Harvard President Alan M. Garber—who began his service on an interim basis in 2024, then agreed to stay on through the end of the 2026-2027 academic year—has agreed to remain Harvard president for an indefinite term, senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation Penny Pritzker wrote to members of the Harvard community on December 15.
Harvard had previously said that a full-scale search for Garber’s replacement would begin in the spring or summer of 2026.
“Since taking up the duties of the presidency in January 2024,” Pritzker wrote in a statement, “Alan has demonstrated even more fully the remarkable qualities apparent during his twelve-plus years as Harvard’s provost and chief academic officer…He is both principled and pragmatic, both deliberative and decisive, and both respectful of tradition and intent on innovation. And, most importantly, he models open-mindedness and civility, with compassion toward others, a selfless concern for Harvard’s best interests, and an unwavering focus on how Harvard can best serve the wider world.”
Garber, Harvard’s 31st president, has been praised as a steady hand on the tiller of the University during one of the most challenging upheavals in its history, as the partnership with the federal government to conduct research on its behalf—a collaboration that extends back to World War II—has come undone. Many have noted his calming, rational, and unflappable presence since assuming the presidency, just as during his 12-year tenure as provost, when he oversaw the University-wide academic enterprise.
Garber won widespread attention across higher education with his letter to the community on April 14, 2025, days after the Trump administration announced that it was freezing more than $2.2 billion worth of federal grants in response to complaints about antisemitism on campus. “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote.
Harvard filed a lawsuit challenging the freeze in federal district court a week later. In September, a judge restored the funding, though the government has pledged to appeal.
Among the initiatives Garber has overseen during his tenure are reports on antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias and anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bias, along with several initiatives to promote constructive discourse across political divides. Garber has also overseen staffing changes in some centers across the University that have been accused of anti-Israeli bias and has presided over cuts in response to the University’s financial challenges.
In his own statement emailed to the Harvard community, Garber wrote that being president of Harvard had “become the most meaningful chapter of my professional life,” something he had not anticipated. Addressing the community at large, including alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the University, he wrote that “your commitment to pursuing opportunities to learn and discover, to building a stronger and more welcoming community, and to addressing our shortcomings with urgency and resolve has only deepened my appreciation for our work together. Our progress has made me prouder than ever to be part of the University—and determined to see us through this uniquely challenging period in our long history.”
Garber ended his note with a word of gratitude: “I am exceedingly fortunate to have countless colleagues, friends, and supporters among you, true partners in the work of fulfilling our mission. Thanks to you, Harvard will continue to serve humanity in ever more imaginative and consequential ways. I look forward to working together toward a new year of possibility and promise fulfilled.”
