Op Eds
We’re Harvard Professors Suing the Trump Administration. Here’s Why.
Universities are currently on the front lines of a battle for basic civil liberties. We must fight for the values — and the people — that define us. This lawsuit is a start.
To Protect America’s Universities, We Need America’s Public
The Trump administration’s actions show little care for academic freedom or scientific progress. But I believe that if we make a positive case to the American people, and demonstrate our focus on our educational and research mission, we will ultimately prevail.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its Harvard Plans
The world found out shortly before 3 a.m. Eastern time on March 28 that the Trump administration had decided to rescind all federal funding from Harvard University as well as claim by eminent domain the griffin statues on Robinson Hall as they “would look sick on the White House lawn.”
'It Feels Targeted': 4 International Students on Threats from the White House
In the last couple of months, we interviewed four international students about their experiences. What we heard painted a picture of a hostile political climate, at times exacerbated by Harvard's inconsistent or inadequate response.
I’m Glad Harvard Expanded Aid. Now It’s Time To Increase Access.
Year after year, Harvard fails to admit a truly diverse class in terms of geography and income. The University must refocus its recruitment efforts to identify and reward real merit everywhere it exists.
Harvard Used To Care About Ukraine. It Shouldn’t Stop Now.
Although general programming has been valuable in raising awareness of the Ukrainian plight, students too must pick up the slack. We must actively engage with the war in Ukraine, making it a sustained part of campus discourse.
First They Came for Columbia
We must learn from the past. We cannot remain silent in the face of authoritarian attacks on our peers, even if they have not yet come for us.
Harvard Students Should Ignore Calls to Boycott Israel Trek
Shutting down intellectual exploration as applied to Israel and the Palestinian territories is inconsistent with the values of our University, and Harvard students shouldn’t fall for it.
Give Students a Chance To Be on the Right Side of History
It’s too soon to know whether we will come to regard demands for fossil divestment or “justice for Palestine” as righteous causes as we now think of the civil rights and the 1980s anti-apartheid student protesters. But enforcing strict protest regulations denies us the ability to find out.
I Teach at Harvard. Here’s What the Hiring Freeze Will Do to Us.
We need to remember that the work we do here, in every field, plays a huge part in pushing society forward. So, let’s hope that we can find a way to support the next generation of scholars, researchers, and innovators before this freeze takes an even bigger toll.
Neither Silence nor Compliance Will Save Harvard From Trump. Resistance Might.
Now is the time for the richest University in the world to live by its principles, to draw a line and stand its ground, while it might still make a difference.
Why Harvard Has So Few Conservative Faculty – Or Does It?
Let’s not pretend we have a problem where we do not. For none of these groups is affirmative action called for.
Harvard Must Take a Stand for Democracy
To silence ourselves in the name of neutrality would not only violate our own policy but also abdicate our broader civil responsibility.
This Housing Day, Quad Every Sophomore — Seriously
The time has come for Harvard to rethink housing. It has the opportunity to build a stronger community and a fairer living experience for its students. The University should lean into what it does best: burdening us — equally.
When It Comes To Free Speech, Harvard Students Must Look Inward
Many of my deepest friendships at Harvard have been formed and strengthened through meaningful disagreement, even on sensitive topics. Take a risk! If someone is not willing to listen, make that their problem, not yours.
I’m a Former HMS Dean. Here’s What Trump’s NIH Cuts Will Actually Do.
Of course the effects will vary across research institutions, as institutions differ markedly in their operating models and financial situations. Jobs will be lost, including faculty, trainees, and support staff. Ongoing and planned research studies will be canceled, and the advancement of life-saving science will suffer.
The Kennedy School Doesn’t Need To Legitimize DOGE
Now more than ever, Harvard needs to work toward strengthening public policy and governance in the U.S. and around the world. We ask that the Kennedy School leverage its institutional legitimacy to strengthen democracy, not contribute to its demise.
Harvard Didn’t Just Kill Its Slavery Research Team. It Flunked History of Slavery 101.
Many people are shocked and saddened at how badly Harvard has stumbled in its efforts to reveal and repair the legacy of slavery at Harvard. These stumbles may in fact be the most eloquent expression of the “legacy of slavery at Harvard” — a legacy driven by fear, denial, willful ignorance, institutional arrogance, and financial self-interest.
If Harvard Bends to Trump, It’s Already Lost
In sum, we urge Harvard to refuse the illusory safety of anticipatory obedience and the moral compromises it will inevitably demand. The University must not simply survive the next four years, but must do so with its values intact.
The Canceled HMS Panel Is a Failure of Empathy
Empathy should be our power — the ability to stand with people in their pain while fighting for their health. Our promise is to value the lives and health of others unequivocally. Our downfall is when we close our eyes, when we stop seeing a patient as we would see ourselves — when we stop viewing lives lost around the world as lives as full as ours.
I Reported on a School Shooting. Harvard is Unprepared for a Crisis.
When there is an intruder in a Harvard building – like there was at HLS last fall — should we wait to act until the individual opens fire? Students, faculty, and staff must ask these questions in today’s climate of senseless gun violence at American schools. It is time for Harvard to provide some answers.
Harvard Must Choose Veritas Over Survival
We may be able to justify, in the long run, the compromises we will make to help Harvard survive the difficult years ahead. But the University must defend truth as long as it can, and do so with fortitude and courage.
The Mission of Harvard in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
As artificial intelligence grows increasingly adept at performing intellectual tasks once thought to be the exclusive domain of humans, the question arises: What remains quintessentially human, and how should we nurture it?
Harvard Educated Eight Presidents — Why not a Philosopher King?
We do not need to believe in Platonic philosopher-kings to believe that it is good for our leaders to be equipped with the tools of moral philosophy. Those making decisions that impact the lives of their fellow citizens should understand both the empirical and ethical import of their actions.
From CAFH Leadership: Harvard's Settlements Are No Threat to Academic Freedom — Yet
Errors and biases should be exposed by vigorous criticism from members of the Harvard community, not stipulated by University policy.