
On the cover: Illustration by Taylor Callery
Letters to Harvard Magazine Summer 2025
Readers’ views on gender gaps, freedom of speech, an editor’s farewell, the hippocampus, Alice Hamilton, standing up to the Trump administration, and more
Joanna Weiss On Harvard's Permanence and Future
Back to campus, and to challenging conversations
July-August 2025

On the cover: Illustration by Taylor Callery
Garber, Trump, and the Fight for Harvard’s Future
Introducing a guide to the issues, players, and stakes.
Who’s Involved in Harvard’s Fight with the Trump Administration?
The people shaping the battle over federal funding, international students, and DEI
How Will Federal Actions Affect Harvard’s Finances?
Putting Harvard’s $53 billion endowment into perspective
Harvard’s Standoff: The Legal Teams
A roster of lawyers on both sides
What Research Is at Risk in Harvard’s Federal Funding Cuts?
A sampling of the 1,000-plus University studies canceled by federal funding cuts
What Happens if Harvard Loses Its International Students
Research, revenue, and global standing are all on the line.
A Timeline of Conflicts Between Harvard and the Federal Government
From campus protests to policy clashes, a timeline of Harvard’s tensions with Washington
The Harvard Professor Who Quantified Democracy
Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.
A Justice’s Modest Counsel
Remembering David Souter ’61, LL.B. ’66
Harvard Commencement 2025
Harvard passes a test of its values, yet challenges loom.
RIGHT NOW Harvard research and ideas
Can an Orange a Day Stave off Depression?
A research study digs into the gut microbiome.
How AI Could Be Raising Your Energy Bill
Utilities shift AI infrastructure costs onto consumers.
Harvard’s Plant Collection Meets Space Science
Light-based analysis of botanical collections link plants to Earth’s changing climate.
John Harvard's Journal University news
How Harvard Students Handle Political Disagreements
The Undergraduate asks if intellectualism is really on life support.
Harvard Economist Nicole Maestas on Aging and Health Policy
The Harvard health economist not afraid to get in the weeds
What do antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias look like on Harvard's campus?
The two reports find similar problems but, at times, work against each other.
Snapshots of Harvard History | Summer 2025
Including profundity and pretzels
Brief Harvard Headlines Summer 2025
New leaders, fresh funding cuts, and evolving policies
Montage Books, creative arts, performance, and more
Julia Rooney’s Cyanotype Art At Harvard
Julia Rooney’s paintings cross the analog-digital divide.
Harvard’s Michael Ansara on Activism and Resistance
A retrospective on resistance
David Leo Rice on 'The Berlin Wall'
David Leo Rice explores the strange, unseen forces shaping our world.
Will the U.S. Dollar Always Be So Powerful?
The preeminence of U.S. currency at risk
Harvard Summer Reading Picks | 2025
The wealth gap, shamanism, the life of David Nathan, and more
Filmmaker John Armstrong’s Adventure Documentaries
Filmmaker John Armstrong’s “outdoor adventures” find the human spirit.
Harvard SquaredWhat to do in Boston, Cambridge, and beyond
Your Guide to Summer 2025 Along Boston Harbor
Enjoying Boston Harbor’s Renaissance this summer
Salsa Squared
Latin dancing fills the streets in Harvard Square
Walter Wick’s I Spy Series
I Spy Creator Walter Wick at the Norman Rockwell Museum
University People Harvardians far and wide
Matt Levine's Bloomberg Finance Column Makes Money Funny
Matt Levine’s spunky Bloomberg column
New Harvard Overseers and HAA Directors
Alumni showed increased interest in this year’s elections.
Harvard Medalists
Four people honored for exceptional service to the University
Saluting the 2025 Centennial Medalists
Four alumni of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are honored.
Harvard’s Comedy and Improv Scene
In comedy groups, students find ways to be absurd, present, and a little less self-conscious.

A Look at Harvard’s Distinctive Doctoral Regalia
On regalia, a Jack-of-all-trades retirement, and a Bok’s office bon mot.

The Woman Who Rode Horses Into the Water
Scrapbooking a woman who rode horses into the sea