On the cover: Illustration by Taylor Callery
Cambridge 02138
Stimulus funds, meritocracy, enlarging history, and more
Silver Linings
President Bacow on the engaged upside to online teaching and learning
A Quartet of Crises
Educational, financial, political, and values issues challenge Harvard’s leaders—and the University community.
November-December 2020
On the cover: Illustration by Taylor Callery
School Goes Remote
Students, faculty, and staff adjust to a changed landscape.
The Conservative
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat’s journey through American decadence and upheaval
Lorenzo Tañada
Brief life of a Philippine patriot: 1898-1992
Controlling the Global Thermostat
Coming to terms with climate change’s relentless, long-term fallout
RIGHT NOW Harvard research and ideas
Welfare’s Payback
Economic analysis of U.S. government spending shows that some social programs more than pay for themselves.
Lessons in Dementia’s Decline?
Dementia is decreasing in Europe and North America. Why not the rest of the world?
Detecting Breast Cancer Everywhere
A portable, simple testing technology promises accurate breast-cancer diagnosis and treatment in low- and middle-income countries.
John Harvard's Journal University news
Fraught Fall
A semester conducted in the shadow of the coronavirus
Mayra Rivera
How apocalyptic narratives help make sense of the modern world
Admissions Lawsuit: Round Two
The First Circuit Court of Appeals will rule on a much-watched lawsuit that could determine the future of affirmative action.
Timely Recovery
The endowment increases to $41.9 billion, and Harvard Management Company reports a 7.3 percent return on investments.
Yesterday’s News
Headlines from Harvard’s history
Brevia
Racial justice efforts, “Lowell?” House, and more
Overseers’ Overhaul
A consequential change in the composition of and elections for the Board of Overseers
History, Crowdsourced
Volunteer transcribers help make Harvard library documents accessible.
University Friendships—and Beyond
The Undergraduate considers friendships on and away from campus.
A Life in Tai Chi
The healing of Master Yon Lee
Montage Books, creative arts, performance, and more
Finding Other Streets
Photographer Mark Erickson on the Vietnam he never knew
“To Break Our Own Rules”
Poet-critic Dan Chiasson and The Math Campers
In a Farmer’s Long Beard
Miriam Udel’s passion for children and Yiddish children’s literature
Family History
A German American scholar is unsettled by an ancestor’s secret.
Chapter & Verse
Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words
Off the Shelf
Recent books with Harvard connections
Yearning for an Upswing
In search of optimism, a sweeping interpretation of American social history
Harvard SquaredWhat to do in Boston, Cambridge, and beyond
A Man and His Castle
Gothic surroundings, spiritualism, and science: Hammond Castle Museum’s eclectic appeal
Hip-Hop Art and French Innovators
Winter exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts
Urban Adventure Quest, Boston
Scavenger-hunting in historic Boston
Artful Gifts
Holiday gifts that support the arts
How We Eat Out Now
Independent restaurants struggle in the pandemic.
A New Twist on Home for the Holidays
Harvard Square venues offer warmth, cheer, and appetizing fare.
Almuni Harvardians far and wide
The Sports Critic
Louisa Thomas takes a different view.
The Aloian Memorial Scholars
Seniors who’ve enhanced Harvard House life
Alumni Interviewer Honors
The College Admissions Office’s 2020 Miller-Hunn Award winners
The 2020 HAA Award Winners
Six alumni are honored for significant volunteer service.
Election Results
The Alumni Association’s new elected directors
Likenesses
A Civil War image and an Empire State Building homage
