University News
Mass. Education Leaders Discuss How to Foster Anti-Racism in Schools During HGSE Panel
A panel of education leaders discussed strategies to combat racism in school classrooms during a Harvard Graduate School of Education webinar Wednesday.
Arts First Festival 2021 Adjusts to a New Medium
Harvard’s annual Arts First Festival, one of the largest collegiate arts festivals in the country that showcases performers across diverse genres and spaces, is gearing up for its second consecutive year in a virtual format starting Monday.
Sciences Dean Stubbs Says Federal Science Funding Could Increase, Denies ‘Academic Espionage’ at Harvard
Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs said in an interview that funding for scientific research has the potential to increase under the Biden administration. Stubbs also objected to the notion that there is “academic espionage” on Harvard’s campus.
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.
‘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.
Experts Weigh In on Fallout From HBS Data Breach
Following a data breach of the Harvard Business School’s secure file transfer system in December, experts said they foresee ongoing consequences for the system’s users.
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.
Harvard Researchers and Home Improvement Experts Talk Housing in the Aftermath of Covid-19 in Panel Discussion
Harvard researchers and home improvement industry representatives discussed the recent remodeling boom and widening housing inequities — both linked to the Covid-19 pandemic — in an event hosted by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and the Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government on Thursday.
‘A Complete Slap in the Face’: Student Organizations Condemn Bacow’s Guidance to Call HUPD in Response to Racial Violence
A dozen student organizations signed onto an open letter criticizing University President Lawrence S. Bacow for instructing Harvard affiliates in an email last week to contact the University’s police force if they have knowledge of a “racist attack.”
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.
Harvard Graduate Council Passes Emergency Resolution on Atlanta Shootings, Memorandum on Harvard Email Access
The Harvard Graduate Council heard a presentation on University finances and approved a memorandum recommending extended access to Harvard email addresses during a public meeting Wednesday evening, which took place just hours after the Council passed an emergency resolution in response to last week’s shootings in Atlanta, Ga.
Kennedy School Plans to Reopen in Late Summer
Harvard Kennedy School anticipates reopening its campus in late summer, Dean Doug W. Elmendorf ’85 announced in an email to students, staff, and faculty Thursday.
Harvard Aims to Bring Back Faculty, Staff on Aug. 2
Harvard announced Monday it plans to reopen its campus to all faculty, staff, and researchers on Aug. 2 in light of expected vaccine availability.
Harvard Reischauer Institute Notes ‘Serious Concerns’ Over Prof. Ramseyer’s ‘Comfort Women’ Article
Harvard’s Reischauer Institute for Japanese Studies issued a statement last week calling on the publishing journal to “fully address” concerns raised around Harvard Law professor J. Mark Ramseyer’s contentious article on “comfort women,” and condemning online harassment that has stemmed from the controversy.
Harvard Law School Elects Historic Pair of Student Body Presidents
Faith A. Jackson ’16 and Irfan Mahmud ’16 will be the next Harvard Law School student body co-presidents, making the pair the first openly queer candidates and Mahmud the first Muslim candidate to be elected to the positions.
HUHS Opens Applications for Centralized Peer Education Group, Prepares for Fall Launch
Harvard University Health Services’s Center for Wellness and Health Promotion opened applications last week for undergraduates to join a merged peer education program that HUHS will launch in fall 2021 as part of an overhaul to the University’s peer education system.
LA Mayor Discusses Leadership During the Pandemic at School of Public Health Webinar
Los Angeles Mayor Eric M. Garcetti spoke about his city’s handling of Covid-19 and racial and socioeconomic inequality during a webinar held by the Harvard School of Public Health on Friday.
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.”
Allston Science and Engineering Complex Receives LEED Platinum Certification
Harvard’s new Science and Engineering Complex in Allston has received two top sustainability distinctions — LEED platinum status and the Living Building Challenge Petal certification, according to a Wednesday press release.
Harvard Could Be Eligible For $25 Million In Relief Funds Under Latest Stimulus Package, Per Report
Harvard may be eligible to receive nearly $25.5 million in aid from the latest federal stimulus package, according to an analysis published Monday by the American Council on Education, a higher education interest group.
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.
Harvard University Native American Program Celebrates 50th Anniversary, Plans for the Future
As the Harvard University Native American Program celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, program affiliates said they aim to continue and grow its mission to support Indigenous students on campus in the years to come.
Harvard School of Public Health Launches Program to Educate Business Leaders
The Harvard School of Public Health will launch a program for business leaders to promote health in their corporate practices in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has dramatically altered the workplace, the school announced Wednesday.