Year in Review
When Harvard’s Clubs Become Companies
While most clubs advertise opportunities to find social connection or gain pre-professional experience, a small-but-growing number of student organizations boast perks and resources more akin to those of small corporations — including themed apparel, glamorous formal events, all-expenses-paid travel, financial aid, and six-figure budgets.
What Critical Race Theory Was — and is — at Harvard Law School
How has the legal field of critical race theory been shaped by Harvard Law School, and how do its students and scholars view conservative attacks on the field?
Bloated or Beneficial? Harvard’s Growing Admin
In 2004, Harvard employed just under 5,300 full-time administrators. Nearly two decades later, this figure has seen a whopping 43 percent increase. In contrast, the University’s faculty, starting at 2,000 members, has only increased by 11 percent in that same time period.
What Happened to the Push for a Multicultural Center?
Following the onset of the pandemic, some believe students have stopped asking for a multicultural center, even as activism supporting an ethnic studies department and race-conscious admissions has persisted. Activists are now beginning to revive efforts for cultural centers or a multicultural space, though many have different views on what they would look like.
With Winthrop and Sackler, Harvard Faces Denaming Dilemma
Over the past few years, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum and Building, Winthrop House, and Mather House have all been subject to calls for denaming due to the legacies of their namesakes. Now, for the first time, the Univeristy is officially considering requests for renaming proposals, but students and alumni remain split on what should be done.
Hanging Up the Harvard Jersey
Approximately one in four students who played on a varsity sports team in the 2019-20 season left their team before the 2022-23 season. Interviews with nearly a dozen former Harvard athletes suggested that time commitments, battles with injuries, and balancing a beloved sport and the desire for a more well-rounded Harvard experience contributed to decisions to step away.
Does Harvard Have an Academic Freedom Problem?
In the face of what many characterize as an academic freedom issue at Harvard, professors and students have created their own spaces for exchanging potentially controversial ideas. Nonetheless, they disagree on the stakes.
The Black Box of Harvard’s Campus Police
How much does the public know about Harvard University Police Department, the University’s private police force? In what ways is HUPD a “black box” — a system whose inner workings are unknown to outside observers?
The Nuclear Option: Why Harvard Tenured Professors Are Almost Never Fired
Technically, it is possible for a tenured professor to be fired. In practice, however, this power has rarely — if ever — been exercised. Every tenured Harvard professor embroiled in a recent controversy either chose to retire or remained a member of the faculty.
A Crimson Commonwealth: The Harvard Alumni Who Run Massachusetts
As Harvard affiliates continue to interact with and fill the Massachusetts government, it often falls to the University’s own to create policy and settle disagreements that directly affect Harvard. How does their time at the University influence the way they approach these disputes, and what is the effect of Harvard’s impact on Massachusetts leaders?
Rejecting the Rankings: Why Harvard and Yale Led a Widespread Boycott of U.S. News After Decades-Long Criticism
While the recent boycott of U.S. News rankings by top law and medical schools represents the most serious challenge to U.S. News since it began ranking colleges and universities 40 years ago, the magazine has pledged to continue its annual rankings practice by relying on publicly available data it can use with or without the participation of schools.
As Bacow Departs, Political Tensions that Defined His Presidency Endure
During Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow’s five years in office, he encountered a unique convergence of challenges — one that reflected a higher education landscape under attack. Woven through all this was the pandemic, a crisis during which Bacow was forced to make consequential decisions without a blueprint.
‘Stabilizing in the New Normal’: Harvard Square Adapts to Post-Pandemic Challenges
While Harvard Square has welcomed a bevy of new businesses in the last year — ranging from vintage clothing stores to boba tea shops to athletic facilities — a number of longstanding businesses continue to feel the lingering pains of the pandemic.
‘It’s Way Past Time’: How Cambridge is Reconsidering its 80-Year-Old Form of Government
Last August, the Cambridge City Council appointed 15 residents to a charter review committee set to reassess the city’s form of government and recommended changes. The committee continues to grapple with its first major dilemma: Should the city be run by a mayor or a city manager?
Dean Today, President Tomorrow: Gay Reflects on 5 Years Leading Harvard FAS
As Harvard students packed up to scatter across the globe for winter vacation, the University dropped a surprise announcement: Claudine Gay, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, had been chosen to become Harvard’s next president. After the celebrations, however, the FAS geared up to face its next big challenge: replacing its leader.
