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Animal (Code) Cracker
The July-August cover story about efforts to decode the click communication of sperm whales prompted numerous letters, including one that detailed the involvement of a talented undergraduate, Peter Bermant ’19, in the project’s origins. He ultimately …
Ruth J. Simmons’s Harvard Graduation Address
A Time for Justice - A Time for Commitment Good day and congratulations to the Harvard University Class of 2021. It is a singular honor to be invited to address you on this important milestone occasion. To all completing their studies today, I offer my …
Blue, Yellow, Crimson
When he was president of Harvard, Neil L. Rudenstine made the case for universities’ role as custodians of human histories, cultures, and languages by telling a story from his service as provost at Princeton. In 1979, following the Islamic Revolution and …
Issue: May-June 2022
“We Must Cross Over”
In his Commencement address, President Summers reviewed his priorities. A detailed report on his tenure will appear in the next issue. Today, I speak from this podium a final time as your president. As I depart, I want to thank all of you—students, …
Issue: July-August 2006
Yesterday's News
1925 The Associated Harvard Clubs’ Committee on Service to the University suggests that descendants of Harvard graduates be given preference in the admission process; the Bulletin’ s editors write, “Inbreeding within the student body would be quite as …
Issue: May-June 2005
News Briefs
Term Themes President Drew Faust , speaking at Morning Prayers in Appleton Chapel, opened the 2015 fall term by talking about diversity—a frequent theme, sharpened in this case by a lawsuit attacking Harvard’s admissions practices that she characterized …
Issue: November-December 2015
After Affirmative Action
The Supreme Court, in a decision announced June 29, banned race-conscious admissions at both public and private institutions of higher education, ruling the practices at Harvard and the University of North Carolina (UNC) unconstitutional and overturning …
Jonathan Shaw , Lincoln Caplan
Issue: September-October 2023
Curiosities: The Art of Childhood
Jordan Casteel ’s 2018 painting Twins (Subway) is a sidelong look at sisters bundled in winter hats and coats, blissfully asleep under the protective arm of a caregiver. It’s a domestic scene laid bare in public: a reflection of children’s trusting …
Issue: November-December 2022
This Old (Red) House
For most of its 202-year history, the cottage at 98 Winthrop Street has been a private residence. A year ago, Paul Overgaag, owner of the now defunct Giannino in the Charles Hotel courtyard, turned the crimson clapboard home into a notable new dining …
Issue: July-August 2004
Natalie Portman ’03: “Your Inexperience Is an Asset”
Watching her four-year-old son, Aleph, play a baseball arcade game a few weeks ago, actress Natalie Portman was already picturing him as a major-league player, admiring his sharp aim and focus. But as he gleefully turned in his tickets for a tiny blue …
A Faculty Meeting “Unlike Any Other”
The president in an open-collared shirt and pullover. The dean of the College sporting headphones. A peak of 271 participants logged in ( a huge number for a faculty meeting )—perhaps eager to see colleagues, hear more about the dismal University …
Mitigating Global Threats
Amid leadership crises across Europe and mounting economic and defense concerns, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, M.P.A. ’97, is on the front lines of diplomacy, working with allies to do “everything we can to promote a global security …
Issue: March-April 2025
Near Miss in the NCAA
A furious comeback by the Harvard men’s basketball team fell short Thursday evening as the Crimson lost to the heavily favored North Carolina Tar Heels 67-65 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson trailed by 16 points with just over 15 …
The Senior Alumni
Evelyn Richmond ’41, of Nashville, Tennessee, and Theodore R. Barnett ’41, of Stowe, Vermont, were the oldest Radcliffe and Harvard alumni present on Commencement Day. For Richmond, 97, it was a distinction she also enjoyed three years ago (see …
Issue: July-August 2018
New Rules for Campus Use
Though students are on summer recess, Harvard administrators have continued to grapple with the past academic year’s campus chaos . On August 1, executive vice president Meredith Weenick shared an updated slate of rules governing shared campus spaces. …