Faculty News
Harvard Professors Reflect on Menino's Legacy
Harvard faculty members praised Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, specifically highlighting his work promoting education, after his announcement Thursday afternoon that he would not seek a sixth term in office.
Government Professors Caution Against Political Science Spending Cuts
A Congressional budgetary amendment severely limiting National Science Foundation funding for political science research poses a significant threat to that field’s most promising academic work, Harvard government professors warned Monday.
SEAS Affiliates Discuss Allston Campus Plans
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences affiliates shared their views on the design of SEAS’ new Allston campus with architectural consultants at an open house event Monday afternoon in the Maxwell Dworkin lobby.
Life Sciences Cluster Releases Student Handbook for Undergraduate Research
The opportunities for research available to students of the life sciences at Harvard make the first hurdle to involvement not “if” but “how” to begin.
Bazerman Named Co-Director of HKS Center for Public Leadership
Harvard Business School professor Max H. Bazerman has been named co-director of the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Center for Public Leadership, Kennedy School Dean David T. Ellwood '75 announced on Thursday.
Three-Point-One-Four
The Department of Mathematics celebrated Pi day with cake and refreshments for the community. Pi is used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159.
EdX Considers Compensation Models
Gregory Nagy, a classical Greek literature professor who created CB22x: The Ancient Greek Hero for HarvardX, approximated that he spends about 25 hours a week working on his course above and beyond his other responsibilities—making his total professional workload more than 1.5 times as big as it would be otherwise.
In Wake of Email Scandal, Professors Mourn Loss of Trust
Four days after news broke that Harvard administrators secretly searched the email accounts of 16 resident deans last September, professors called on administrators to address what one called a corroding of a “culture of trust” between the faculty and its leaders.
Students Uncertain of Privacy Policy, Some Fear Searches
In the wake of Saturday’s report that administrators secretly searched resident deans’ email accounts, it remains unclear whether University policy permits Harvard officials to conduct covert searches of student email accounts.
Text of Leaked Email Originally Sent by Ad Board Secretary to Colleagues
Read the text of an Aug. 16 email originally sent by Ad Board Secretary John “Jay” L. Ellison to his colleagues, including the 16 resident deans. The leak of the email to the media prompted Harvard administrators to secretly search the email accounts of the resident deans in an effort to trace the origin of the leak.
Administrators Secretly Searched Resident Deans' Email for Cheating Scandal Leak
Harvard administrators secretly accessed the email accounts of 16 resident deans in an attempt to determine who leaked communication regarding the Government 1310 cheating scandal that made its way to the media, the Boston Globe reported on Saturday evening.
Museum Exhibit Dials In on Time
Objects ranging from primitive Bedouin calendars to Japanese timekeeping are part of an ambitious interdisciplinary exploration of one of history’s most ubiquitous themes: time.
Sandel Discusses Religion in Public Life
Government professor Michael J. Sandel and visiting professor Jean Bethke Elshtain discussed the role of religion in public life on Tuesday in front of a crowd of more than 500 students and community members in Sanders Theater.
Faculty Meeting Focuses on Online Education and Gender Imbalance
A month after administrators announced to a packed University Hall that the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences would move to Allston, Tuesday’s Faculty Meeting was comparatively uneventful, with few attendees and fewer announcements.
SEAS Anticipates Growth in Faculty Numbers
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Cherry A. Murray said that she anticipates a 30 percent growth in the size of the SEAS faculty over the next 10 to 15 years.
As DPLA Launch Date Approaches, Faculty Calls for Open Access
As the Digital Public Library of America—a new online repository for text and media sources—prepares to launch next month, faculty and administrators at the University said they hope its creation will mark the beginning of a nationwide push for open access.
History of Science Rethinks Sophomore Tutorial
The History of Science department unveiled a revamped sophomore tutorial this semester featuring virtual interviews, student-driven lectures, and a chance for students to engage in independent research.
Anticipating Federal Cuts, Schools Streamline, Diversify Sponsored Funding
Regardless of what happens on Capitol Hill this week, Harvard will have to contend with decreased revenue from federal agencies by reevaluating its reliance on different sources of income.
With Federal Cuts Looming, University Researchers Say Outlook Is Gloomy
Some agencies have already reduced grant totals in advance of unprecedented federal spending cuts scheduled to take effect Friday, forcing labs across the University to proactively trim costs and refocus their research. At the same time, administrators have begun the process of reorienting the way the University solicits funding.
Smaller Concentrations Receive Highest Satisfaction Ratings
The humanities reigned in the latest round of concentration satisfaction ratings, followed closely by the social sciences and life sciences. As was the case in previous years, smaller concentrations generally outperformed larger ones in the survey, which is taken every spring by graduating seniors.
Professor Talks Shifts in Racial Attitudes
In a small discussion group that included Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds and consisted primarily of undergraduates, government and African American studies professor Jennifer L. Hochschild argued that racial attitudes change significantly decade to decade, but that these shifts often go unnoticed.
EdX Town Hall Calls on Faculty
In a town hall meeting entitled “All About the X,” dozens of faculty members from across Harvard’s schools gathered to learn more about ongoing online course development and research at HarvardX, the subset of EdX courses and technologies taught and developed by Harvard faculty.
Concentration Satisfaction Surveys
In general, seniors last year gave smaller concentrations higher ratings than larger ones. Women, Gender and Sexuality, which yielded the most satisfied graduates, boasted only nine concentrators in the Class of 2012.
CS Leads Concentration Growth in SEAS
The computer science concentration has nearly doubled in size in the last two years and continues to drive growth in Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, according to new data released by the SEAS Communications Office.