John Manning ’82 Will Serve as Harvard’s Next Permanent Provost

Updated August 15, 2024, at 8:18 p.m.

Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 announced on Thursday that John F. Manning ’82 will permanently remain in his role as provost, a move that concludes a monthslong effort to stabilize the University’s administration and officially elevates a widely respected conservative law professor to a top leadership role.

The decision to strip Manning’s interim tag comes less than two weeks after the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — decided to do the same with Garber and appointed him to lead the institution for a three-year term.

Garber announced Manning’s selection, which appears to have been made without a formal search process, in an email to University affiliates. Manning will also not be term-limited and he may remain in the role beyond the expected end of Garber’s presidency after the 2026-2027 academic year.

“He is the right person for the moment in which we find ourselves, motivated by love for and service to the institution that raised his own sights, and eager to make it possible for all members of our University to thrive,” Garber wrote in the email.

Manning’s appointment was first reported by The Crimson earlier on Thursday.

Former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation in January amid criticism of her response to campus antisemitism and plagiarism allegations sparked a dizzying leadership crisis for the University as Garber — the longtime provost at Harvard — was suddenly elevated to lead as interim president without an immediate successor waiting in the wings to fill his old role.

Garber served for two months as interim president without dropping his provost title, before he named Manning — the longtime dean of Harvard Law School — to become the University’s interim provost in March.

Manning’s appointment as Harvard’s permanent provost also solidifies his position as a leading contender to succeed Garber as the University’s next leader when the Corporation begins its 32nd presidential search in 2026.

Manning was a finalist for the Harvard presidency in 2022, when the Corporation selected Gay after the shortest search process in 70 years.

Garber’s decision to keep Manning — a prominent conservative legal scholar — in the second-highest position at Harvard also sends a clear signal to donors and alumni who have expressed concern that there is a lack of viewpoint diversity at the University.

Manning has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and has written more than 40 law journal articles.

Though Manning accepted the offer to become Harvard’s interim provost in March, he hardly hid his reluctance to resign as dean of the Law School. He initially only took a leave of absence from the school where enjoyed serving as dean and was very popular among his faculty.

“I extend to everyone at Harvard Law School my gratitude for sharing your beloved dean with the University,” Garber wrote on Thursday.

University Professor Martha L. Minow, who served as HLS dean for eight years before she was succeeded by Manning, praised him in a statement on Thursday.

“John Manning has brought great integrity, huge intelligence, real creativity and action, empowerment of others, genuine listening, and a big heart to his leadership first of Harvard Law School and recently to the entire University in his Interim Provost role,” Minow wrote.

“It is bittersweet for the Law School, but frankly, I regret I have but one dean to give to our University,” she added.

John C.P. Goldberg, who has been a professor at HLS since 2008, became the school’s interim dean in March. In his email, Garber wrote that a dean search will begin in September and that Goldberg will continue to serve in an interim capacity until a permanent successor is appointed.

Manning avoided the spotlight more than many of the University’s other top administrators during his tenure at HLS and repeatedly declined to sit down for interviews with The Crimson.

A University spokesperson also declined to schedule an interview with Manning for this article.

Manning has served on the faculty at HLS since 2004, when he was recruited to join the school as part of an effort to increase the number of conservative faculty members. Former Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust later selected him to helm the school as dean in 2017.

Since becoming interim provost, Manning personally oversaw one of Garber’s most significant policy changes of the spring semester — a commitment to refrain from taking official University positions on controversial political topics.

The change was hailed by both faculty and administrators as a key step to avoid much of the chaos that Harvard experienced in the fall over a series of statements in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Manning is also currently overseeing the Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue working group to “foster the free exchange of ideas” at Harvard.

Garber wrote that the initiatives led by Manning are “indicative of John’s overall approach — thoughtful and thorough with an eye toward enabling excellence in every part of the University.”

“John has done an outstanding job maintaining momentum across a broad portfolio of academic activities while leading efforts to articulate, communicate, and uphold the values of the University,” Garber added.

—Staff writer Cam E. Kettles can be reached at cam.kettles@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @cam_kettles or on Threads @camkettles.