University
Harvard’s Endowment Soars to $53.2 Billion, Reports 33.6% Returns
Harvard Management Company returned 33.6 percent on its investments for the fiscal year ending in June 2021, skyrocketing the value of the University’s endowment to $53.2 billion, the largest sum in its history.
Harvard Ended Fiscal Year 2021 with $283 Million Surplus, Despite Losing $124 Million in Revenue
Harvard finished the fiscal year ending in June 2021 with a budget surplus of $283 million, despite a $124 million drop in revenue, according to the University’s annual financial report released Thursday.
Annual Report Finds Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Remains Largely White, Male
The Harvard Kennedy School’s faculty and student body remains overwhelmingly white, according to its annual report on diversity released Wednesday.
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.
With Campus Open, Schlesinger Library Pushes Forward with Digitization, Collection Diversification
The Schlesinger Library plans to continue its digitization efforts and diversify its collection as staff members return to in-person work.
On Eve of Contract Negotiations, Harvard Custodians Rally Against Their Own Union Leadership
Approximately 25 Harvard custodians rallied in Science Center Plaza Friday, asking the University to postpone the opening of negotiations with their union — set for Wednesday — until intraunion conflicts are resolved.
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Panel Discusses Resilience Against Disasters
Four experts in emergency response and humanitarian aid discussed strategies to prevent and respond to humanitarian disasters in conflict-ridden environments Monday afternoon in the first of a series of webinars titled “From Crisis to Resilience,” co-hosted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
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.
FAS Dean Gay Hopes to Update Affiliates on Ethnic Studies Search by Semester’s End
Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay said the FAS is continuing its cluster hire of ethnic studies scholars and will “probably” update affiliates on its progress by the semester’s end.
Harvard Corporation Members Donated Big to Democrats in 2020 Elections
More than 100 candidates running for federal office in 2020 benefited from the financial support of members of the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body, which includes some of the country’s top finance executives, academics, and corporate lawyers.
HMS Dean Outlines Financial, Institutional Goals in State of the School Address
Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley ’82 lauded HMS faculty, affiliates, students, and staff for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic and reiterated institutional values in his State of the School address over Zoom Tuesday.
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.
‘Just Not Fair’: As Allston’s Housing Costs Rise, Residents Turn to Harvard for Answers
Dominated by stockyards and rail lines before 1900, the 20th century transformed Allston: waves of immigration made it one of Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods, filled with single- and multi-family homes.
Ed Portal Panelists Discuss Monuments’ Past and Future
Boston and Cambridge-area arts professionals discussed the ability of new kinds of monuments to “contribute to the formation of a positive collective identity” at a Harvard Ed Portal panel on Tuesday.
HGSE Student Council Members Say Amplifying Underrepresented Voices Among Top Priorities
In interviews, four members of HGSE’s Student Council, who sit on the Student Advocacy and Issues Committee and the Programming and Events Committee, shared their goals for the 2021-22 academic year.
Harvard Saw Decrease in Total Crimes and Sexual Assaults, Increase in Burglaries During 2020
The total number of reported crimes in 2020 was 178, down from the 220 total crimes reported in 2019. On-campus crimes also saw a 14 percent decrease in 2020 — when college students were sent home in March, and only freshmen were invited to live back on campus in the fall.
Roughly 92% of Voters Authorize Grad Student Union Strike
Harvard’s graduate student union voted overwhelmingly to authorize what would be its second strike in two years, union officials announced late Thursday.
Students Celebrate Campus Libraries Reopening
The reopening of libraries across the University almost 18 months after they shuttered their doors has been met with jubilation from students eager to check out books and frequent communal study spaces.
Harvard-Led Task Force for Preventing Pandemics Presents Findings at UN Event with Jane Goodall
The Harvard-led Scientific Task Force to Prevent Pandemics at the Source presented their findings Monday at a virtual event featuring renowned primatologist Jane Goodall.
Harvard Graduate Council Discusses Objectives, University-Wide Collaborations During First Meeting of Academic Year
The Harvard Graduate Council held its first public meeting of the academic year Monday to outline its priorities for the upcoming semester.
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.
Hutchins Center Explores the Legacy of Eugenics in New England, at Harvard
Prominent historians and scholars convened virtually on Wednesday to discuss the legacy of eugenics in New England and at Harvard in a conference hosted by Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
Bacow Insists Harvard’s Move to End Fossil Fuel Investments is ‘Consistent’ with Past Positions
When University President Lawrence S. Bacow said earlier this month that Harvard would move to end its investments in the fossil fuel industry, the activists who had been pushing him to do so for years celebrated the news as a seismic shift.
University, Dining Workers Reach Tentative Contract Agreement After Four Months of Negotiations
After negotiating for four months and engaging a federal mediator, Harvard University and its dining workers union, UNITE HERE Local 26, reached a tentative agreement for a new five-year contract Friday.