charles Lieber Asks for No Prison Time Ahead of Sentencing, Citing Cancer Battle
As convicted ex-Harvard professor Charles M. Lieber awaits his sentencing hearing on Wednesday for lying to federal investigators about his ties to China, his attorneys asked a federal judge to spare him from prison, while prosecutors requested a 90-day sentence last week.
Harvard Kennedy School Dean Outlines Faculty Hiring Initiatives, Discusses Directorship Openings
Seven months after Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf announced the school was recruiting two senior professors studying climate change and sustainability, HKS is still trying to bring them to Cambridge.
Pfarewell Pforzheimer: Faculty Deans Harrington and Durant to Step Down in 2023 After 10-Year Tenure
Pforzheimer House Faculty Deans Anne Harrington ’82 and John R. Durant will step down at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year after a 10-year tenure, the pair announced in an email to house residents Monday.
Three Harvard Scholars Named University Professors, Highest Faculty Distinction
Harvard scholars Catherine Dulac, Robert J. Sampson, and Arlene H. Sharpe ’75 will become University Professors, Harvard’s highest faculty distinction, next year.
Harvard FAS Releases Schedule for Previous-Term Course Registration
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences set a timeline for the school’s full transition from shopping week into previous-term registration for the spring 2024 semester, FAS Registrar Erika McDonald announced Tuesday.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter Remembered as ‘Laser Smart’ and Devoted Public Servant
A lifelong academic and public servant who would go on to serve as the 25th Defense secretary under President Barack Obama, Ashton B. Carter died on Oct. 24 in Boston after suffering a heart attack. He was 68.
Following Harvard Report on ‘Unsustainable’ Faculty Workload, FAS Dean Gay Solicits Professors’ Feedback
After a report found that Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences faces an “increasing and unsustainable” amount of non-research work, the school is holding discussions to collect feedback on the report’s recommendations.
Harvard Math Professor Melanie Matchett Wood Wins ‘Genius Grant’
Harvard Mathematics professor Melanie Matchett Wood was named one of 25 recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship for her work in “addressing the foundational questions in number theory from the perspective of arithmetic statistics.”