Diversity
HMS Restructures and Renames Diversity Office, Removes Pledge To Fight Inequities
The Harvard Medical School renamed its diversity office and announced changes to several major DEI programs on Wednesday in the latest rollback of diversity infrastructure at Harvard.
Nonprofit CEO John Rice Defends Diversity Efforts in HBS Class Day Speech
In a Harvard Business School Class Day address last week, John Rice, the founder and CEO of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, contended that diversity and inclusion remained important to leveling the playing field in business — and that the term had been unjustly stigmatized.
Students Hold Unofficial Affinity Celebrations, Marked by Anger at University Decision to Withdraw Support
Eight affinity groups held celebrations for Commencement this week, despite having been denied funding and access to campus venues by Harvard officials.
Weeks After Cutting Off Support for Affinity Grad Events, Harvard Funds ASL Interpreter for Disability Celebration
After the University announced it would no longer host or fund affinity group celebrations for Commencement, Harvard funded an interpreter for a Tuesday disability affinity ceremony but told organizers to distance the event from traditional affinity celebrations held in previous years.
The Rise and Fall of DEI at Harvard
Over the past three years, Harvard has shifted its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs — moving from a full-throated support to abandoning the language of DEI amid threats from a hostile White House.
Garber Defends Leadership Changes and DEI Office Renaming, Denies Political Pressure
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 acknowledged concerns that the dismissal of two faculty directors at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies in March and the renaming of the University’s diversity office appeared to some as concessions to the Trump administration, but declined to explain either decision.
6 New Members Elected to Harvard Board of Overseers
The newly-elected Overseers include Mark A. Edwards ’82, Nathaniel O. Keohane, Michael Rosenblatt, Anjali Sud, Courtney B. Vance ’82, and Mary Louise Kelly ’93.
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.
Harvard Affinity Groups Plan Commencement Celebrations Without University Support
At least six Harvard affinity groups will host unofficial celebrations for students graduating next week following the University’s decision to revoke funding and space for the annual traditions.
EEOC Launches Investigation Into Harvard’s Hiring Practices, Alleging Title VII Violations
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched an investigation into Harvard in late April, alleging that the University has engaged in discriminatory hiring practices in violation of Title VII since 2018, according to documents leaked to the Washington Free Beacon.
Harvard Renames Diversity Office As Trump Demands Dismantling of DEI
Harvard will immediately rename its Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to “Community and Campus Life,” the University announced Monday.
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.
HLS Dean of Students Condemns ‘Disturbing’ Mass Emails Sent to Students After Law Review Controversy
Harvard Law School Dean of Students Stephen L. Ball condemned a pair of mass emails sent to law students on Friday that accused the Harvard Law Review of discriminating against white authors and urged applicants to falsify their racial and gender identities on application materials.
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.
Peter Beinart Asks Harvard To ‘Lose With Dignity’ in Standoff With Trump at IOP Forum
Peter Beinart, the editor-at-large of the liberal publication Jewish Currents, said Harvard could only maintain its “self respect” by resisting Donald Trump’s demands against the University at an Institute of Politics Forum on Tuesday.
After Trump’s Demands, Dean of Students Says College Diversity Offices Have No Plans To Cut Programming
Harvard College Dean of Students Thomas G. Dunne said in an interview with The Crimson on Tuesday that he does not expect the College’s diversity offices to be affected by the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Trump Administration Conditions Harvard’s Funding on Eliminating DEI, Restricting Protests
The Trump administration demanded that Harvard eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, ban masks at protests, and agree to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security to avoid cuts to its federal funding.
Conservative Journalist Jason Riley Calls Higher Ed ‘Intellectually Intolerant’ at HBS Talk
Fox News commentator and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason L. Riley discussed “The Trouble of Social Justice” and the decline of higher education in the U.S. at an event hosted by the Harvard Business School Conservative Club on Wednesday.
Harvard Requested Kestenbaum Delete X Post Denouncing DEI Officer
Harvard requested Harvard Divinity School graduate Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum remove a critical social media post about Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Sherri A. Charleston.
Coalition for a Diverse Harvard Endorses 5 Candidates in 2025 Board of Overseers Race
The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard endorsed five candidates for this year’s Board of Overseers election on Sunday, three weeks before Harvard affiliates begin voting to fill six vacancies on the University's second-highest governing board.
As Universities Eliminate DEI Programming, Harvard Stays Its Course
As many American universities erase their diversity, equity, and inclusion programming in response to threats from the new Trump administration, Harvard has taken a different road — quietly maintaining its diversity initiatives and sometimes actively defending diversity on campus.
Coalition for a Diverse Harvard Pushes Back Against Department of Education’s Letter on Diversity
The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard called on Harvard to reject recent Department of Education guidelines prohibiting any race-conscious practices on college campuses and reaffirm its support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in a Feb. 24 letter to top University leadership.
‘Asian to the Max’: Harvard Students Compete in Mr. Asian Sensation Pageant
Nearly 100 Harvard students and affiliates gathered in Lowell Lecture Hall Friday to watch eight undergraduates compete in “Mr. Asian Sensation,” a male pageant hosted by the Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association intended to fundraise for an Asian-focused charity.
Southeast Asian Student Groups Host Visibility Week
More than 100 Harvard affiliates and Cambridge residents gathered for live performances, film screenings, and poetry readings as a part of celebrations for Southeast Asian Visibility Week.