Faculty
FAS Stresses Smooth Gen Ed Transition
Once the Faculty approve a new program in General Education, all students will choose Gen Ed courses from the same, revamped offerings, according to Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith.
After Gen Ed Proposal, Teaching Campaign Looks Ahead
After a committee reviewing General Education recommended a program-wide section target of 12 students, members of a graduate student campaign aimed at lowering section sizes are reevaluating their priorities.
New Humanitarian Studies Course Debuts
The course, entitled GHHP 70: “Global Response to Disasters and Refugee Crises,” is intended to teach students to apply global health theory and policy to real-world humanitarian crises.
Committee on Undergraduate Education Discusses Gen Ed Transition
Undergraduates who have taken General Education courses under current categories will receive credit for those classes after the Faculty of Arts and Sciences rolls out a revamped program, according to Stephanie H. Kenen, the Administrative Director for Gen Ed.
Faculty Unanimously Endorse Student Diversity
Members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to a diverse student body at their monthly meeting Tuesday, voting to endorse a report supporting racial and ethnic pluralism at the College.
Medical Students Petition Faust to Increase School’s Diversity
Harvard Medical School does not have a diverse enough student and faculty body, a group of Medical School students is charging in a petition they plan to deliver to University President Drew G. Faust.
Number of Creative Thesis Writers Doubles
Twenty seniors are currently working on creative theses—double the number of students who wrote them in 2013.
Gen Ed Proposals Could Increase Job Security for Humanities Ph.D.s
Each semester, hundreds of students shop one of professor Shaye J.D. Cohen’s General Education courses on the Hebrew Bible, enticed by the possibility of fulfilling a requirement while receiving an “easy A.”
New SEAS Faculty Bring Expertise and Logistical Headaches
A “bumper crop” of eight new professors has been a welcome addition to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, adding particular heft to the Computer Science department.
William James Hall Upgrades Elevators, Causing Delays
The elevator is not broken but is undergoing renovation as part of a larger upgrade process begun last July. Each elevator car takes 14 weeks to update and all three elevators should be operational again in May.
A Northeastern Agreement
Lecturer on Social Studies Alison D. Jones comments on the recent adjunct faculty union agreement at Northeastern University.
Northeastern Adjunct Faculty Union Reaches Settlement
It is not clear what effect the deal will have on the status of Harvard’s non-ladder faculty—which currently is not represented by a union—even as the issue has gained increased attention.
CS50’s First Semester Winds Down at Yale
At Harvard, Computer Science 50 is known for its heavy workload of problem sets and quizzes, but at Yale, that may have come as more of a surprise.
New Study Raises Questions of Access for HarvardX
A new study suggests online education may not be the panacea to income-based education gaps that proponents have claimed.
Harvard and Union Continue Contract Renegotiations
More than two and a half months after the expiration of their previous contract, members of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers remain engaged in “very frustrating” contract renegotiations with the University, HUCTW director Bill Jaeger said Monday.
Law School Faculty and Staff Commend Student Activism
As Harvard Law School students continue to advocate for a list of demands they say will improve the school’s treatment of minority students, a group of 25 Harvard Law faculty and staff published a letter Wednesday commending the student activism.
Faculty May Vote To Reaffirm Commitment to Student Diversity
A report drafted by a faculty committee chaired by Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana outlines the development of religious, ethnic, and racial diversity at Harvard.
Students, Faculty Call for Asian and Pacific American Studies Program
Ethnicity and Migration Rights program coordinator Tessa Lowinske Desmond urged attendees to appeal to the Harvard administration to create a formal academic program in Asian and Pacific American studies.
Website Continues Challenge of ‘The Hunting Ground’ Film
Legal counsel for a Harvard Law School student who was accused—but never found guilty in court—of sexually assaulting a fellow student and her friend have launched a website to publicly contest the portrayal of his case in the documentary.
Economist Stein Brings Crisis Experience to the Classroom
Though he occasionally steals away to shape the nation's economic policy, Jeremy Stein always returns to his office at the Littauer Center for Economics, equipped with a whole new palette of experiences to recolor his curriculum.
Harvard’s Outside Research Funding Continues To Fall
Harvard received just under $800 million in outside research funding in fiscal year 2015, continuing a years-long decline, according to a recent University report.
Professors Support Resolution To Boycott Israeli Institutions
Twenty-one Harvard faculty and graduate students have voted or signed a petition to place a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions on the American Anthropological Association’s spring ballot.
Faculty Praise Proposal To Overhaul Gen Ed Program
Faculty members overwhelmingly praised a proposal for a renewed General Education program—a drastic overhaul of the program’s current structure—at the semester’s final meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on Tuesday.
Before The Meeting
University President Drew G. Faust’s senior special assistant, Lars P.K. Madsen, enters University Hall before the December faculty meeting.