Academics
FAS Dean Gay ‘Pretty Confident’ In-Person Classes Will Continue
Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay said she “could not be more pleased” about the Covid-19 positivity rate on campus during an interview last week.
Students Celebrate Campus Libraries Reopening
The reopening of libraries across the University almost 18 months after they shuttered their doors has been met with jubilation from students eager to check out books and frequent communal study spaces.
Students, Faculty Conflicted Over Return to In-Person Labs
With the benefits of virtual labs in mind, Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs said Harvard’s Board of Overseers and the Science Education Office are discussing the question of what aspects of virtual learning could be applied in the return to in-person work.
Harvard Davis Center Announces New Georgian Studies Program
Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies is launching a new program for Georgian Studies with the support of the Georgian government, the center announced Wednesday.
FAS Committee to Announce Future Course Registration Proposal in December
The Committee on Course Registration announced Wednesday that it will reveal its proposal for the College’s future course registration model in December, which could spell the end of the current shopping week system.
Penny Pritzker ’81 Donates $100 Million for New Economics Department Building
Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and business leader Penny S. Pritzker ’81 donated $100 million to the Economics Department to support the construction of a new department building, Harvard announced Tuesday morning.
After Undergrads Rally for Shopping Week, Teaching Fellows Reiterate Job Uncertainty Concerns
Earlier this month, a petition gained more than 1,300 signatures in support of shopping week, the system in which students browse courses the first week of class prior to registering. Students rallied to preserve shopping week last Tuesday, marking the first day of voting in the referendum.
With Return to In-Person Instruction, Courses Adapt to Accommodate Quarantining Students
Bereft of in-person instruction for 18 months, students eagerly returned to class. Yet, for those with symptoms or diagnoses of Covid-19, online learning is not just a remnant of the past.
As Referendum Opens, Students Rally in Support of Shopping Week
Undergraduates rallied in support of shopping week in Science Center Plaza Tuesday afternoon, waving signs and distributing fliers that read “Save Shopping Week” and “Stop Course Preview Period” to students filing out of their classes.
Freshman Recruited Athletes Less Ethnically Diverse than Previous Years, Survey Reports
One major subset of the Class of 2025 — recruited athletes — is more predominantly white than in previous years, according to the results of The Crimson’s annual freshman survey.
For First Time, $1 Billion SEAS Complex in Allston Welcomes Hundreds of Students
Hundreds of students filed into the Science and Engineering Complex in Allston on Wednesday, the first day the eight-story steel building — more than five years and $1 billion in the making — hosted lectures and seminars.
‘It’s Just So Different’: Harvard Students Return to the Classroom After 18 Months
After more than a year of Zooming into classes from across the world, Harvard undergraduates walked into classrooms Wednesday to start their fall courses.
Harvard Will Not Hold In-Person Shopping Week for Third Semester in a Row This Fall
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences will hold virtual course previews in lieu of an in-person shopping week — a period at the start of the term when students can test out classes before officially enrolling — for the third semester in a row this fall.
Harvard Business School Committed to Gender Equity A Decade Ago. How Successful Have Its Efforts Been?
In the last decade, students, faculty, and administrators have worked to carve out a space for women to succeed at the historically male Business School, which exists in the shadow of the male-dominated finance field. This year, the gender distribution of the school's top graduates is more even — but some students say the school still has work to do.
Seventy-Four Harvard Undergraduates Awarded 2021 Hoopes Prize for Research
Seventy-four Harvard undergraduates were awarded the 2021 Thomas T. Hoopes prize for outstanding scholarly work or research.
Khurana Says College Preparing to Support Students in Transition to In-Person Fall
Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said in a Friday interview that the College is preparing for the unique challenges of returning to a full campus this fall and is considering ways to support students in their transition to residential life.
DSO Looks Ahead to Virtual Visitas, On-Campus Outdoor Programming
Administrators at the Dean of Students Office discussed their planning for a virtual iteration of the College’s admitted students’ weekend — Visitas — and potential College-sponsored outdoor activities in an interview last week.
Student-Led Report Finds Gender, Ethnicity-Based Disparities in Computer Science at Harvard
Widespread disparities based on factors of identity persist in undergraduates’ experiences in computer science at Harvard, according to a report published Friday by the student advocacy group Harvard Women in Computer Science.
‘It’s Just More Time to Do Homework’: College Students Say Wellness Days Do Not Provide Adequate Break
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay announced last fall that FAS would not hold a spring break in 2021 to minimize travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic and would instead designate five “wellness days,” each held on different days of the week, throughout the spring semester.
Preceptors Disappointed With FAS Review That Reaffirms Appointment Cap System
A committee charged with reviewing the role of preceptors and senior preceptors within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences released a report early this month reaffirming its stance on time-capping appointments for the non-tenured positions, prompting disappointment among preceptors in various departments.
‘Steering Your Own Ship’: Committee Concentrations Forge Unique Paths for Students and Faculty
In addition to the full departments under the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 10 nondepartmental degree programs overseen by Standing Committees of the FAS offer undergraduate concentrations. Both faculty on these committees and students under these concentrations acknowledge the unique characteristics of pursuing one’s studies under such an administration.
Harvard To Launch Review of Placement Exam Process in Effort To Improve Student Support, Communication
The Office of Undergraduate Education is initiating a review of Harvard College’s placement exam system and determining how to improve student support and communications during the process, according to OUE Director of Academic Policy Sarah E. Champlin-Scharff.
Economics 10b, Life Sciences 1b Lead Spring Course Enrollment
Economics 10b: “Principles of Economics” continues to reign as the most popular spring semester course for the eighth consecutive year.