See Also

Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard . Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge is a city [i] in the Greater Boston [i] area of Massachusetts [i], United States [i]. ... 

. Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Harvard consistently ranks among the best universities in the world. The institution was named Harvard College Harvard College

Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University [i], having been fo ... 

on March 13, 1639, after its first principal donor, a young clergyman named John Harvard. A graduate of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge [i], founded in 1584 [i] by Sir ... 

, John Harvard bequeathed about four hundred books in his will to form the basis of the college library collection, along with half his personal wealth worth several hundred pounds.

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Timeline

1636   Harvard University is established by order of the General Court of Massachusetts.

1636   A vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes Harvard College Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i]. ... 

 as the first college founded in the Americas Americas

he Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere [i] or New World [i] consisting o ... 

.

1639   Harvard University is named for a clergyman named John Harvard John Harvard (clergyman)

John Harvard was a Massachusetts [i] clergyman [i], after whom Harvard University [i] is named. ... 

.

1895   W.E.B. Du Bois W.E.B. Du Bois

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was a civil rights [i] activist and leader, sociologist [i], ... 

 becomes the first African American African American

An African American is a member of an ethnic group [i] in the United States [i] whose ancestors, usual ... 

 to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University

1921   Centre College Centre College

Centre College is an accredited, private, four-year liberal arts [i] college [i] located in Danville, Kentucky [i] ... 

's football team, led by quarterback Bo McMillin, defeats Harvard University 6-0 to snap Harvard's five-year winning streak. For decades afterward, this is called "football's upset of the century."

1939   Students at Harvard University demonstrate the new tradition of swallowing gold fish Goldfish

The Goldfish was one of the earliest fish [i] to be domesticated [i], and is still one of ... 

 to reporters.

1947   "First actual case of (a computer) bug Software bug

A software bug is an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault [i] in a computer program [i] that p ... 

 being found" - a moth Moth

A moth is an insect [i] closely related to the butterfly [i]. ... 

 lodged in a relay Relay

A relay is an electrical switch [i] that opens and closes under control of another electrical circuit. ... 

 of a Mark II computer at Harvard Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i]. ... 

.

1969   The Harvard University Administration Building is seized by close to 300 students, mostly members of the Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society

The Students for a Democratic Society was, historically, a student activist [i] movemen ... 

. Before the takeover ends, 45 will be injured and 184 arrested.



Encyclopedia

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard .

Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge is a city [i] in the Greater Boston [i] area of Massachusetts [i], United States [i]. ... 

. Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
Harvard consistently ranks among the best universities in the world.

The institution was named Harvard College Harvard College

Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University [i], having been fo ... 

on March 13, 1639, after its first principal donor, a young clergyman named John Harvard. A graduate of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge [i], founded in 1584 [i] by Sir ... 

, John Harvard bequeathed about four hundred books in his will to form the basis of the college library collection, along with half his personal wealth worth several hundred pounds. The earliest known official reference to Harvard as a "university" rather than a "college" occurred in the new Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.

In his 1869-1909 tenure as Harvard president, Charles William Eliot Charles William Eliot

Charles William Eliot was selected as Harvard's [i] president in 1869 [i]. ... 

 radically transformed Harvard into the pattern of the modern research university. Eliot's reforms included elective courses, small classes, and entrance examinations. The Harvard model influenced American education nationally, at both college and secondary levels.

In 1999, Radcliffe College, initially founded as the "Harvard Annex" for women, merged formally with Harvard University, becoming the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

Harvard has the world's fourth largest library collection , and the largest financial endowment of any academic institution, standing at $29.2 billion as of 2006 .

Institution




A faculty of about 2,300 professors serves about 6,650 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students. The school color is crimson Crimson

Crimson is a strong, bright deep red [i] color combined with some blue [i], resulting in a slight degree ... 

, which is also the name of the Harvard sports teams and the daily newspaper Newspaper

A newspaper is a publication [i] containing news and information and advertising, usually printed on low ... 

, The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson

The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper [i] of Harvard University [i], was founded in 1873. ... 

. The color was unofficially adopted by an 1875 vote of the student body, although the association with some form of red can be traced back to 1858, when Charles William Eliot Charles William Eliot

Charles William Eliot was selected as Harvard's [i] president in 1869 [i]. ... 

, a young graduate student who would later become Harvard's president, bought red bandannas for his crew so they could more easily be distinguished by spectators at a regatta.

Although the officially stated color is crimson, the color actually used on sport uniforms and other Harvard insignia is, in fact, very different from crimson. Rather than a bright crimson, it is a dull, dark red, almost like oxblood. Harvard Student Agency guides are instructed to tell visitors that this is because the athletic flag which was used for the canonical color had become discolored through use. The de jure color remains crimson, but the de facto color, therefore, is quite different.

Prominent student organizations at Harvard include the aforementioned Crimson and its mortal enemy the Harvard Lampoon Harvard Lampoon

The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate [i] humor organization and publication founded in 1876 [i] a ... 

, the world's oldest humor magazine; the Harvard Advocate, one of the nation's oldest literary magazines and the oldest current publication at Harvard; and the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, which produces an annual burlesque and celebrates notable actors at its Man of the Year and Woman of the Year ceremonies. The Harvard Glee Club Harvard Glee Club

The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, all-male choral ensemble at Harvard University [i]. ... 

 is the oldest college chorus in America, and the University Choir, the choir of Harvard's Memorial Church, is the oldest choir in America affiliated with a university. The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra

The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra is a collegiate [i] symphony orchestra [i] comprised o ... 

