Commentary
In-depth perspectives and critical analysis from faculty, editors, and readers on public affairs, higher education, and Harvard’s evolving mission.
Trump Administration Appeals Order Restoring $2.7 Billion in Funding to Harvard
The appeal, which had been expected, came two days before the deadline to file.
How Harvard uses its endowment
A columnist challenges the use of the endowment, and argues for placing much higher priority on educating more College students.
A risk-management plan to help prevent financial crises
Financial regulation, moral hazard, and the end of “too big to fail”
Cuba
Raúl Castro is changing Cuba. Will the United States respond?
Reopening the Doors to College
The United States must refresh the marriage of excellence and opportunity that characterizes American higher education at its best, argue sociologists Theda Skocpol and Suzanne Mettler.
Crossing the Ultimate Color Line
As Barack Obama prepares to take office, Henry Louis Gates Jr. reflects on how far black Americans have come in his lifetime.
The Economic Agenda
Challenges facing the next president
A Controversial Critique of Teaching and Learning at Harvard
A recent essay by John H. Summers, now a visiting scholar at Boston College's Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, has prompted sharp comment among academic readers...
Summers on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
This morning's Wall Street Journal reprints a blog post by Eliot University Professor (and former University president) Lawrence H. Summers. Summers, who served as...
Hyman Hopes Allston Can Be "Switzerland" to "Balkanized" Harvard
In spite of efforts to break down barriers between faculties and between disciplines, Harvard still suffers from a reputation for being "irretrievably Balkanized," University provost Steven E. Hyman says...
Feldstein: Why the Government Should Help Homeowners
On the opinion page of yesterday's Washington Post, Feldstein (Baker professor of economics, who soon ends his term as...