FAS Administration
Arts and Humanities Division Pushes Forward With New Intro Course Initiative
One of Sean D. Kelly’s first promises as Harvard’s new Dean of Arts and Humanities was that he would facilitate the creation of new introductory courses for the division, which he felt lacked its Computer Science 50 or Economics 10. One year later, they’re here.
Harvard AAUP Sues Trump Administration To Stop $9 Billion Review of Harvard’s Federal Funding
The Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors sued the Trump administration on Friday to end its ongoing review of the University’s federal funding, alleging the review was coercive and unlawfully undermined academic freedom.
Harvard FAS Elects 6 New Members to Faculty Council
The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences elected six new members to its Faculty Council, elevating several professors hoping to exert more control over the University’s governance amid the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education.
FAS Declines To Debate Resolution Condemning Trump
An effort to open debate on whether Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences should condemn President Donald Trump’s threats to academic freedom failed at a Tuesday faculty meeting, falling short of the 80 percent threshold needed to discuss the motion.
Harvard FAS Is Developing a Contingency Plan for Drastic Federal Funding Cuts
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra said Tuesday that the FAS is developing a contingency plan for the looming possibility that the Trump administration hits Harvard with steep federal funding cuts.
Hoekstra Defends CMES Dismissals at Faculty Meeting, but Wavers on Harvard’s Next Move
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra stood by the decision to dismiss the director and associate director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies last week at a Tuesday FAS meeting.
The FAS Dean Told Centers To Comply With Classroom Norms Committee Report. The Committee’s Co-Chair Was Surprised.
History professor Maya R. Jasanoff ’96, who co-chaired the Classroom Social Compact Committee, was caught off guard when FAS Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra cited the CSCC’s report to justify requiring FAS center directors to show their centers promote viewpoint diversity.
Claybaugh, Deming Interviewed for College Dean Position As Search Nears Its Close
At least two candidates — Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh and Harvard Kennedy School professor David J. Deming — have interviewed to be the next Harvard College dean, according to three people familiar with the matter.
FAS Committee Recommends Overhauled Disciplinary Appeals Process, More Faculty on Ad Board
A Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee recommended that Harvard College rework its process for appealing disciplinary sanctions and institute a minimum requirement for the number of tenure-track faculty who serve on the Administrative Board.
FAS Dean Asks Center Directors To Show Compliance With Viewpoint Diversity Guidance
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra told directors of FAS centers they would be required to meet with their divisional deans to explain how their programs are complying with recent guidance on intellectual diversity in a Tuesday email.
Harvard Dismisses Leaders of Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Interim Harvard Dean of Social Science David M. Cutler ’87 dismissed the director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, professor of Turkish Studies Cemal Kafadar, and its associate director, History professor Rosie Bsheer, on Wednesday, according to a faculty member familiar with the situation.
Harvard To Offer New Freshman Course on ’Human Sciences’
Harvard will offer a new freshman intro course to the Arts and Humanities, Human Sciences 15, next spring as part of an ongoing push to rethink its humanities curriculum.
More Than 600 Harvard Faculty Urge Governing Boards To Resist Demands From Trump
More than 600 Harvard faculty signed a letter to Harvard’s governing boards urging the University to publicly condemn attacks on universities and defy orders that interfere with its independence.
Harvard AAUP Sues Trump Administration Over Attempts To Deport Pro-Palestine Students, Faculty
The Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday morning for allegedly violating its members’ First Amendment rights by arresting and attempting to deport noncitizens for expressing pro-Palestine views.
FAS Dean Hoekstra Talks Scientific Curiosity and Owl Pellets at Harvard Morning Prayers
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra discussed her own evolution as a biologist — from dissecting owl pellets as a child to running a lab at Harvard — during morning prayers delivered in Memorial Church Tuesday morning.
Despite Funding Fears, Harvard To Expand Financial Aid Program
Harvard College will be free for students whose families make $100,000 or less a year and tuition-free for students whose families make $200,000 or less annually, the University announced Monday.
Nearly 200 Harvard Affiliates Rally on Widener Steps To Protest Arrest of Columbia Student
Nearly 200 faculty, staff, and students gathered on the steps of Widener Library on Thursday afternoon to protest the arrest of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil and call for Harvard to deliver a more assertive rejoinder to President Donald Trump’s attacks on universities.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Will Keep Budget Flat, Stop Staff Hiring for Fiscal Year 2026
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences will aim to keep spending flat for fiscal year 2026 amid threats from the Trump administration and long-term financial concerns, according to budget guidance shared by FAS financial officers in early February.
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Will Deny All Waitlisted Candidates Amid Financial Uncertainty
The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will reject all waitlisted candidates for its Ph.D. programs — the University’s latest response to federal funding cuts threatened by the Trump administration.
When Professors Speak Out, Some Students Stay Quiet. Can Harvard Keep Everyone Talking?
A faculty committee urged the FAS to assure professors that their opinions outside the classroom will not affect what courses they can teach — and advised instructors to make sure students know they won’t be penalized for disagreeing.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Diversity Dean Position Left Vacant For Nearly Two Years
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences has been without an associate dean for diversity, inclusion, and belonging for nearly two years after Sheree M. Ohen left Harvard for Amherst University in April 2023.
What Does Harvard Look For in a College Dean?
As Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra looks to select a new College dean this spring, she has a long list of credentials she could look for and three decades of precedent to consider.
Harvard’s President Used To Chair Faculty Meetings. Is It Time for Garber To Return?
As faculty push for greater input in Harvard’s governance, some professors say the president’s absence has left the current officeholder, Alan M. Garber ’76, with limits on his knowledge of faculty concerns — and fewer opportunities to receive guidance from professors as the University faces mounting pressure from Washington.
Harvard Begins Reviewing National Science Foundation Grants, Expanding Response to Trump’s Orders
Harvard Vice Provost for Research John H. Shaw sent an email Wednesday afternoon notifying faculty that the University would begin assessing National Science Foundation grants after the NSF instructed researchers to cease activities barred under President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Visual Arts Colloquium Hum 20 Will Become Department-Level HAA 10 in the Fall
Humanities 20, Harvard’s interdisciplinary art history colloquium, will no longer be offered under the Arts and Humanities division-wide “HUMAN” label and will instead be changed to HAA 10, a History of Arts and Architecture introductory course, starting this fall.