College Administration
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.
Supreme Court To Consider Taking Up Harvard Admissions Lawsuit During June 10 Conference
Supreme Court justices will discuss whether to take up a case against Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policies during their weekly conference on June 10, with a decision on whether to accept the petition from anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions likely coming as soon as June 14.
Bacow Confers 1,292 College Degrees in Harvard’s Second Virtual Graduation; Speaker Ruth Simmons Urges Grads to ‘Be a Force for Inclusion’
Harvard awarded 2,440 degrees across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at its second consecutive virtual Commencement ceremony Thursday, including 1,292 degrees to the College’s Class of 2021.
Some Harvard Students Partied the Pandemic Away. Their Peers Aren’t Forgetting.
Some students, determined to end a fraught school year on a note of normalcy, defied Harvard’s Covid-19 rules this past semester in the name of fun — and to the chagrin of some of their classmates.
College Announces New Adams House Faculty Deans
Mercedes C. Becerra ’91 and Salmaan Keshavjee will serve as the new faculty deans of Adams House, Dean of Harvard College Rakesh Khurana announced in a Tuesday email to Adams House affiliates.
Harvard To House Select Undergrads This Summer, Maintain Similar Covid-19 Restrictions to Spring
Harvard will house select undergraduates on campus this summer, requiring them to undergo regular Covid-19 testing and follow public health guidelines similar to those in place on campus this semester.
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.
International Freshmen Try to Obtain Visas, Vaccines Ahead of In-Person Fall Semester
International freshmen said they reacted to Harvard’s plan for an in-person fall with excitement but said it marks only the beginning of a multi-step process — complicated by visa policies and vaccination rollouts — they must complete before arriving in Cambridge in August.
DSO Discusses Wellness Days, Student Resources Amid Rise in Anti-Asian Attacks
Dean of Students Katherine G. O’Dair and Associate Dean for Inclusion and Belonging Alta Mauro discussed the effectiveness of wellness days and the rise in anti-Asian attacks.
Harvard’s Planning for an In-Person Fall Comes As ‘A Relief’ to College Students
Many students reacted with elation to Monday’s announcement that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is “expecting a full return to campus” and a return to “in-person learning” for the fall 2021 semester.
Harvard College Students Will Live on Campus, Learn in Person in Fall 2021, FAS Announces
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is “expecting a full return to campus” and a return to “in-person learning” for College students in fall 2021, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay announced Monday.
HUHS Opens Applications for Centralized Peer Education Group, Prepares for Fall Launch
Harvard University Health Services’s Center for Wellness and Health Promotion opened applications last week for undergraduates to join a merged peer education program that HUHS will launch in fall 2021 as part of an overhaul to the University’s peer education system.
Khurana Says College Has Yet to Finalize Summer Housing, Planning for ‘Fully Operational Campus’ in Fall
Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said in a Friday interview that Harvard has yet to decide whether it will offer on-campus housing for Harvard Summer School, though he said the College is planning for a “fully operational campus” in the fall.
Harvard Administrators Respond to Spike in Anti-Asian Hate Crimes, Atlanta Shootings
Harvard administrators responded to the rise in anti-Asian violence and hate crimes since the onset of the pandemic last year in a series of emails calling for the University to come together in support of Asian American and Pacific Islander students.
‘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.
Dean of Students Expresses Goal for 'Fully Operational' College in Fall 2021
Looking ahead to the next semester, Dean of Students Katherine G. O’Dair said her office aspires to “have as normal a fall as we can” in a Monday interview.
Following Ivy League Policy Shift, Harvard Athletics Helps Athletes Navigate Grad School Admissions Process
In light of the Ivy League’s sudden policy change allowing senior student athletes to compete next year as graduate students, Harvard Athletics is supporting interested athletes by answering informational questions and writing recommendation letters, according to Athletics Director Erin McDermott.
Undergraduates ‘Surprised,’ ‘Hopeful,’ As College Advances into Level Three of Campus Reopening
Harvard undergraduates residing on campus said they were surprised and excited after the Dean of Students Office announced the College would move into “Level 3: Yellow” of its campus reopening plan Monday.
5,177 Undergraduates Enrolled at Harvard for Spring Semester, Continuing Lower Enrollment Trend Amid Covid-19
The number of enrolled undergraduates remains roughly 20 percent below enrollment levels during previous academic years as the College continues to operate remotely due to the pandemic.
The ‘Second’ Class of 2024
More than 20 international freshmen interviewed said their first semester of college was marked by nocturnal schedules, social isolation, and inadequate support from the College. Many said they feel pessimistic that things will get better this spring.
UC Looks to Abolish Add-Drop Fees, Votes to Help Offset Cost of Students’ Textbooks
The Undergraduate Council passed legislation to release a statement in favor of the abolishment of Harvard's add-drop period course change fee during a Sunday meeting.
Admissions Experts Unsurprised by Elimination of SAT Subject Tests and Essay
Some admissions officers and college counselors said they were unsurprised by College Board’s decision to discontinue the SAT Subject Tests and SAT with essay, but remain unsure about how the decision will impact the admissions process going forward.
Khurana Commends On-Campus Students on Smooth, Covid-Safe Move-In
As undergraduates embark on their second week of the spring semester, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana commended on-campus students for a safe and smooth move-in process in a Friday interview.
Harvard Removes Standardized Testing Requirement for Class of 2026 Applicants
Applicants to Harvard’s Class of 2026 will not be required to submit standardized test scores as part of their application to the College, the Admissions Office announced Friday.
Hundreds of Harvard Affiliates Petition to Renew Popular Education Gen Ed
In wake of the College’s decision to cut a popular education course from its fall offerings, undergraduates released a petition on Monday calling on Harvard’s administration to reconsider.