University News
Ten Stories That Shaped 2022
In 2022, Harvard saw a multitude of transitions. The school finally lifted most of its last Covid-19 mandates and held in-person Commencement ceremonies for not one, not two, but three Harvard College classes. Across the top ranks of Harvard’s leadership, familiar faces exited the stage, including University President Lawrence S. Bacow, who will be succeeded by Claudine Gay, the first person of color and second woman to be named to Harvard’s top post. Here, The Crimson looks back at the 10 stories that shaped 2022 at Harvard.
Sean Caron Promoted to Vice President for Harvard’s Campus Services
Sean Caron, managing director of Harvard Real Estate, will serve as the new vice president for campus services, the University announced Tuesday.
Protestors March Through Harvard Square, Hold Vigil for Victims of Urumqi Fire
More than 80 demonstrators marched through Harvard Square on Saturday to protest the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs and other populations living in occupied territories.
Three Harvard Scholars Named University Professors, Highest Faculty Distinction
Harvard scholars Catherine Dulac, Robert J. Sampson, and Arlene H. Sharpe ’75 will become University Professors, Harvard’s highest faculty distinction, next year.
Epstein Victim Drops Claims Against Alan Dershowitz
A victim of Jeffrey E. Epstein who claimed she was sexually abused by Alan M. Dershowitz settled a lawsuit she had filed against him, saying she “may have made a mistake” in accusing the prominent lawyer of wrongdoing.
Harvard Argues for Ruling Without Trial in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over 2015 Student Suicide
Attorneys for Harvard and the estate of Luke Z. Tang ’18, who died by suicide on campus in 2015, presented arguments for and against motions for the court to rule without a trial in a wrongful death lawsuit at a Tuesday hearing.
Harvard Divinity School Dean David Hempton to Step Down After Decade in Role
Dean of Harvard Divinity School David N. Hempton announced Thursday he step down from the school’s helm at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, though he will continue teaching.
Meet the Lawyers Arguing Before the Supreme Court in the Harvard Admissions Lawsuit Next Week
The Supreme Court will hear lawsuits challenging race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina next week. The verdicts have the potential to end race-conscious admissions at colleges across the country.
Jay O. Light, Former Harvard Business School Dean, Dies at 81
Jay O. Light, who served as dean of the Harvard Business School from 2005 to 2010, died of cancer earlier this month at his home in Massachusetts. He was 81.
HUCTW Rallies for Wage Increases Amid Contract Negotiations
More than 3,500 Harvard clerical and technical workers signed onto a letter calling on the University to agree to wage increases this week amid contract negotiations between the school and their union.
Harvard Hosts First ‘Disability as Diversity’ Celebration
Harvard Disability Resources hosted its first “Disability as Diversity” celebration on Wednesday in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Harvard’s Wyss Institute Receives $350 Million Gift
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss gifted Harvard $350 million to support the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard announced Thursday.
Laverne Cox, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Among Seven Recipients of W.E.B. Du Bois Medal at Sold-Out Ceremony
Harvard awarded seven individuals — including actress Laverne Cox and basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, the University’s highest honor in African American Studies on Thursday.
Hundreds of Harvard Law School Students Participate in Sit-In for Increased Legal Education in Reproductive Rights
Hundreds of Harvard Law School students participated in a day-long sit-in on Tuesday to demand that the school’s administration increase educational opportunities related to reproductive rights.
Second Time’s the Charm: HKS Selects Student Government Leaders in Second Election Attempt
It took two elections, two debates, and eight days longer than expected, but the Harvard Kennedy School has finally elected a new student government.
Ukrainian President Zelensky Accuses Russia of Trying to Draft Ukrainians into Military at Harvard IOP Forum
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Russian government of staging a set of referendums in an effort to draft thousands of Ukrainians into the Russian military while speaking at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum on Tuesday.
Harvard Has Reported Positive Endowment Returns for Five Straight Years. That Could Change this Year.
With high inflation and rising interest rates rattling financial markets, the Harvard Management Company, the University’s investment arm, could be on the brink of delivering its first negative annual returns in five years.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laverne Cox to be Awarded Harvard’s Highest Honor for African and African American Studies
Seven individuals — including basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and actress Laverne Cox — will be awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal.
Radcliffe Institute Welcomes New Cohort of Fellows
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study welcomed its new cohort of fellows last week, who will tackle a range of year-long projects from waste management strategies to feminist poetry.
Report Calls on Harvard to Expand Climate Change Education
A University report issued last week called on Harvard to expand its climate change offerings by hiring new faculty and staff in the field and establishing a standing committee to direct the school’s efforts.
Activists Rally for Harvard Student who Died in Bali as Peruvian Government Launches Investigation into Death
Nearly 100 protestors rallied outside the Peruvian consulate in Boston on Sunday to honor Rodrigo Ventocilla Ventosilla, a Harvard Kennedy School student from Peru who died in police custody in Indonesia last month.
Harvard Business School Covers Full Tuition for 10 Percent of Students
The Harvard Business School rolled out a new financial aid program earlier this month that covers the full cost of tuition for about 10 percent of its MBA students.
Mass. Supreme Court Allows Emotional Distress Claim Against Harvard to Proceed in Suit Over Photos of Enslaved People
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturned a lower court’s dismissal of Tamara K. Lanier’s emotional distress claim against Harvard, according to a decision released Thursday morning, allowing Lanier to continue to seek damages from the University.
With Bacow Set to Step Down, Some Faculty Want Harvard’s Next President to be From a Different Mold
In interviews after Bacow's announcement that he would step down next year, faculty members offered a wide range of hopes for Harvard’s next president: Some say they want someone from a different academic background, and many others vie for a candidate who will use the perch of the University presidency to tackle global social issues.
Bacow Joins a Growing List of Higher Education Leaders Who Are Heading for the Exits
University President Lawrence S. Bacow, who announced Wednesday that he plans to step down next year, has joined more than a half-dozen prominent higher education leaders who are set to depart soon, including the presidents of Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Tufts University, and MIT.