University News
Bacow Hopeful Grad Student Strike Can be Avoided as Deadline Looms
Bacow said in an interview Wednesday the University has collaborated with the graduate student union and plans to continue negotiating.
Four All-Electric Shuttles Unveiled at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The shuttles — which the University purchased in February to curb its use of fossil fuels — will replace four bio-diesel buses that comprise over 30 percent of the bus fleet at Harvard.
Harvard Clerical and Technical Workers Reach One-Year Tentative Agreement With University
After five months of negotiations, Harvard’s clerical and technical workers union, which represents more than 5,000 workers as the University’s largest union, reached a one-year tentative agreement with the University Wednesday.
Harvard Chemists Use Dyes as a New Data Storage Method
Harvard chemists developed a new data storage method using fluorescent dyes that may be much more durable and cost-efficient than traditional storage methods.
Tindal Lays Out Vision as New Museums Director, Addresses Recent Controversies
Brenda D. Tindal, the new executive director of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, shared her vision for the HMSC and her passion for museums, community engagement, and civic dialogue during a virtual fireside chat Tuesday evening.
Tech Experts Debate Strategies to Regulate Social Media, Protect Private Data
Legal and policy experts debated strategies to protect private data on platforms including Facebook, Google, and Twitter in a virtual panel hosted Tuesday by the Berkman Klein Center.
Documentary on Harvard Daguerreotypes Lawsuit Premieres as Court Hearing Looms
A documentary on a Black woman trying to reclaim her family’s history by suing Harvard University over its possession of photographs depicting her enslaved ancestors premiered Friday at a Harvard Square movie theater.
Harvard Ended Fiscal Year 2021 with $283 Million Surplus, Despite Losing $124 Million in Revenue
Harvard finished the fiscal year ending in June 2021 with a budget surplus of $283 million, despite a $124 million drop in revenue, according to the University’s annual financial report released Thursday.
Harvard’s Endowment Soars to $53.2 Billion, Reports 33.6% Returns
Harvard Management Company returned 33.6 percent on its investments for the fiscal year ending in June 2021, skyrocketing the value of the University’s endowment to $53.2 billion, the largest sum in its history.
With Campus Open, Schlesinger Library Pushes Forward with Digitization, Collection Diversification
The Schlesinger Library plans to continue its digitization efforts and diversify its collection as staff members return to in-person work.
Three Economists With Harvard Ties Awarded Nobel Prize
Three U.S.-based professors with Harvard ties received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on Monday for their work on minimum wage and natural experiments.
FAS Review Largely Upholds Tenure System Despite Acknowledging ‘Mistrust and Low Morale’
A review of tenure processes within the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences found that the tenure-track system is “structurally sound” but recommended adjustments in certain aspects of the system to address “mistrust and low morale” in the process.
HKS Fellow, Journalist Maria Ressa Wins Nobel Peace Prize for ‘Fight for Freedom of Expression’
Harvard Kennedy School fellow and journalist Maria A. Ressa received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for her work advancing freedom of the press and combating misinformation in the Philippines.
In Massive Security Oversight, Thousands of Private University Documents Left Vulnerable
A widespread security oversight left at least tens of thousands of Harvard’s administrative files — including sensitive and confidential information on University governance — available for anyone with Harvard credentials to view, edit, download, and share.
FAS Dean Gay Hopes to Update Affiliates on Ethnic Studies Search by Semester’s End
Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay said the FAS is continuing its cluster hire of ethnic studies scholars and will “probably” update affiliates on its progress by the semester’s end.
Ed Portal Panelists Discuss Monuments’ Past and Future
Boston and Cambridge-area arts professionals discussed the ability of new kinds of monuments to “contribute to the formation of a positive collective identity” at a Harvard Ed Portal panel on Tuesday.
‘Just Not Fair’: As Allston’s Housing Costs Rise, Residents Turn to Harvard for Answers
Dominated by stockyards and rail lines before 1900, the 20th century transformed Allston: waves of immigration made it one of Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods, filled with single- and multi-family homes.
Faculty Discuss Campus Covid Situation, Potential Graduate Student Strike
An early September Covid-19 surge led to “nail-biting” moments for administrators, but Harvard has dodged “severe” cases of Covid-19 among vaccinated students this semester, University officials said during a faculty meeting Tuesday.
HMS Dean Outlines Financial, Institutional Goals in State of the School Address
Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley ’82 lauded HMS faculty, affiliates, students, and staff for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic and reiterated institutional values in his State of the School address over Zoom Tuesday.
Harvard Saw Decrease in Total Crimes and Sexual Assaults, Increase in Burglaries During 2020
The total number of reported crimes in 2020 was 178, down from the 220 total crimes reported in 2019. On-campus crimes also saw a 14 percent decrease in 2020 — when college students were sent home in March, and only freshmen were invited to live back on campus in the fall.
HGSE Student Council Members Say Amplifying Underrepresented Voices Among Top Priorities
In interviews, four members of HGSE’s Student Council, who sit on the Student Advocacy and Issues Committee and the Programming and Events Committee, shared their goals for the 2021-22 academic year.
SEAS Appoints Committee on Plans to Consolidate Cambridge Buildings
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences appointed a task force to reexamine the plans it announced in June to vacate the historic Pierce Hall and consolidate its Cambridge footprint, with some faculty pushing back on the proposed move.
Bacow Insists Harvard’s Move to End Fossil Fuel Investments is ‘Consistent’ with Past Positions
When University President Lawrence S. Bacow said earlier this month that Harvard would move to end its investments in the fossil fuel industry, the activists who had been pushing him to do so for years celebrated the news as a seismic shift.
Hutchins Center Explores the Legacy of Eugenics in New England, at Harvard
Prominent historians and scholars convened virtually on Wednesday to discuss the legacy of eugenics in New England and at Harvard in a conference hosted by Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
Harvard Davis Center Announces New Georgian Studies Program
Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies is launching a new program for Georgian Studies with the support of the Georgian government, the center announced Wednesday.