As Bacow Departs, Political Tensions that Defined His Presidency Endure
During Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow’s five years in office, he encountered a unique convergence of challenges — one that reflected a higher education landscape under attack. Woven through all this was the pandemic, a crisis during which Bacow was forced to make consequential decisions without a blueprint.
Dean Today, President Tomorrow: Gay Reflects on 5 Years Leading Harvard FAS
As Harvard students packed up to scatter across the globe for winter vacation, the University dropped a surprise announcement: Claudine Gay, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, had been chosen to become Harvard’s next president. After the celebrations, however, the FAS geared up to face its next big challenge: replacing its leader.
A Crimson Commonwealth: The Harvard Alumni Who Run Massachusetts
As Harvard affiliates continue to interact with and fill the Massachusetts government, it often falls to the University’s own to create policy and settle disagreements that directly affect Harvard. How does their time at the University influence the way they approach these disputes, and what is the effect of Harvard’s impact on Massachusetts leaders?
What Happened to the Push for a Multicultural Center?
Following the onset of the pandemic, some believe students have stopped asking for a multicultural center, even as activism supporting an ethnic studies department and race-conscious admissions has persisted. Activists are now beginning to revive efforts for cultural centers or a multicultural space, though many have different views on what they would look like.
Hanging Up the Harvard Jersey
Approximately one in four students who played on a varsity sports team in the 2019-20 season left their team before the 2022-23 season. Interviews with nearly a dozen former Harvard athletes suggested that time commitments, battles with injuries, and balancing a beloved sport and the desire for a more well-rounded Harvard experience contributed to decisions to step away.
Does Harvard Have an Academic Freedom Problem?
In the face of what many characterize as an academic freedom issue at Harvard, professors and students have created their own spaces for exchanging potentially controversial ideas. Nonetheless, they disagree on the stakes.
‘It’s Way Past Time’: How Cambridge is Reconsidering its 80-Year-Old Form of Government
Last August, the Cambridge City Council appointed 15 residents to a charter review committee set to reassess the city’s form of government and recommended changes. The committee continues to grapple with its first major dilemma: Should the city be run by a mayor or a city manager?
Leaving Legacy Behind
With the Supreme Court widely expected to strike down race-conscious admissions this summer, another Harvard College admissions practice — legacy and donor preferences — could be collateral damage.
‘Stabilizing in the New Normal’: Harvard Square Adapts to Post-Pandemic Challenges
While Harvard Square has welcomed a bevy of new businesses in the last year — ranging from vintage clothing stores to boba tea shops to athletic facilities — a number of longstanding businesses continue to feel the lingering pains of the pandemic.
What Critical Race Theory Was — and is — at Harvard Law School
How has the legal field of critical race theory been shaped by Harvard Law School, and how do its students and scholars view conservative attacks on the field?
Rejecting the Rankings: Why Harvard and Yale Led a Widespread Boycott of U.S. News After Decades-Long Criticism
While the recent boycott of U.S. News rankings by top law and medical schools represents the most serious challenge to U.S. News since it began ranking colleges and universities 40 years ago, the magazine has pledged to continue its annual rankings practice by relying on publicly available data it can use with or without the participation of schools.