FAS
Some Online Learning Persists After Fall Return to Campus
While fall 2021 has largely marked a return to the in-person classroom, some classes have continued to operate partially or fully online this semester.
Nearly 700 Harvard Workers Take Buyout Incentive
Just shy of 700 Harvard employees took buyouts last year as part of an early retirement program designed to cut costs amid the coronavirus crisis.
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.
FAS Tenure Report
A recent review of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences tenure system for professors recommended certain adjustments.
In Massive Security Oversight, Thousands of Private University Documents Left Vulnerable
A widespread security oversight left at least tens of thousands of Harvard’s administrative files — including sensitive and confidential information on University governance — available for anyone with Harvard credentials to view, edit, download, and share.
FAS Review Largely Upholds Tenure System Despite Acknowledging ‘Mistrust and Low Morale’
A review of tenure processes within the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences found that the tenure-track system is “structurally sound” but recommended adjustments in certain aspects of the system to address “mistrust and low morale” in the process.
Faculty Discuss Campus Covid Situation, Potential Graduate Student Strike
An early September Covid-19 surge led to “nail-biting” moments for administrators, but Harvard has dodged “severe” cases of Covid-19 among vaccinated students this semester, University officials said during a faculty meeting Tuesday.
Alumni Gift $45 Million to Expand Asian American Studies
The donations will endow new professorships and graduate fellowships, as well as fund academic research in the field. The expansion is part of an FAS-led push to bolster the study of ethnicity, indigeneity, and migration at Harvard.
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.
Polar Ice Melt Causes Global Shifts in Earth’s Crust, Harvard Grad Finds
As ice sheets melt in Greenland and the Antarctic, the water that is generated shifts the planet’s crust on a global scale, reveals a new theoretical model by a researcher who recently completed her Ph.D at Harvard.
SEAS Appoints Committee on Plans to Consolidate Cambridge Buildings
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences appointed a task force to reexamine the plans it announced in June to vacate the historic Pierce Hall and consolidate its Cambridge footprint, with some faculty pushing back on the proposed move.
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.
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.
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.
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.
SEAS Students Adjust to Allston Commute
With most classes two weeks underway, students at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences say they have mostly adapted to their elongated commute to Harvard’s new Science and Engineering Complex in Allston.
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.
Committee to Vote on Proposal to Eliminate Spring 2022 Shopping Week
The Standing Committee on Undergraduate Educational Policy, an FAS panel overseeing the College curriculum, plans to vote Tuesday on a proposal to eliminate shopping week for the Spring 2022 semester.
Students Petition to ‘Bring Back Shopping Week,’ Fearing Move to Early Registration System
More than 1,300 people signed a petition this week urging Harvard to maintain “shopping week,” the period at the start of the semester in which students can attend various classes before finalizing their schedules.
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.
Harvard Reports High Vaccination Rates Among Students and Employees Ahead of Full Reopening
Just days ahead of move-in for the fall semester, 93 percent of Harvard employees and 87 percent of students are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, University administrators wrote in an email to affiliates Wednesday.
Anthropology Department Committee Formed Following Sexual Harassment Allegations Issues Final Report
A committee examining the climate within Harvard’s Anthropology department recommended in a final report this month that the department establish a code of conduct, allow access to third-party arbitration in misconduct investigations, and conduct an external review when “powerful” figures in the department commit sexual misconduct.
Psychology Professor James Sidanius, Leading Scholar and ‘Renaissance Man,’ Dies at 75
Harvard Psychology and African and African American Studies professor James H. Sidanius died on June 29 at age 75.
Anthropology Professor Ted Bestor Dies at 69
Harvard Anthropology professor Theodore C. “Ted” Bestor died July 1 at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer.
Harvard Restores Prof. Fryer’s Teaching, Research Roles After Two-Year Sexual Harassment Suspension
Economics professor Roland G. Fryer Jr. will be allowed to return to teaching and research roles at Harvard this week after a two-year suspension for violating Faculty of Arts and Sciences sexual harassment policies.