Harvard President Alan Garber Helps First-Years Move In

As a potential settlement with the Trump administration looms, Garber gets students settled.

A collage showing Harvard president Alan M. Garber greeting new students on campus, shaking hands, gathered students and families in the Yard, and orientation setup

President Alan M. Garber shakes hands with the parents of incoming first-years, and students move in to Harvard Yard | PHOTOGRAPHS by OLIVIA FARRAR/HARVARD MAGAZINE

On a sunny Tuesday morning in late August, President Alan M. Garber walked through Harvard Yard, stopping to chat with first-year students as they unpacked cars and carried boxes into dorms. The annual tradition—in which the sitting president welcomes new students during move-in—provides a sense of normalcy in what has been anything but a typical start to Harvard’s 2025-2026 academic year.

These first-years are beginning their college journey amid heightened political pressure on the University. At stake are hundreds of millions in federal research funding and the visa status of international students, many of whom were admitted but remain in limbo due to government travel restrictions. Garber’s presence in the Yard, as he quietly chatted and joked with students, carried more significance than usual. To many observers within and outside of Harvard, he has become not only the leader of the University, but also the de facto face of resistance to the sweeping political reforms affecting other institutions of higher education.

Garber, dressed in bright red and often holding his arms clasped behind his back, spoke with the gathered students about their home cities, their potential future Houses (and his own experiences in Dunster), and their preparation for the semester, which includes a new online pre-orientation course first-years take prior to arriving in Cambridge and on-campus programming to promote religious pluralism. Over the next few days, the rest of the first-year class will arrive, filling dorm rooms with plants, pillows, and fresh textbooks from the Coop. Upperclass students return starting on Thursday, August 28, and move-in will continue through the weekend.

Meanwhile, discussions between the University and the Trump administration are ongoing, following settlements inked by other universities earlier this summer. A proposed agreement reported by The New York Times could see Harvard invest up to $500 million in educational and vocational programs over several years in lieu of direct payments to the government. In return, federal research funding would be restored in part or in full, and restrictions on international student admissions would be lifted. Neither the White House nor Harvard leadership has officially signaled that a deal is forthcoming, and some alumni, faculty, and students have urged the University not to settle.

For students already on campus, the focus is on starting fresh: meeting roommates and adjusting to campus routines. Over the next three weeks, classes will begin, sports teams will start practicing, clubs will meet, and students—both new and returning—will adjust to yet another version of the “new normal.” Even amid national scrutiny, the rhythms of the nation’s oldest college continue.

Read more articles by Olivia Farrar
Related topics

You might also like

Harvard Football: Harvard 59, Holy Cross 24

Another week, another blowout, this one against an in-state rival

Trump Says a Deal with Harvard Is Close

Administration squeezes Harvard finances, and a federal judge blasts deportation efforts as unconstitutional.

Harvard Football: Harvard 41, Brown 7

The Crimson assertively avenge last year’s loss to their Ivy rival.

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

This Harvard Scientist Is Changing the Future of Genetic Diseases

David Liu has pioneered breakthroughs in gene editing, creating new therapies that may lead to cures.

The Harvard Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

Explore More From Current Issue

Will Makris in blue checkered suit and red patterned tie standing outdoors by stone column.

A New Haa President at a Tumultuous Time

A career in higher ed inspired Will Makris to give back.

Illustration of scientists injecting large syringe with mitochondria into human heart.

Do Mitochondria Hold the Power to Heal?

From Alzheimer’s to cancer, this tiny organelle might expand treatment options. 

Johnston Gate

Your Views On Harvard’s Standoff, Antisemitism, and More

Readers comment on the controversial July-August cover, authoritarianism, and scientific research.