Samuel W. Zwickel
Staff writer Samuel W. Zwickel can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @samuel_zwickel.
Latest Articles
Salient Opinions Are Signed
Harvard should celebrate forums for speech beyond the scope and sensibility of The Crimson’s Editorial pages. But self-ostracism only perpetuates a culture of political orthodoxy. I challenge my peers to eschew anonymous bylines for the public square.
The Graduating Class of 2021 By the Numbers
Each year, The Crimson conducts a survey of Harvard College’s graduating class, collecting data about where they are headed next, how they spent their time at Harvard, and what they think of the College and the country.
Crimson Connections: Walter Isaacson ’74 and Evan W. Thomas III ’73
In the final episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Walter S. Isaacson '74 and Evan W. Thomas III '73. They met briefly at Harvard but became close after working together at Time Magazine. They began their accomplished media careers as print journalists after both having written for The Harvard Crimson. In 1986, the two co-wrote a book profiling key players in post-World War II American foreign policy. Since then, they have individually authored definitive biographies of figures including Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon, and Leonardo da Vinci.
Crimson Connections: Andrei Shleifer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82
In the next episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Andrei Shleifer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82. As Weld Hall freshman roommates, they spent evenings working through problem sets for Math 55 — among the most difficult undergraduate math courses in the country. Their collaborations soon turned to groundbreaking papers in behavioral finance and political economics.
Crimson Connections: Mary Louise Kelly ’93 and Tracy P. Palandjian ’93
In the next episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Mary Louise Kelly '93 and Tracy Palandjian '93. They aren’t in the same profession today, but their lives were intertwined as Harvard undergraduates. Kelly is now co-host of All Things Considered on NPR, and Palandjian is the co-founder of Social Finance, the impact investing nonprofit, and former vice chair of the Harvard Board of Overseers.
Crimson Connections: Jill E. Abramson ’76 and Amy Wilentz ’76
In the next episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Jill E. Abramson '76 and Amy Wilentz '76. Before Abramson sat at the helm of The New York Times and Wilentz embedded herself within post-Duvalier Haiti, these decorated journalists were Mather House roommates and kicked off their reporting careers as undergraduates — Wilentz for The Crimson and Abramson as a theatre critic for The Harvard Independent. They were part of the first cohort of women to live in Harvard Yard.
Crimson Connections: Mark J. Penn ’76 and Doug E. Schoen ’74
In the next episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Mark J. Penn '76 and Doug E. Schoen '74. Their collaboration culminated in half a decade as the architects of the polling-driven strategy of President Bill Clinton; the duo is commonly credited with helping Clinton to win re-election in 1996. Penn remembers giving the final poll result to the incumbent president on Air Force One on election night, and Doug recalls personally walking into Trump Tower to demand a check from future president Donald Trump, who in the 1980s was already surveying his political viability.
Crimson Connections: William A. Ackman ’88 and Paul C. Hilal ’88
In a new video series presented by The Crimson, we reunite two prominent figures who were roommates back at Harvard. Two decades before their careers converged as activist hedge fund managers, William A. Ackman ’88 and Paul C. Hilal ’88 were arguing about everything, including the physics of weightlifting in a Harvard gym.
Summer Postcard: Strangers on Lake Superior
It might sound lonely to backpack in solitude for eight hours a day, cell service mostly nonexistent. But trail life catalyzes a near-immediate sense of intimacy with fellow adventurers.
After Year-Long Vacancy, College in ‘Final Stages’ of Diversity Dean Search
After a more than year-long vacancy, the search for an associate dean of students for inclusion and belonging is in its “final stages,” Dean of Students Katherine G. O’Dair said in an interview Tuesday.
Latest Media
Crimson Connections: Walter Isaacson ’74 and Evan W. Thomas III ’73
Walter S. Isaacson ’74 and Evan W. Thomas III ’73 met briefly at Harvard but became close after working together at Time Magazine. They began their accomplished media careers as print journalists after both having written for The Harvard Crimson. In 1986, the two co-wrote a book profiling key players in post-World War II American foreign policy. Since then, they have individually authored definitive biographies of figures including Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon, and Leonardo da Vinci. Filmed October 19, 2020. Hosted by Andrew W. Liang and Samuel W. Zwickel. Edited by Ryan N. Gajarawala.
Crimson Connections: Andrei Shleifer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82
As Weld Hall freshman roommates, Andrei Shliefer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82 spent evenings working through problem sets for Math 55 — among the most difficult undergraduate math courses in the country. Their collaborations soon turned to groundbreaking papers in behavioral finance and political economics. Now a Harvard economics professor, Shleifer has been awarded the coveted John Bates Clark Medal and is IDEAS’ top-ranked economist in the world. DeLong is an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and previously oversaw economic policy for the U.S. Treasury under President Clinton. Filmed October 7, 2020. Hosted by Andrew W. Liang and Samuel W. Zwickel. Edited by Ryan N. Gajarawala.
Crimson Connections: Mary Louise Kelly ’93 and Tracy P. Palandjian ’93
Mary Louise Kelly ’93 and Tracy Palandjian ’93 aren’t in the same profession today, but their lives were intertwined as Harvard undergraduates. Kelly is now co-host of All Things Considered on NPR, and Palandjian is the co-founder of Social Finance, the impact investing nonprofit, and former vice chair of the Harvard Board of Overseers. While in college, Kelly wrote for The Harvard Crimson, and Palandjian worked in the Eliot House Grille. The two were “honorary roommates” in the house—members of a tight-knit friend group that continues to gather annually. Filmed October 11, 2020.
Crimson Connections: Jill E. Abramson ’76 and Amy Wilentz ’76
Before Jill E. Abramson ’76 sat at the helm of The New York Times and Amy Wilentz ’76 embedded herself within post-Duvalier Haiti, the two’s college misadventures were the subject of a Commencement feature in The Harvard Crimson. These decorated journalists were Mather House roommates and kicked off their reporting careers as undergraduates — Wilentz for The Crimson and Abramson as a theatre critic for The Harvard Independent. They were part of the first cohort of women to live in Harvard Yard. Filmed October 2, 2020.
Crimson Connections: Mark J. Penn ’76 and Doug E. Schoen ’74
A revolutionary approach to polling took Harvard buddies Mark J. Penn ’76 and Doug E. Schoen ’74 from the halls of The Harvard Crimson to South America, Israel, and New York City — just three of the locations where political leaders won stunning electoral triumphs based on their advice. Their collaboration culminated in half a decade as the architects of the polling-driven strategy of President Bill Clinton; the duo is commonly credited with helping Clinton to win re-election in 1996. Penn remembers giving the final poll result to the incumbent president on Air Force One on election night, and Doug recalls personally walking into Trump Tower to demand a check from future president Donald Trump, who in the 1980s was already surveying his political viability. Filmed December 10, 2020.
Crimson Connections: William A. Ackman ’88 and Paul C. Hilal ’88
Two decades before their careers converged as activist hedge fund managers, William A. Ackman ’88 and Paul C. Hilal ’88 were arguing about everything, including the physics of weightlifting in a Harvard gym. Bill recalls that he was always right. He would not have submitted a timely Social Studies thesis, however, without a kick from Paul. The Lowell House roommates — who came to invest billions together at Pershing Square Capital Management — first met in their house dining hall after an introduction by a mutual friend. They reflect on finding fulfillment in finance and in the company of one another. Filmed October 15, 2020.
