University
Last Year’s Write-in Candidates for the Board of Overseers Will Not Run Again in 2025
At least six of the seven candidates who launched write-in bids for the Board of Overseers last year will not enter the upcoming election cycle, backtracking on previous pledges to run again for the University’s second-highest governing body.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2024
At Harvard, 2024 began with an ending — the chaotic close of Claudine Gay’s short-lived presidency. It would not be a quiet year. Pro-Palestine student protesters staged an encampment in Harvard Yard. Congress expanded its investigation into campus antisemitism, issuing threats alongside blistering reports. Amid it all, Alan M. Garber ’76 quietly ascended from the interim presidency to a permanent post at Harvard’s helm. Here, The Crimson looks back at 10 stories that shaped the University, and Cambridge, in 2024.
Harvard, Cambridge Fail To Reach New PILOT Agreement by End-of-Year Deadline
Harvard and the city of Cambridge have missed their end-of-year deadline for renegotiating Harvard’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes program, which replaces a portion of the property taxes that the University is otherwise exempt from paying.
House Republicans Threaten Funding Cuts, Endowment Tax After Yearlong Antisemitism Probe
Top House Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), urged Congress to more aggressively enforce Title VI antidiscrimination provisions against universities and reiterated threats to strip federal research funding over allegations of antisemitism in a report released Thursday.
‘It’s Been Here All Along’: The Effort to Grow Harvard’s Small Language Programs
Harvard offers instruction in dozens of languages from around the world, including small but vibrant programs in Old English, Zulu, and Tagalog. But according to students and faculty, some administrative obstacles often hinder program conception and development.
Garber Says Harvard Can and Should Condemn Hateful Speech Under Institutional Voice Policy
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 said the University should condemn speech that is antisemitic, racist, or otherwise hateful, calling such actions acceptable under the University’s institutional voice policy.
Alan Garber ’76 Installed as Harvard’s 31st President in Private Ceremony
Alan M. Garber ’76 was inaugurated as the 31st president of Harvard University in a secret ceremony Saturday evening, four months after he was officially appointed to the role for a three-year term.
After Evading ID Checks, Some Library Study-in Participants Remain Unpunished
Participants at two recent study-ins at Widener Library and the Harvard Law School Library left the premises before administrators managed to check their Harvard IDs. Now, it seems, they will escape punishment entirely.
GSAS Student Council Criticizes Harvard Housing Affordability
Members of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Student Council criticized the Harvard administration for the high off-campus housing prices at a meeting Thursday night.
Harvard Law School Faculty Votes to Establish Faculty Senate Planning Body
Harvard Law School faculty members voted to support the creation of a University-wide faculty senate planning body during a meeting on Thursday.
Yale’s Outgoing FAS Dean Says She Is Interested in Harvard Presidency
Tamar S. Gendler, Yale University’s outgoing Faculty of Arts and Sciences dean, expressed interest in becoming the next president of Harvard, a sign that she may be a serious contender for the role when the University’s next search launches in 2026.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 Judges Ames Moot Court Final at HLS
A dozen Harvard Law School students argued before U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 in the final round of the Harvard Law School Ames Moot Court competition.
Harvard Graduate Council Launches Initiatives to Increase Engagement
The Harvard Graduate Council voted at a Monday night meeting to increase its engagement efforts with graduate students, such as by increasing the number of outreach emails and submitting op-eds to The Crimson.
What’s Next for Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative?
When the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative’s Remembrance Program identified more than 100 living descendants of enslaved people owned by University affiliates, it marked just the beginning of what will likely be a yearslong process to engage and support those descendants.
Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Votes In Favor of Faculty Senate Planning Body
The Harvard Kennedy School’s faculty overwhelmingly voted to in support of a University-wide faculty senate planning body, according to a Wednesday email obtained by The Crimson.
Pritzker Defends Naming Gay Harvard President in First Interview Since May 2023
Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker ’81 said she stood by her decision to appoint Claudine Gay as the 30th president of the University during an interview with The Crimson on Monday.
Harvard Will Purchase Power from Two Renewable Energy Projects Through Climate Consortium
Harvard announced Wednesday that it will help finance two utility-scale renewable energy projects through the Consortium for Climate Solutions, an agreement with institutions including MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Harvard Corporation Forms Committee to Replace Presidential Search Subcommittee
Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker ’81 announced the establishment of a formal presidential search process committee that will recommend reforms to the 2026 search process during a Monday interview with The Crimson.
Harvard President Garber Gently Ribs Larry Summers at 70th Birthday Conference
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 teased University Professor Larry Summers about the former Harvard president’s “brazen spirit” at an economics policy conference in honor of his 70th birthday.
Pro-Palestine Protesters Heckle Harvard Donors Attending Annual Dinner With Garber
Roughly 30 pro-Palestine protesters called the University to divest from war crimes and heckled Harvard donors as they made their way into Widener Library for a dinner to celebrate the school’s top donors.
Harvard President Alan Garber to Convene University-Wide Faculty Advisory Council
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 will convene a University-wide council of faculty advisers — a move that comes after months of advocacy from faculty who want an expanded role in school-wide decisions.
Former Secretary of State John Kerry Blasts Trump’s Record on Iran, Climate Change
Former U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry slammed President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum event Thursday evening.
Washington Post, Politico Journalists Critique Election Coverage at IOP Forum
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson and White House correspondent Eugene Daniels pointed to the loss of local journalism as a factor in the national media’s inability to predict former President Donald Trump’s re-election at a Wednesday night Institute of Politics forum.
Harvard Hires 8 New Climate Faculty Across FAS, Graduate Schools
Harvard hired eight new climate faculty members in 2024 as the Salata Institute continues to expand climate research and hiring, the University announced earlier this month.
HUCTW Members Rally In Support of Union and Pro-Palestine Activists
Rank-and-file members of HUCTW rallied in front of the Smith Campus Center on Tuesday to protest Harvard’s response to pro-Palestine demonstrations and union employees’ activism.