Front Feature
A ‘Fundamental’ Shift: Harvard Institute of Politics Marred by Tensions, Turnover as Kennedy School Asserts Increased Control
Previously unreported documents obtained by The Crimson reveal how concerns over the governance, performance, and leadership of Harvard’s storied Institute of Politics have come to a head in recent years.
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.
New Eligibility Requirement Mires Extension School Student Government Election in Controversy Again
Executive board elections for the Harvard Extension Student Association are mired in controversy for the second year in a row as eligibility requirements were changed just weeks before voting was set to begin.
Forty Percent of Surveyed Faculty Say Harvard’s Standing in Higher Ed Has Fallen
Over 40 percent of respondents to The Crimson’s survey of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences said they believe the University’s standing within higher education has fallen during the past decade.
‘Our Success or Failure Is Tied Together’: Grad Student Union Activism Picks Up in Biden Era
Joe Biden’s ascension to the White House has precipitated a flurry of activity by graduate student unions at private universities across the country, some of whom had avoided certain organizing efforts during the Trump administration amid fears that their cases would be used to shut down graduate students’ right to unionize altogether.
Philanthropy’s Glass Ceiling: A Gender Disparity Among Harvard’s Top Donors
Harvard boasts the largest endowment of any university in the world and supplements its finances with hundreds of millions of dollars in donations annually. Despite the scale of Harvard’s philanthropic efforts, a sizable gender disparity persists among the University’s donors.
Dean Gay Says FAS Pursuing ‘Durable Change’ Following Spike in Anti-Asian Violence
Amid a wave of rising anti-Asian violence, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay said in a Wednesday interview that Harvard aims to “pursue durable change” in diversifying its faculty and fostering an inclusive climate.
Hundreds Sign Letter Asking Harvard to Designate Election Day as University-Wide ‘Democracy Day’
More than 600 Harvard affiliates signed an open letter asking University President Lawrence S. Bacow to designate federal Election Days as instruction-free “Democracy Days” that would offer a holiday to employees and students and provide civic engagement programming.
Harvard College Accepts Record-Low 3.43% of Applicants to Class of 2025
Harvard College accepted 3.43 percent of applicants to the Class of 2025, marking the lowest admissions rate in College history in a year that saw a historic surge in applications.
Proposed Mass. Bill Would Make PILOT Payments Mandatory for Harvard, Other Institutions
The Massachusetts House is considering a bill that would make the previously optional payments which supplanted city property taxes for nonprofits such as Harvard mandatory.
Writer of Anti-Asian Racism Resource Flyer Says It Was Not Intended For Post-Atlanta Shootings
One of the writers of the Harvard anti-Asian racism resource page that came under fire this week for its controversial language said in an interview Friday that the resources were repurposed without revisions from a flyer created early in the pandemic before a dramatic increase in anti-Asian attacks.
Texas Files Amicus Brief Supporting SFFA in Harvard Admissions Lawsuit
The state of Texas filed an amicus brief Tuesday in favor of the anti-affirmative action group suing Harvard over its race-conscious admissions policies.
Court Orders Harvard to Produce Data on Student Suicides in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Harvard must disclose documents and other materials related to student suicides as part of pre-trial procedures in a 2018 wrongful death lawsuit, the Middlesex County Superior Court ruled last week.
Broad Institute Launches $150 Million Schmidt Center for Research in Machine Learning, Biology
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced Thursday the launch of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center, which will aim to integrate research in machine learning and the life sciences.
80% of Surveyed Harvard Faculty Say FAS Lacks Healthy Level of BIPOC Faculty Representation
Eighty percent of surveyed members of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences said FAS does not have a healthy level of BIPOC representation within its ranks, including 50 percent of respondents who strongly disagreed that the faculty is sufficiently diverse.
Siloed and Strained, Graduate Students Report Emotional Wellbeing as Obstacle to Online Learning
Since the onset of Covid-19, graduate students have not merely been tasked with adapting their learning and scholarship to a digital platform: the dearth of in-person interactions has forced them to reconsider what academic, social, and emotional work entails.
Peabody Museum Apologizes For Practices Around Native American Cultural Objects, Announces Policy Changes
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology administrators apologized for the “pain” the museum caused by its refusal to voluntarily return certain funerary objects to Native American tribes and pledged to reverse the policy in response to a letter from the Association on American Indian Affairs last month criticizing the museum.
Gay Levies Sanctions Against Prof. Nowak for Contacts With Jeffrey Epstein
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay will shut down Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics after determining that its director, Mathematics and Biology professor Martin A. Nowak, violated University policies through his extensive contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Harvard To Merge Title IX and OSAPR Offices, Forming Office for Gender Equity
Harvard will dissolve the University’s Title IX Office and the Office for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and move its sexual harassment and assault resources under one entity — the Office for Gender Equity — which will be supervised by the central administration.
Politicians, Over 100 Harvard Faculty Back Complaint to State AG Alleging Harvard’s Investments Violate State Law
More than 100 Harvard faculty members and nine local elected officials backed a complaint filed with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office last week challenging the legality of the University's investment in fossil fuels.
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.
Bacow Hopes for ‘As Close to a Traditional’ Post-Covid Commencement As Possible for Classes of ’20, ’21
University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in an interview Thursday that Harvard intends for future in-person celebrations for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 to closely mirror traditional Commencement Exercises with just “as much pomp and circumstance.”
Asian American Cultural Groups Hold Vigil for AAPI Victims of Hate Crimes
A number of Harvard’s Asian and Asian American cultural groups held a virtual vigil Thursday night for victims of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Where Do Harvard’s Employees Work? We Mapped 11,700 of Them.
Harvard’s 13,000-member workforce is represented by 10 unions, spread across hundreds of miles, and supports thousands of students. We’ve mapped it and what pay protections workers are receiving this spring.
Divestment Activists Allege Harvard’s Fossil Fuel Investments Violate State Law in Complaint to State AG
Activists with Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard filed a complaint with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey ’92 on Monday, alleging that Harvard’s highest governing board is violating state law through its continued investments in the fossil fuel industry.