Commentary

In-depth perspectives and critical analysis from faculty, editors, and readers on public affairs, higher education, and Harvard’s evolving mission.

A smiling elderly man in glasses sits comfortably in a striped armchair.

Jack Reardon and Walter Cabot, Remembered

Plus, veteran higher education leader Thomas Ehrlich reflects on university curricula for his 70th reunion

by Primus VI

Letters from our readers

Leadership crisis, Israel and Gaza, “Undergraduate” Insights

University Hall occupied by student protestors, April 9, 1969

Darker Days

The current disquiets compared to Harvard’s Vietnam-era traumas

by Primus VI

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AWOL from Academics

Behind students' increasing pull toward extracurriculars

by Aden Barton

View of Harvard University campus from the Charles River

Why Americans Love to Hate Harvard

The president emeritus on elite universities’ academic accomplishments—and a rising tide of antagonism

by Derek Bok

A Look in the Mirror

Challenges for Harvard governance and leadership

Cambridge 02138

The campus sundered, stem cell research, voting, and more

A conceptual illustration of a student seated in a classroom facing an imagined image of herself in a different environment with flowers and rocks

Is Pedagogy About Us?

Questioning the intellectual rigor of bringing identity into the classroom

by Isabella Cho

Cambridge 02138

Letters about the Middle East war and campus upheavals, the energy transition, legacies, and more

Cambridge 02138

Campus discourse, ethics education, affirmative action

Legacies’ Legacy

Adapting admissions to new socioeconomic and political circumstances