Year in Review 2024-25

A Reluctant Fight: Inside Harvard’s War With Washington

The Khurana Decade

After 11 years as the dean of Harvard College, Rakesh Khurana prepares for a change of pace.

Flush With Cash and Hype, Defense Tech Is a New Career Target for Some Harvard Students

As they enter the workforce, Harvard students are increasingly feeling the pull of defense technology firms.

Harvard Activists Have a New Reason To Protest. Does Palestine Fit In?

As Harvard students and faculty protest the second Trump administration, they sometimes coexist uneasily with the pro-Palestine activists who defined protests last year. Is the campaign for academic freedom inseparable from Palestine, or will the two movements find themselves at odds?

Can Harvard Bring Students’ Focus Back to the Classroom?

Harvard’s most vocal critics — and members of its faculty — have claimed that the University’s classes have gotten easier. Now, as Harvard moves to recenter academics in undergraduates’ lives, its students’ shifted priorities are posing a problem.

Cambridge Super PACs: The Biggest Names Not on the Ballot

Local super PACs, through fundraising and endorsements, have reshaped political discourse throughout Cambridge, raising the stakes — and the price tag — of the city's elections.

Strings Attached: How Harvard’s Wealthiest Alumni Are Reshaping University Giving

Led by Samuel W. Lessin ’05 and the 1636 Forum, Harvard donors are ditching unrestricted giving for targeted donations to shape the University’s future.

A Leader for Hard Times at Longwood

Faculty say Harvard School of Public Health Andrea A. Baccarelli is a good listener and honest about the school’s dire straits — and that might be what HSPH needs.

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.

The Government Inquiries Hounding Harvard

Harvard and its expanding legal arm are challenging 12 federal agencies in court. But beyond the high-profile lawsuits, Harvard faces at least 10 federal investigations — and more hard choices.

The Changing Meaning and Lasting Power of the Harvard Name

The Crimson spoke with students, alumni, and critics to understand how the past two years have tested the strength of one of Harvard’s most important assets: its name.

States Across the Country Are Trying to Ban Legacy Admissions. Will Massachusetts Do it Too?

After a bill to ban legacy admissions died in committee last legislative session, some Massachusetts officials are optimistic their efforts will come to fruition.