FAS
Harvard Anthropology Prof. John Comaroff Placed on Leave Following Sexual Harassment, Professional Misconduct Inquiries
Harvard Anthropology and African and African-American Studies professor John L. Comaroff was placed on unpaid administrative leave Thursday after University investigations found that he violated the school’s sexual harassment and professional conduct policies.
Harvard Not Required To Pay Charles Lieber’s Legal Fees, Court Rules
Harvard is not obligated to pay the legal fees of convicted Chemistry professor Charles M. Lieber, Massachusetts’s Supreme Judicial Court ruled Monday.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2021
At Harvard, 2021 was a year marked by change. The school’s long-awaited return to in-person operations injected new life into a campus that had been left dormant for over a year by Covid-19. And in an unexpected shift, the University announced its intention to divest its endowment from fossil fuels after a decade of public pressure. Separately, faculty controversies — including a federal conviction and a high-profile departure — ignited debates that rippled across academia. Below, The Crimson looks back at the 10 stories that shaped the last year at Harvard.
Harvard Professor Charles Lieber Found Guilty of Lying About China Ties
Harvard professor Charles M. Lieber was found guilty of lying to government authorities about his ties to China in federal court on Tuesday, concluding a stunning downfall for one of the country’s top chemists.
In Day 5 of Trial, Investigators Say Lieber’s Alleged False Statements Impeded Federal Inquiries
Federal officials testified in court Monday that alleged false statements made by Harvard professor Charles M. Lieber prevented government authorities from fully exploring his ties to China.
Lieber Told FBI He ‘Wasn’t Completely Transparent’ in Prior Interview with Federal Investigators
Harvard professor Charles M. Lieber told the FBI in January 2020 that he “wasn’t completely transparent” in a separate interview with federal investigators two years prior, according to video of an interrogation presented in court by government prosecutors on Friday.
Attorneys Spar Over Documents Recovered in FBI Raids During Third Day of Lieber Trial
Defense attorneys representing Harvard professor Charles M. Lieber, who is facing trial for allegedly lying to federal investigators about his ties to China, sparred with prosecutors on Thursday over the evidentiary relevance of documents obtained during raids of the prominent chemist’s home and office.
As Trial Begins, Lawyers for Harvard Professor Charles Lieber Say He Did Not Conceal Ties to China
Lawyers for Harvard professor Charles M. Lieber, who is accused of lying to federal investigators about his ties to China, mounted a dramatic defense of the renowned chemist in federal court Wednesday, calling the government’s proof against him “mangled” and “misguided.”
FAS Authorizes Three Ethnic Studies Faculty Candidates For Appointment
Harvard has authorized three faculty candidates specializing in ethnic studies for appointment, a significant step in its long-running cluster hire for professors in the field.
Experts Say Lieber Trial Could Decide Fate of DOJ’s China Initiative
As former Harvard Chemistry chair Charles M. Lieber goes on trial on federal charges beginning Tuesday, law and trade experts speculated that his case’s outcome could decide the fate of the Department of Justice’s China Initiative.
FAS Dean Affirms Commitment to Ethnic Studies Faculty Search
Despite a prolonged delay in the search for ethnic studies faculty, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay said that “there’s no wavering of commitment” in her promise to hire a cluster of scholars in the field.
Committee Sets Framework for Renaming Controversial Harvard Buildings, Titles
The committee charged with determining when Harvard should remove the names or representations of individuals from its buildings, programs, and professorships released a final report Thursday recommending a “careful, painstaking, and laborious” process for making denaming decisions.
FAS Committee Recommends Scrapping Shopping Week in Favor of Previous-Term Registration
A Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee released a proposal recommending the College replace its current “shopping week” course registration system with a system of previous-term registration.
FAS Task Force Recommends Updating Annenberg Portraits, Expanding Tour Programming
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences’s Task Force on Visual Culture and Signage recommended updating portraits in Annenberg Hall and expanding Harvard’s tour program using digital content in a final report issued Monday after more than a year of work.
Harvard Researchers Discover Clues About Cell Regeneration By Transforming Worm Genomes
Researchers in Harvard’s Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Department discovered that after they manipulated the cells of worms, the worms passed on those genomic changes to their offspring, a finding that may offer other insights into cellular regeneration.
Radcliffe Institute Holds Webinar to Honor Eileen Southern
The Harvard Radcliffe Institute celebrated the work of Eileen Southern — the first African American woman tenured in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences — in a webinar Monday.
FAS Dean Gay Outlines Plan for Diversifying Faculty, Supporting Junior Faculty
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay outlined her vision for recruiting new and more diverse faculty in an interview Thursday.
SEAS Dean Doyle Pleased with ‘Smooth’ Opening of New SEC Building
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Francis J. Doyle III said he believes the “launch phase” of the new Science and Engineering Complex has been “very smooth.”
Defying Projections, FAS Ends Fiscal Year with $51M Surplus
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences ended fiscal year 2021 with a $51 million surplus, according to the Dean’s annual report, which was presented during a monthly faculty meeting Tuesday.
UC Stands Against Course Preview Period, Establishes Advocacy Fund
The Undergraduate Council passed legislation to release a statement against Harvard’s decision to hold a course preview period and to establish an advocacy fund on Sunday evening.
Freshmen Parents Brave Strike, Storms for Family Weekend
Parents, siblings, and relatives of the Class of 2025 had to dodge strikers and escape storms this weekend as they visited Harvard for First-Year Family Weekend.
Harvard Study Finds Ancient Asteroid Collisions Far More Common Than Previously Thought
Past asteroid collisions took place far more frequently than previously thought and influenced the timeline of Earth’s increase in atmospheric oxygen, according to a recent study by Harvard Earth and Planetary Sciences faculty.
Strike Academic Events
Harvard graduate student union members formed a picket line in front of Lecture Hall C in the Science Center Wednesday afternoon.
Strike Day 1
Members of Harvard's graduate student union walk through Harvard Yard with picket signs. Their three-day strike commenced Wednesday morning.