During a conversation in his Massachusetts Hall office on a remarkably balmy Halloween afternoon, President Alan M. Garber was expansive about his academic aspirations for the University he has led on an interim basis since last January, and as president since August. That he was able to focus on intellectual matters was indicative of the relatively calm campus conditions thus far this semester, punctuated only by modest free-speech protests in the libraries and a small protest calling for changes in endowment policies affecting investments that bear on the Middle East war (steps the University has declined to take). That represents a considerable change from the protests and concerns about speech, discrimination, and harassment that necessarily shaped his agenda last winter and through spring’s Harvard Yard encampment and walkout from Commencement.
The work Garber initiated to address institutional neutrality and campus discourse may have played some role in helping to refocus the community (which still awaits important reports from task forces on combatting antisemitism and anti-Muslim, -Arab, and -Palestinian bias, expected later this semester).
But he was not talking about those efforts (nor taking any credit), given his overarching assessment of his many interactions of late with Harvardians locally and worldwide: “I have been struck by the observation that our community remains as deeply committed to the core work of the University as it has ever been"—work that he said includes research, teaching, and, yes, extracurriculars. “At its heart,” he continued, “the University is what it has always been,” despite the disruptions of the past year and news coverage focused on them, rather than on the quiet work in classrooms, laboratories, and libraries. (For a comment on these matters, see “An Academic Agenda,” November-December 2024.)
Students, faculty and staff members, and alumni with whom he has met, Garber said, conveyed a strong urge for the University to “move forward and achieve our core mission,” and his top priority is enabling that work in every way possible. As provost, he noted, he had been deeply involved in University initiatives (such as research on climate change and sustainability, natural and artificial intelligence, and quantum science)—and in securing resources to support the scholarship. Taking stock now, as president, he said, “We have some incredible strengths” in broad, high-potential fields of discovery.
Scientific Frontiers
Foremost among these is the life sciences, where Harvard remains “in the midst of an…ecosystem that is the envy of the world,” with the University in a central role through its medical, biology, applied sciences and engineering, public health, and other expertise. “The potential for advancement in science, and life sciences significantly, has never been greater,” said Garber (himself a physician scientist/economist by training and prior experience).
Among the factors driving discovery, he cited developments in artificial intelligence, data science, imaging at unprecedented levels of resolution, and basic understanding of biological processes. Given its investment and prowess in all those domains, and its ability to apply them to problems in health, he said, “Harvard needs to be at the forefront of advances in the life sciences in the years to come,” and predicted “spectacular” progress. He promised to address the University agenda in these domains in coming months. He noted that the recent Nobel Prizes awarded to professor of genetics Gary Ruvkun and David Baker ’84 for fundamental discoveries in microRNA and protein fabrication, respectively, with subsequent therapeutic applications, and the election of a dozen faculty affiliates to the National Academy of Medicine, were meaningful “external markers of the talent within our community.”
The life sciences and biomedicine are clearly the largest cluster of such research strength, but Garber also cited an emerging field with enormous potential: the quantum science and engineering doctoral program, which he said was attracting “extraordinary interest” among researchers and students. Beyond the importance of quantum computing per se, he continued, the discoveries have significant application within the life sciences. New techniques for measurement at very fine resolutions, he said, would lead to insights into biological structures and physiological processes never before available—radiating over time into applications like those now stemming from Ruvkun’s discoveries.
Hewing to the Humanities…
Alongside the scientific momentum—a point of increasing Harvard emphasis during the past two decades—Garber added that even as an undergraduate (class of 1977), he recognized that excellence in the humanities was “part of what makes Harvard so special.” A generation on, in parental perspective, he said, “All of my children went to Harvard, and although two of them concentrated in humanities, one in science, and one in science and humanities, for all of them it was clear that some their most important, meaningful experiences were in the humanities.”
At a time when much of the country is questioning studies in the humanities (see “Humanists All,” by James Engell, January-February 2023), he emphasized that “We need to ensure that every Harvard undergraduate can take full advantage of the excellence of the faculty and the course offerings, and ensure that the humanities are organized so they are fully accessible” to all students. He envisioned a partnership with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to support excellence in humanities research and pedagogy. (See a report on some FAS scholars’ thoughts about how best to organize the humanities to accommodate new fields here.)
