Fundraising
Johns Hopkins Administrator Kofi Ofori Named Harvard FAS Chief Financial Officer
Kofi N. Ofori will serve as Chief Financial Officer of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS Dean for Administration and Finance Scott Jordan announced Thursday.
In Private, Garber Acknowledges Harvard Has a Fundraising Problem
Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 has publicly pushed back against suggestions that the University is facing a fundraising crisis. But in private, Garber has struck a different tone with alumni and donors.
2 Harvard Kennedy School Insiders Emerge as Finalists in Dean Search
Harvard Kennedy School professor David J. Deming has stepped down from the HKS dean search advisory committee to become a candidate, according to two people familiar with the process.
Garber Met with Alumni and Donors in London, Miami Over Spring Break
Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 met with hundreds of alumni in London and Florida last week in his first international trip as president as part of ongoing efforts to project University stability and mend donor relationships.
Harvard President Alan Garber’s Rocky Path Ahead
The tenure of interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber '76 will likely be one of the most consequential for the University in recent history as he looks to heal a deeply divided campus. The longtime administrator has insisted that he is up for the challenge.
Harvard Endowment Executives Meet with Silicon Valley Investors Amid University Turmoil
Harvard Management Company executives met with leading venture capital and private equity investors in Silicon Valley last week amid investor concerns over the University’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and allegations of antisemitism on campus.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2023
In 2023, Harvard had a tumultuous year. Claudine Gay’s first semester ended amid a leadership crisis as she came under fire for her response to tensions on a campus divided by the Israel-Hamas war and faced allegations of plagiarism. Harvard’s legacy and donor preferences in admissions also faced national scrutiny following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling striking down the University’s affirmative action policy. Across campus, scandal after scandal hit parts of the University. Here, The Crimson looks back at the 10 stories that shaped 2023 at Harvard.
Harvard President Claudine Gay Planning Travel to Asia During Spring Break, First International Trip Since Assuming Office
Harvard President Claudine Gay is planning to travel to Asia in March for her first international trip since assuming office in July, she said in an interview with The Crimson earlier this month.
D. Ronald Daniel, Former Harvard Treasurer Who Saw Endowment Quadruple During 15-Year Tenure, Dead at 93
D. Ronald Daniel, a longtime treasurer of Harvard University who saw the University’s endowment quadruple in value during his 15-year tenure, died on Dec. 16 at his home in New York City. He was 93.
Major Harvard Donor Len Blavatnik to Pause Donations to Harvard, Report Says
Leonard V. Blavatnik, a billionaire philanthropist and major Harvard donor, will cease donations to the University over its handling of antisemitism on campus, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing an anonymous source.
New Harvard CFO Ritu Kalra Says University Has ‘Repair Work To Do’ Amid Controversy Over Israel-Hamas Response
Harvard Chief Financial Officer Ritu Kalra acknowledged that officials tasked with fundraising have their work cut out for them as they rebuild relationships with donors dismayed by the controversy enveloping the University over its messaging on the Israel-Hamas war.
Harvard Students Praise Undergrad Relief Efforts, Criticize Lack of University Response to Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
Despite the outpouring of support within and outside the Turkish and Syrian communities on campus, Nehir Toklu ’25 said she found the University’s response to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria to be “quite late” and “slightly underwhelming.”
Harvard Salata Institute Announces Grants to Five Interdisciplinary Climate Research Clusters
The Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability announced grants to five research groups featuring 30 faculty members from across the University on Monday, marking the first projects funded by the Salata Institute since its establishment in fall 2022.
HGSE Dean Long Prioritizes Fundraising, New Masters Programs
As Harvard Graduate School of Education Dean Bridget T. Long enters her fifth year in the post, her top priorities are ensuring the financial health of the school and a successful rollout of its five newly redesigned masters programs, Long said in an interview Friday morning.
Celtics Forward Grant Williams, Team Executives Talk Philanthropy, Sports Business
Several prominent members of the Boston Celtics discussed their philanthropy and offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the sports-business industry at an event organized by the Harvard Undergraduate Sports Lab.
‘Low-Hanging Fruit’: Experts Criticize Senator Marco Rubio’s Letter Questioning Harvard’s Ties to China
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) alleged without direct evidence that Harvard officials may have helped suppress some theories regarding the origins of Covid-19 in a “quid pro quo” effort to advance Chinese state interests in a June 16 letter addressed to University President Lawrence S. Bacow.
Harvard and the Fight for Foreign Collaboration
Debate over the regulation of foreign money in academia, once an afterthought, has become a microcosm of the U.S.’s attempts to remain the world’s top innovator, exposing a tension between the government’s efforts to remain competitive and academia’s goals to promote innovation and the free flow of ideas.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Donates $24 Million to Harvard Business School
The Kraft family, which owns the New England Patriots, donated $24 million to Harvard Business School earlier this month to establish the Robert K. Kraft Family Fellowship Fund, which will be the largest endowed fellowship fund at the school.
Harvard Received Almost $385 Million from 46 Countries Since August 2019
Harvard has received almost $385 million from sources in 46 countries since August 2019, according to United States Department of Education data.
Taeku Lee to Join Harvard Faculty as First Professor in Ethnic Studies Cluster Hire
Taeku Lee will join Harvard as the first of four ethnic studies scholars to join the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the school announced Monday.
Harvard Kennedy School Receives $5 Million for New Economic Inequality Program
The Harvard Kennedy School announced it received a $5 million gift from the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation to establish a new program that will study wealth inequality on Monday.
Harvard’s Century-Old Boathouses to Undergo Renovations
Harvard will commence renovations on its historic Weld and Newell Boathouses this year in what is planned to be the most significant update to the buildings since their construction more than a century ago.
HGSE Receives Record-Setting Donation
The Harvard Graduate School of Education received the largest donation in its 102-year history last week. Provided by two anonymous Harvard Business School alumni, the gift includes a direct $30 million and an offer to match up to $10 million in additional donations.
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.
University CFO Says Harvard ‘Moving in the Right Direction,’ Despite Pandemic Costs
Harvard chief financial officer Thomas J. Hollister said the University’s finances are “moving in the right direction” in a Wednesday interview, though he cautioned that officials remain alert in the ever-changing landscape of the Covid-19 pandemic.