College Administration
Before Leading Harvard College, David Deming Had a Lot to Say About Its Admissions Policies
Prior to stepping into the role of Harvard College dean in July, David J. Deming was a vocal scholar on elite institutions’ admissions processes, investigating how legacy preferences, athletic recruitment, and testing policies benefit wealthier students in admission to Ivy League schools like Harvard.
Harvard Scrutinizes Student Group Activities Under New Hazing Policy
After the federal government enacted an anti-hazing law late last year, Harvard College stepped up its enforcement of hazing policies — and launched at least one investigation into a student organization.
Harvard Ends Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program as Trump Targets Race in Admissions
By ending the minority recruitment program in May, Harvard shuttered a more than 50-year-old initiative to encourage minority high school students to apply.
After Killing of Charlie Kirk, Harvard College Dean Deming Vows to Protect Conservative Students
Harvard College Dean David J. Deming condemned the murder of Charlie Kirk and pledged to protect conservative undergraduates on campus at a gathering of Republican and right-leaning student groups on Friday.
‘Basic Questions,’ Unanswered: Inside Harvard College’s Rapid Diversity Office Dismantling
Few details were finalized when Harvard College Dean David J. Deming informed staff on July 23 of plans to shutter the College’s Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life, and Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations.
Currier House Faculty Deans To Step Down at End of Academic Year
Currier House Faculty Deans Sylvia I. Barrett and Latanya A. Sweeney, the first LGBTQ couple of color to lead a House, will step down at the end of the academic year after 10 years in the position.
Harvard College Disciplinary Cases Tripled in 2023-24 Amid Pro-Palestine Protest Wave
Harvard College’s disciplinary review board tripled its case load during the 2023-24 academic year, calling 90 students to appear for non-academic behavior, according to a report released over the summer.
HUA to Accept Direct Donations After $10K Gift From Alum
After a $10,000 donation from former Undergraduate Council member Ian T. Simmons ’98-’00, the Harvard Undergraduate Association will accept direct donations for club funding.
Deming Puts Positive Spin on Harvard College Diversity Office Closures, but Acknowledges Outside Pressure
Harvard College Dean David J. Deming told students that the College can no longer host programming targeted at specific races or identity groups during a presentation to Peer Advising Fellows last week — telling attendees he assumed they already understood why the change was necessary.
At Harvard Convocation, College Dean David Deming Tells Freshmen to Prepare for AI Age
In his inaugural convocation address, Harvard College Dean David J. Deming told incoming freshmen they were living through a “unique moment in history” — though not focusing on reasons members of the audience had anticipated.
Harvard College To Remove Designated Spaces for Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life
Harvard College will close the designated spaces that previously housed the Women’s Center and the Office for BGLTQ Student Life, following a July decision to shutter those offices — along with one for minority students — and fold their staff into a new center within the Office of Culture and Community.
Harvard Welcomes Class of 2029 to a Campus Reshaped by Trump’s Second Presidency
From the start, Harvard’s Class of 2029 witnessed how the College is refashioning itself for a new political era, embracing calls to address antisemitism while backing away from diversity programs disfavored by the White House.
Harvard College Removes First-Gen, LGBTQ Support Titles for Proctors and Tutors
Harvard College will no longer designate residential proctors and tutors to serve as dedicated support for LGBTQ and first-generation or low-income students, instead folding their responsibilities into a new “Culture and Community” specialty role.
Blocked By Trump’s Travel Ban, One Iranian Student Wonders If She Will Ever Make It to Harvard
Rozhan Rasti was admitted to Harvard’s Class of 2029. But she can’t enter the United States — and so far, no lawyers have taken up her case against the proclamation that’s keeping her far from campus.
Harvard College Closes Diversity Offices, Reassigns Staff to New ‘Harvard Foundation’
Harvard College will close its offices for minority students, LGBTQ students, and women and fold their staff under a new Office of Culture and Community, according to a Wednesday message from College Dean David J. Deming.
Winthrop House Will Keep Name but Lose Its Association With John Winthrop, Thought To Be a Slaveowner
Harvard College’s John Winthrop House will keep its last name but lose its first after yearslong calls to distance the undergraduate residence from its namesake, whom historians believe was a slaveowner.
Harvard College, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Replace Diversity Offices Amid DEI Purge
The dismantling of Harvard’s diversity offices arrived at Harvard College on Wednesday as websites for centers serving minority students, LGBTQ students, and women disappeared suddenly and without fanfare.
With International Admits in Limbo, Harvard Extends Waitlist Admissions Past June 30 Cutoff
Harvard College will continue to admit waitlisted students to the Class of 2029 past the traditional June 30 deadline as the Trump administration’s regulatory attacks threaten to prevent international students from attending.
Climate Scientist Peter Huybers, Health Administrator Downing Lu Named Interim Kirkland House Faculty Deans
Earth and Planetary Sciences department chair Peter J. Huybers and Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative senior fellow Downing Lu will serve as Kirkland House’s interim faculty deans, outgoing Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana announced in an email to Kirkland affiliates Tuesday.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Commends Harvard for Resisting Trump at Class Day
Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said Harvard had proven its courage by fighting against the Trump administration during Wednesday’s annual College Class Day.
The Khurana Decade
After 11 years as the dean of Harvard College, Rakesh Khurana prepares for a change of pace.
Students Sue Harvard Over Mental Health Policies
Students 4 Mental Health Justice, an advocacy group composed partly of Harvard undergraduates, sued the University over allegations that it discriminates against students with mental health disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Thursday.
Khurana Reaffirms Inclusivity Commitment As Affinity Groups Organize Unsponsored Grad Celebrations
Outgoing College Dean Rakesh Khurana affirmed his commitment to inclusive programming in a Tuesday interview after Harvard announced it would no longer fund or provide campus spaces for affinity graduation celebrations.
As Deming Leaves Kirkland Post for New Job as College Dean, Students Say the Moment Is ‘Bittersweet’
David J. Deming was met with a standing ovation as he entered the Kirkland House dining hall Tuesday evening, hours after Faculty of Arts and Science Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced he would leave his current role as faculty dean to serve as the next dean of Harvard College.