Commencement
Harvard Will Not Fund Affinity Group Graduation Celebrations Following Ed Department Warning
Harvard will no longer host or fund affinity group celebrations during Commencement, the University’s former diversity office wrote in an email to affinity groups on Monday afternoon.
‘The Greatest of All Time’: Seniors Pleased With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as Class Day Speaker Pick
The Alumni Affairs Development office announced Tuesday that Abdul-Jabbar would take the stage on Class Day next month, a celebration of Harvard College graduates that takes place the day before the University’s Commencement ceremony. The announcement drew excitement from seniors who lauded Abdul-Jabbar for his achievements on and off the basketball court.
Affinity Groups Face Silence From Harvard as Trump Targets Race-Based Graduation Celebrations
As Harvard faces threats to its federal funding over demands to cut diversity programming, it remains unclear whether affinity celebrations for this year’s Commencement will occur as usual.
6-Time NBA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar To Speak at Harvard’s 2025 Class Day
Six-time NBA champion and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will address graduating seniors as this year’s Class Day speaker on May 28, the Alumni Affairs and Development office announced on Tuesday.
Seniors Blame Low Attendance For ‘Lackluster’ Class Committee Events
With just two weeks of classes remaining for the Class of 2025, seniors dubbed the Class Committee’s year of programming “lackluster,” primarily citing low buy-in from the class.
CNN Anchor Christiane Amanpour To Give 2025 HKS Graduation Address
Christiane M.H. Amanpour — CNN’s chief international anchor and host of the nightly global affairs program “Amanpour” — will deliver the Harvard Kennedy School’s 2025 graduation address on May 28, the school announced Thursday.
Atul A. Gawande Named 2025 Harvard Alumni Day Speaker
Gawande, who graduated from HMS and the Harvard School of Public Health, has been a practicing surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for more than twenty years. He previously served as an assistant administrator for global health in the U.S. Agency for International Development and a member of former President Biden’s Covid-19 Advisory Board.
Just ‘Another Academic’: Seniors Greet Commencement Speaker Pick with Lukewarm Reactions
After Harvard announced that Stanford University biology professor Abraham Verghese would be the 2025 Commencement speaker on Thursday, seniors lauded his professional accomplishments but largely said they were hoping for a more high-profile selection.
Petition for New HGSE Regalia Sparks University-Wide Review, But Only Minor Changes
Harvard undertook a University-wide review of Commencement regalia after Ed.L.D. students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education raised concerns about the color of their Commencement robes.
New Ed Department Guidance Against Race-Conscious Policies Could Impact Scholarships, Ceremonies at Harvard
The Department of Education issued guidance on its letter that threatened to revoke funding from universities that have any race-conscious programs on Friday, putting affinity commencement celebrations and minority scholarships in jeopardy.
Physician and Novelist Abraham Verghese Named 2025 Harvard Commencement Speaker
Stanford University biology professor, physician, and novelist Abraham Verghese will deliver the keynote address at Harvard’s 374th Commencement ceremony in late May, the University announced Thursday afternoon.
Harvard Will Not Reduce 2025 Commencement Tickets for Seniors and Families
Harvard will not reduce the number of allotted commencement tickets for the College’s Class of 2025 — despite some concerns from students that the number of tickets would be lowered due to the historically large class size.
Uzma Issa ’25 Elected First Marshal for Harvard College Class of 2025
Uzma A. Issa ’25 and Srija Vem ’25 — two Neuroscience concentrators hailing from Hoover, Alabama — will serve as the first and second class marshals for the Class of 2025.
Church Says It Did Not Authorize ‘People’s Commencement’ Protest After Harvard Graduation Walkout
The leadership of Harvard-Epworth Church said they were angered and dismayed that the church became the site of a large-scale pro-Palestine protest.
‘Welcome to the Battlefield’: Maria Ressa Talks Tech, Fascism in Harvard Commencement Address
Journalist Maria A. Ressa warned Harvard graduates of impending fascism due to Big Tech in her Commencement address Thursday, imploring them to “choose their best self” in response.
‘Adjust on the Fly’: Harvard Undergrads Receive Diplomas at House Ceremonies Despite Rain and Protest
Whether they chose to participate in a pro-Palestine walkout or remain seated at the University-wide Commencement, undergraduates streamed to their residential Houses Thursday afternoon to officially receive their diplomas.
Outrage at Decision to Deny Diplomas to 13 Pro-Palestine Students Overshadows Harvard Commencement
More than 1,000 people out of Harvard’s Commencement on Thursday, as mass discontent overshadowed a day filled with pomp and circumstance.
Debra Haaland Touts Biden Climate Agenda, Celebrates HLS Grads in Class Day Speech
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Debra A. Haaland addressed Harvard Law School’s Class of 2024 during the school’s Class Day ceremony on Holmes Field Wednesday afternoon
HOOP Hosts ‘People’s Commencement’ to Honor 13 Harvard Seniors Denied Degrees
Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine hosted an mock graduation ceremony to honor the 13 seniors whose degrees were withheld for their involvement in the encampment.
West Point Colonel Addresses Harvard Graduates at First-Ever Veterans’ Affinity Celebration
U.S. Army Colonel and West Point professor Everett Spain urged graduating Harvard veterans to treat their degree as a “commission to do good” during the University’s first annual veterans’ affinity graduation celebration.
The Academic Policing of Academics on Policing
In 2022, professors Christopher Lewis and Adaner Usmani argued that to reduce violent crime, the U.S. needs to drastically shorten its prison sentences — and increase its police force by half a million officers. Their ideas soon become a flashpoint of online discourse.
In Photos: Harvard’s 373rd Commencement Exercises
Thousands of graduates, Harvard faculty, friends, and family crowded into Harvard Yard on Thursday for the University’s 373rd Commencement Exercises. But the usual pomp and circumstance of the ceremony were overshadowed by mass discontent over the decision to bar 13 pro-Palestine College student protesters from graduating.
Rabbi Zarchi Confronted Maria Ressa, Walked Off Stage Over Her Harvard Commencement Speech
Harvard Chabad Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi confronted Maria Ressa on stage at Commencement after he took issue with a remark in her speech that he considered to be antisemitic.
‘Humanity in the Highest Regard’: Incoming BU President Speaks at HMS Class Day
Incoming Boston University President Melissa L. Gilliam urged graduates to “love yourself, love another, and love mankind” in a keynote speech at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine Class Day on Thursday.
‘Bought Me In’: How Student-Run International Conferences Rake in Cash, Fund Free Vacations
As Harvard clubs have grown into full-fledged companies with six-figure budgets, some of them have come to rely on international conferences as a significant source of revenue.