Opening Exercises, Class of 2011

President Drew Gilpin Faust welcomed first-year students at the College in a ceremony at Sanders Theatre on Sunday, September 9...

President Drew Gilpin Faust welcomed first-year students at the College in a ceremony at Sanders Theatre on Sunday, September 9...

President Drew Gilpin Faust welcomed first-year students at the College in a ceremony at Sanders Theatre on Sunday, September 9. Audio of the remarks by Michael D. Smith, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and by President Faust, is excerpted below; a transcript of Faust’s speech is posted at www.president.harvard.edu. Audio of the entire program, including music by the Holden Choirs and the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, is also posted here.

Most popular

Ronny Chieng Tells Harvard to ‘Destroy AI’ as Graduates Cheer

The comedian and The Daily Show host gave the keynote address for Class Day 2026.

Harvard Confers Five Honorary Degrees at the 2026 Commencement

O’Brien joins journalists, a scholar of AI, and a Broadway star.

Commencement Day with Conan O’Brien

The comedian headlined a star-studded cast for Harvard’s 375th Commencement exercises.

House - Email

Explore More From Current Issue

Four stylized magnifying glasses arranged in a gradient background with abstract patterns.

AI

AI Hunts For Stolen Harvard Coins

A museum curator and a computer scientist track down ancient coins taken in a legendary heist.

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard in the Crosshairs

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Woman with long hair, smiling, wearing a black sweater, in a textured beige background.

Arts & Culture

For This Poet, AI Is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.