…and Remaining Dedicated to Diversity
The president reiterated a bedrock commitment to “advance our agenda in diversity, inclusion, and belonging.” He noted that in the current political environment, it is “no secret that ‘DEI’ has been under attack,” and, in admissions, past practices for assembling diverse classes are no longer permitted following the June 2023 Supreme Court ruling outlawing consideration of candidates’ race as part of the holistic review of applications. The University’s long-term commitment to diversity, Garber said, is “grounded in the belief that diversity is critical to effective learning” and to broad excellence in research.
“We reaffirm that we will comply with the law and will also maintain our commitment to diversity within the law,” he said—a subject of active work in admissions and other offices across the University.
When he was asked how to proceed (for example, by deploying the Opportunity Atlas tools developed by Ackman professor of public economics Raj Chetty and colleagues), President Garber kept the conversation on a high plane. “We need to be creative,” he said, and to “ensure the actions we take will be successful, and think beyond traditional approaches” to attract applicants and support their success upon admission and enrollment. He cited efforts by admissions personnel to solicit applicants in urban high schools that have not traditionally sent students to Harvard or peer universities—and then recruiting those granted admission, and “making sure that they have an [educational] experience that they will cherish forever” as Harvard becomes “the place where they can achieve their full potential.”
Asked whether Harvard would reconsider admissions preferences for alumni legacies in light of increasing political and legislative opposition (California banned alumni and donor preferences at all institutions, including private ones, effective October 1, becoming the most recent state to do so), the president said, “We look at admissions” annually. “We want to be sure that our admissions practices achieve our goals.” The consideration would be “data-driven and values-driven,” he continued, within the context of legislative change and related developments—but he declined to elaborate.
Administration and Governance
Given his experience as provost and now president, Garber was asked whether he saw the need or opportunity to change or improve those offices.
He observed that the provost, in its modern form, is a recent innovation at Harvard, dating to Neil L. Rudenstine’s presidency, beginning in 1991, when the office was created to oversee nascent interfaculty initiatives in emerging fields of research like mind, brain, and behavior. The role had gradually evolved, he observed, to the point that the provost is now “clearly Harvard University’s chief academic officer,” overseeing affiliates ranging from the Art Museums to the American Repertory Theater, the now numerous interfaculty research initiatives, and, together with the president, the schools themselves and the selection of their deans.
It has been “a process of continuous evolution,” he said, not a “step change,” and “I see that continuing.” Much as his work with President Drew Gilpin Faust drew on her experience and insights as an academic historian (and his medical and social science background), he and Provost John Manning (the Law School’s former dean) “each bring our backgrounds to these jobs.” (Manning, for example, oversaw the work of the institutional neutrality and civil discourse task forces.) In this sense, the president-provost working relationship is critical, Garber said, with flexibility and the capacity to adapt to the principals’ strengths and experiences. All those factors are in place today, he observed.
Asked whether the members of the Corporation (on which the president serves) were undertaking any major self-assessments or contemplating changes in procedures and practices in the wake of recent events (the appointment of Claudine Gay as president, her departure after six tumultuous months, and Garber’s succession), he pointed to the 2010 governance reforms, which enlarged the governing board’s membership and internal organization.
The principal questions today, he said, are less structural and “more about ensuring that it is more closely connected to the Harvard community, especially on campus. That is something the Corporation is actively working on.”
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Finally, returning to the core academic mission, the president said he and the institution “remain committed to seeking greater support for financial aid” across the University. (As reported, the College’s family income threshold for free attendance is $85,000, versus $100,000 now at Princeton and Stanford, and $125,000 at Dartmouth. Recent gifts have made attendance free, or nearly so, at several medical schools, including Johns Hopkins, a close Harvard competitor. And the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences had to raise stipends substantially to remain competitive in admissions, effective this academic year.) Anyone with leftover Halloween goodies who would like to express confidence in Harvard’s core academic mission by offering a treat to underwrite financial aid would find a grateful recipient in Alan Garber, Mass. Hall, Cambridge 02138.
