Academics
Harvard Updates Gen Ed Guidelines to Curb Grade Inflation
The Harvard College Program in General Education updated its guidelines for Gen Ed instructors in an attempt to standardize grading across classes and mitigate grade inflation.
HUA Funds Declaration Day, Discusses Joint DSO Initiatives at Weekly Meeting
The Harvard Undergraduate Association allocated $5,000 for its annual Concentration Declaration Day event and shared plans for collaborations with the Dean of Students Office on voter engagement and intellectual vitality initiatives during a Tuesday evening meeting.
Harvard Will Review Discrimination Policies to Better Protect Academic Freedom
Harvard will review its discrimination, bullying, and harassment policies to better protect academic freedom, following a series of recommendations from the University’s Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue working group.
Graduate Students Express Support for Prior-Term Course Registration
Most GSAS students said the previous-term registration system allows them to schedule sections and handle other course logistics earlier, before the busy beginning to the semester.
What’s It Like Being Pre-Med at Harvard?
For many pre-med and pre-health students, the pressures of the Harvard environment — combined with limited advising — can make for a challenging four years.
Harvard Cancels More Than 30 Fall Courses Following Faculty Departures
Harvard College canceled more than 30 fall classes across at least 20 departments and other programs, according to a Crimson analysis of undergraduate course offerings.
Students, Faculty Call for Urban Studies Secondary Field at Harvard
A group of undergraduates and faculty are calling on Harvard to establish a secondary field in urban studies, citing widespread interest in the field among students.
How Intellectual Vitality Became Vital to Harvard
Three years ago, almost no Harvard students had heard of “intellectual vitality.” Now, they can’t escape it.
Harvard Launches New Intro Math Course to Address Pandemic Learning Loss
The Harvard Math Department will pilot a new introductory course aimed at rectifying a lack of foundational algebra skills among students, according to Harvard’s Director of Introductory Math Brendan A. Kelly.
Harvard Settles With Applied Physics Professor Who Sued Over Tenure Denial
Harvard reached a last-minute agreement to settle a lawsuit with a former School of Engineering and Applied Sciences associate professor who sued the University in 2020 over his tenure denial.
Harvard Sues Samsung in Federal Court Over Patent Infringement
Harvard sued tech giant Samsung over patent infringement claims on Monday, alleging the company’s chip technology violates two patents owned by the University.
‘Impeccable’: Higher Education Experts Say Garber’s Academic Record May Spare Him From Scrutiny
Alan M. Garber ’76 comes into the Harvard presidency armed with a stacked resume: three degrees from Harvard and one from Stanford, time on both faculties, and more than a decade serving as Harvard’s second-highest administrator.
‘Hyped Just About Right’: How the AI Boom is Reshaping Research at Harvard
As ChatGPT took the world by storm, many raised concerns about how it might help students cheat themselves out of learning. But a year and a half later, AI is changing the work of professors perhaps even more.
The Harvard Kennedy School is Getting More International. Its Offerings Are Not Keeping Pace.
In interviews with The Crimson, HKS affiliates raised concerns that the school’s curriculum, faculty, and financial aid programs have not kept pace with its growing international student population despite some efforts from leadership.
Copy-and-Paste: How Allegations of Plagiarism Became the Culture War’s New Frontier
Harvard had already found itself in the crossfires of the culture war. But with new software at their disposal and a trove of unscrutinized scholarship to dive into, the plagiarism allegations against Claudine Gay had opened up a new frontier.
Harvard FAS Faculty Largely Dismayed by State of Academic Freedom on Campus, Per Survey
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences is broadly pessimistic about the current state of academic freedom at the University, according to The Crimson’s annual FAS survey.
Harvard Researchers Create Largest-Known Map Of Portion of a Human Brain
Researchers at Harvard in collaboration with Google have released the most detailed map of a section of the human brain to date.
‘I Knew What I Signed Up For’: Elite Harvard Athletes Navigate a Delicate Balancing Act
Several athletes at Harvard compete in their sport on a national or international stage. While many of these athletes said they feel satisfied with Harvard’s support of their sporting endeavors, they also pointed out the challenges of this balancing act.
Protesters Prepare for Final Exams Amid Encampment, Threat of Disciplinary Action
As undergraduates occupy Harvard Yard in the most significant pro-Palestine demonstration on campus to date, they are also balancing their role as students during a critical time in the semester: finals period.
Harvard Students Form Academic Freedom Group Amid Debates Over Speech, Neutrality
Roughly a year after more than 70 Harvard faculty members formed the Council on Academic Freedom, some Harvard undergraduates have decided to follow their lead.
‘Stretched Thin’: Harvard Proctors, PAFs Express Mixed Feelings on College’s New Freshman Advising Model
Harvard College’s newly re-designed first year advising system drew mixed reactions from freshman proctors and undergraduate advising fellows.
Harvard Science Dean Stubbs Says He Does Not Know Timeline for Search for Successor
Harvard Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs said he does not know the status of the search for his successor, even as he is set to depart to his role at the end of the semester.
Phi Beta Kappa Elects ‘Junior 24’ From Harvard Class of 2025
Twenty-four Harvard juniors learned Friday that they were elected to Harvard College's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society.
‘Incredibly Difficult’: Social Science Profs Struggle to Find Graduate TFs
Courses in the Social Science division are facing a shortage of graduate student teaching fellows as Harvard’s Ph.D. cohorts have shrunk following the Covid-19 pandemic and amid a general shift away from the humanities and social sciences.
Some Postdocs Will Vote Challenge in HAW-UAW’s Upcoming Union Elections
As Harvard Academic Workers-United Auto Workers gears up for its unionization election in early April, some workers will participate in the vote despite not yet being formal members of the potential bargaining unit.