University Finances
Research Money Federal Investigation
The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into foreign research funding at several American universities, including Harvard.
Department of Education Launches Probe into Harvard's Foreign Funding
In a February 11 letter to Harvard, Department of Education officials asked the University to disclose information about contracts or gifts connected to the governments of China, Iran, Russia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal first reported Wednesday afternoon.
Harvard Took In $1.1 Billion from 63 Nations from 2013-2019, per Department of Education
Harvard has reported receiving more than $1.1 billion from sources from 63 foreign nations between Jan. 1, 2013 and July 31, 2019, per Education Department data.
Harvard Faculty Call on Oxford Faculty to Support Student Demands for Divestment
Fourteen Harvard professors penned a letter to Oxford faculty Saturday calling on the faculty at the prestigious English university to support student calls to divest from fossil fuels.
Committee on Shareholder Responsibility Voted on Facebook Practices
Harvard’s Committee on Shareholder Responsibility, which is tasked with handling issues of corporate social responsibility, voted on four resolutions presented to Facebook shareholders during the last fiscal year, according to a Friday report.
Reports: Wexner, Harvard’s Billionaire Donor, Allowed Culture of Misogyny in Victoria’s Secret
Major University donor Leslie H. Wexner failed to address inappropriate conduct and a culture of misogyny inside L Brands, the company he runs, a New York Times investigation found earlier this month.
Harvard Places Second Among Universities in Total Annual Fundraising, Per Report
After raising $1.4 billion, Harvard came in second among American universities in total funds raised in the last academic fiscal year.
Faculty to Vote on Fossil Fuel Divestment Motion
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences will debate a motion that advises Harvard to divest its endowment from fossil fuels at its monthly meeting Tuesday, according to an agenda shared with faculty members Friday.
Three Years Into HMC’s Five-Year Plan, Experts Say It Is Too Soon to Judge Narvekar
Despite declining endowment returns since Harvard Management Company CEO N.P. “Narv” Narvekar took the helm, experts say the recent performance figures are not necessarily indicative of his success in the role.
Harvard Management Company Invests in Avocados, Sells Other Natural Resource Assets
The Harvard Management Company adjusted its natural resource portfolio this week by purchasing a minority stake in produce company Westfalia Fruit International and selling its investments in two Australian farms.
Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig Sues the New York Times for Defamation
Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig filed a lawsuit against the New York Times Monday after the newspaper published an article suggesting that Lessig was defending the practice of accepting secret donations from deceased sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Epstein Donations Come Under Scrutiny
A report by the Miami Herald in late 2018 which uncovered extensive sexual abuse allegations against Jeffrey Epstein provoked a University-wide reckoning this past year about Harvard’s ties to the disgraced financier and one-time donor.
Ten Stories That Shaped the 2010s
The past decade at Harvard has been anything but boring. The University witnessed a bevy of challenges — cheating scandals and financial troubles, lawsuits and strikes. Here, The Crimson takes a look back at stories that defined Harvard over the past ten years.
Financial Aid, Graduate Fellowships Top Fundraising Priorities, Harvard VP Says
Harvard has focused its fundraising on student financial aid, securing graduate fellowships, and continuing development in Allston, University Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Brian K. Lee said in an interview Wednesday.
SEAS Dean Urges ‘Respect’ In Divestment Debates
Amid disagreement over divestment from fossil fuels among professors at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, SEAS Dean Francis J. Doyle III urged both sides to respect each other in an interview Thursday.
Harvard CFO Discusses University-Wide Recession Planning
Despite what he characterized as healthy financial results in fiscal year 2019, University Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance Thomas J. Hollister said in an interview Monday.
Harvard Doubles Securities Investment Value, Sells Apple and Microsoft Stock
Harvard Management Company sold its stock in Apple and Microsoft and more than doubled the value of its declared securities investments since the end of the last fiscal year, according to an SEC filing.
Divest Harvard Stages Mock Oil Spill at Demonstration
Organizers of Divest Harvard — a student group calling on the University to divest its endowment from fossil fuels — poured liquid meant to represent oil over their members' heads during a demonstration at the Smith Campus Center Friday.
Harvard Prison Divestment Activists Walk Out of Bacow Meeting
Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign members walked out of a Monday meeting with University President Lawrence S. Bacow and the Corporation Committee on Shareholder Responsibility to protest the administrators’ alleged unwillingness to consider divesting from the prison industry.
Provost Garber Calls for ‘Principled Approach’ to Reviewing Gifts
As Harvard continues to face scrutiny for accepting donations from controversial figures, University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 said in an interview Thursday that Harvard must take a “principled approach” to deciding when to return gifts.
Harvard Posts $298 Million Surplus in 2019
University revenues rose to $5.5 billion, a 6 percent increase, according to the report. The largest source of University revenue was distributions from Harvard’s more than $40 billion endowment, which made up 35 percent of total revenue.
Divest Harvard Discusses Demands with Bacow, Lee
Five members of Divest Harvard met with University President Lawrence S. Bacow and Senior Corporation Fellow William F. Lee ’72 Wednesday to discuss their demands for the University to divest its more than $40 billion endowment from fossil fuels.
Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign Publishes Report, Renews Demands
The Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign released a report Wednesday that estimated the University has at least $3 million invested in companies tied to the prison industry and urged administrators to divest all their endowment holdings in such prison-related companies.
Harvard Retains External Counsel to Assist Epstein Internal Review
University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in an interview Monday an external law firm is assisting the Office of the General Counsel in their review of donations made to Harvard by billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.
FAS Dean of Finances Warns of ‘Ominous’ Financial Outlook at Harvard Faculty Meeting
In a presentation of the FAS Dean’s annual report on the school’s finances and hiring, Dean of Administration and Finance Leslie A. Kirwan warned the faculty of “ominous financial signs on the horizon,” including uncertain federal research funding and the endowment tax that took effect this year.