In 1966, John T. Bethell ’54 became the editor of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin—then a competent, if staid, small-circulation magazine published 17 times annually. In an efflorescence of editorial vision and talent, he and a small cohort of superb colleagues began raising the magazine’s ambitions and modernizing its approach. The final result of that evolution, reflagged as the monthly Harvard Magazine, debuted in 1973, devoted to presenting the work of the University as no alumni magazine had ever done before.
When I was appointed to succeed Bethell in 1995, I was privileged to inherit a much larger enterprise committed to serving an engaged readership of extraordinary breadth and sophistication and to reporting on a University of extraordinary intellectual power and promise. Under Bethell’s stewardship, the magazine had reinforced its editorial independence and firmly established its unrelenting commitment to accuracy, fairness, and accountability for its contents and its aspiration to the highest quality of reporting and writing.
Upon those essential foundations, we made some sensible changes over time: going online in the spring of 1996 (and subsequently originating news coverage untethered to the bimonthly printed publication); introducing more faculty voices into the mix (through essays and book reviews); broadening coverage of arts, culture, and performance (now in the Montage section); and expanding the space devoted to University and higher education news (in John Harvard’s Journal).
This work has been made possible by a small staff of incredibly hard-working, effective editorial and business colleagues (and by freelance writers, photographers, and artists). It has been importantly underwritten by donations from alumni friends and by supportive advertisers. And it has been wisely guided by the magazine’s Incorporators and Directors, whose names we proudly publish on the masthead in each issue. I want particularly to acknowledge the presidents of Harvard Magazine Inc. since my arrival at 7 Ware Street: David O. Ives ’41, M.B.A. ’43; Daniel Steiner ’54, LL.B. ’58; James O. Freedman ’57, L ’60; Henry Rosovsky, JF ’57, Ph.D. ’59, LL.D. ’98; Margaret H. Marshall, Ed.M. ’69, LL.D. ’21; and now, William C. Kirby, Ph.D. ’81. Each has understood how an unusual entity like this one—independent of but adjacent to the University it covers—is of inestimable value to Harvard, and each has helped us navigate the subtleties of that relationship and of this complex place.
That has mattered, because our efforts to help Harvard put its best foot forward are not limited to rewarding profiles of scholars or exciting journeys into their academic domains—across scales from virology to the limits of the universe, and fields from Jane Austen to climate change. During the past three decades, the magazine has had to report on two abruptly shortened Harvard presidencies (2006 and 2024); a nearly existential financial crisis (2008-2009); sweeping changes in University governance (2010); and upheavals on campus and in the wider society since the fall of 2023. In each case, our journalism has aimed to inform readers and provide context, so you can make your own fair assessments of Harvard’s shortcomings and opportunities in relation to its enduring values.
I have found this work remarkably fulfilling, because Harvard Magazine’s readers still read and care; because colleagues have been dedicated to fulfilling our responsibilities to all of you; and because our subjects—the University, its stellar people, and their work together—matter so much, now more than ever. After my retirement on April 30, I hope that you will continue to value and support the work my colleagues and successor will pursue on your behalf. And I thank everyone who gave all of us the opportunity to serve during my tenure.
—John S. Rosenberg
