Dear colleagues, Earlier today, President Garber shared the final reports from the Presidential Task Forces on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias and Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias. I am deeply grateful for the hard work of faculty, staff, and student members on both task forces, including members of the FAS community. These are substantial documents, the result…Continue Reading Update on Presidential Task Forces
Facing the Challenges Ahead
Dear colleagues, Last week, President Garber described the steps Harvard is taking to defend our University against unprecedented demands by the federal government that seek to dictate what we can teach, whom we can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry we can pursue. As the President noted, these demands are unlawful and beyond…Continue Reading Facing the Challenges Ahead
Navigating Uncertainty: Our Priorities
Dear Colleagues, As we navigate a period of uncertainty for higher education and for Harvard, in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences we continue our work to build financial capacity and resiliency. As many of you are aware, the FAS has long had a structural deficit; simply put, our expenses outpace our revenues. This combined…Continue Reading Navigating Uncertainty: Our Priorities
Dean of Social Science Spring Leave
Dear colleagues, I write to share that Lawrence Bobo, Dean of Social Science and the W. E. B. Du Bois Professor of the Social Sciences, will be taking a personal leave for the spring 2025 term. I look forward to welcoming him back as dean for the fall 2025 term. We are very fortunate that…Continue Reading Dean of Social Science Spring Leave
Remarks at FAS Faculty Meeting
In recent days, I’ve heard a wide-range of views from colleagues about the protests in libraries across campus, and I want to take a moment in my dean’s business today to provide some clarity – about our rules and their purpose, about what happened, and about my responsibilities. Let me start by talking about the…Continue Reading Remarks at FAS Faculty Meeting
New Harvard College Admissions Data
We have just welcomed to campus a new class of 1647 undergraduate students who, like in previous years, manifest excellence on many dimensions. …Continue Reading New Harvard College Admissions Data
Welcome Back
Dear FAS Community, At heart, and by experience, I am a scientist. I have spent my life exploring the mysteries of our planet – from conducting sometimes dangerous physics experiments in my parent’s garage to, more recently, understanding the evolution of our genome. Curiosity has been my guide to discovery, whether in my lab on Divinity…Continue Reading Welcome Back
Dean Rakesh Khurana
Dear members of the FAS community, I write today to celebrate the exceptional leadership of Dean Rakesh Khurana, who will complete his tenure as the Danoff Dean of Harvard College at the end of this academic year. As the longest-serving Harvard College Dean in more than a century, Dean Khurana has had a profound impact on our…Continue Reading Dean Rakesh Khurana
New Bok Center Faculty Director
It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Karen Thornber, the Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in Literature, as well as President of Phi Beta Kappa Alpha Iota of Massachusetts, as the next Richard L. Menschel Faculty Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning as of July 1, 2024….Continue Reading New Bok Center Faculty Director
A Message from Dean Hoekstra
Dear members of the FAS community, As President Garber announced earlier today, the encampment of Harvard Yard has ended – peacefully, and without police action. Watching circumstances play out on other campuses, we know this outcome was anything but assured and I am profoundly grateful to the many who helped make it possible. Over the last…Continue Reading A Message from Dean Hoekstra