, composed mainly of undergraduates, was founded in 1808 as the Pierian Sodality , and has been performing as a symphony orchestra since the 1950s.

Harvard College has traditionally drawn many of its students from private schools, though today the majority of undergraduates come from public schools across the United States and around the globe.



Harvard has a friendly rivalry with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a private world-leading research university [i] ... 

 which dates back to 1900, when a merger of the two schools was frequently mooted and at one point officially agreed upon . Today, the two schools cooperate as much as they compete, with many joint conferences and programs, including the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology

Founded in 1970, the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, or HST, is one of the... 

, the Harvard-MIT Data Center and the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology. In addition, students at the two schools can cross-register in undergraduate or graduate classes without any additional fees, for credits toward their own school's degrees. The relationship and proximity between the two institutions is a remarkable phenomenon, considering their stature; according to The Times Higher Education Supplement of London London

London is the capital [i] city of England [i] and of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

, "The US has the world’s top two universities by our reckoning — Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, neighbours on the Charles River."

Over its history, Harvard has graduated many famous alumni, along with a few infamous ones. Among the best-known are political leaders John Hancock John Hancock

Joseph Raymond McCarthy was a Republican [i] Senator [i] from th ... 

, John Adams John Adams

John Adams was a Founding Father [i] of the United States and American politician [i]... 

, Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. , also known as T.R. and to the public as Teddy, was the 26th President of the United States [i] ... 

, Franklin Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the 32nd President of the United States [i] and was elected to four... 

 and John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F.... 

; philosopher Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was an American [i] author, development critic [i] ... 

 and author Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American [i] author, poet, and philosopher. ... 

; poets Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens

Wallace Stevens was a major American [i] Modernist [i] poet [i] whose work conta ... 

, T. S. Eliot T. S. Eliot

Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM [i] was an American poet [i], dramatist [i] and literary critic [i] ... 

 and E. E. Cummings E. E. Cummings

Edward Estlin Cummings , abbreviated E. E. Cummings, was an American poet [i] ... 

; composer Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was an American [i] composer [i], pianist [i] and conductor [i] ... 

; actor Jack Lemmon Jack Lemmon

John Uhler Lemmon III , better known as Jack Lemmon, was a Hollywood [i] movie star [i] and one of ... 

; architect Philip Johnson Philip Johnson

Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American [i] architect [i].
... 

, and civil rights leader W. E. B. Du Bois W.E.B. Du Bois

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was a civil rights [i] activist and leader, sociologist [i], ... 

. Among its most famous current faculty members are biologists James D. Watson James D. Watson

James Dewey Watson KBE [i] ForMemRS [i] is an American scien ... 

 and E. O. Wilson E. O. Wilson

Edward Osborne Wilson is a distinguished biologist , researcher and theorist , a naturalist , and a pr... 

, Shakespeare scholar Stephen Greenblatt Stephen Greenblatt

Stephen Jay Greenblatt, born November 7, 1943 [i], is an award-winning literary critic [i], theorist [i] ... 

, economists Gregory Mankiw N. Gregory Mankiw

Nicholas Gregory Mankiw is a macroeconomist [i]. ... 

 and Harvey Mansfield, and scholar/composers Robert Levin and Bernard Rands Bernard Rands

Bernard Rands is a composer of contemporary classical music [i].
... 

.

Admissions


Today, Harvard's undergraduate and graduate schools are among the most selective in the United States. Harvard's overall undergraduate acceptance rate for 2006 was 9.3%. Harvard College's student population is almost equally balanced between male and female undergraduates, with women slightly outnumbering men in several of the most recent entering classes . Students admitted to the college often score high marks on the SAT I SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test, formerly called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Asses... 

, with a median score of 1495 out of 1600 for the class of 2009 . One estimate of the average SAT score under the new grading system is 2200 out of a possible 2400. Like other schools in the Ivy League, Harvard College does not offer athletic scholarships. The Class of 2010 had a 80% yield, the highest in the nation. The National Bureau of Economic Research study on Revealed Preference of U.S. Colleges showed that Harvard is the most preferred choice among high school seniors in matchups with other elite colleges


The 2006 figures from US News and World Report U.S. News & World Report

U.S.News & World Report is a weekly newsmagazine [i]. ... 

 indicated that the business school admitted 14.3% of its applicants, the school of public health 4.5%, the engineering division 12.5%, the law school 11.3%, the education school 14.6%, and the medical school 4.9%. In September 2006, Harvard announced that it would eliminate its early admissions program as of 2007, which university officials argued would lower the disadvantage that low-income and minority applicants are faced with in the competition to get into selective universities.

Organization


Harvard is governed by two boards, the President and Fellows of Harvard College, also known as the Harvard Corporation and founded in 1650, and the Harvard Board of Overseers. The President of Harvard University is the day-to-day administrator of Harvard and is appointed by and responsible to the Harvard Corporation.

Harvard today has nine faculties, listed below in order of foundation:

  • The Faculty of Arts and Sciences and its sub-faculty, the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, which together serve:
    • Harvard College Harvard College

      Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University [i], having been fo ... 

      , the University's undergraduate portion
    • The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
    • The Harvard Division of Continuing Education Harvard Division of Continuing Education

      The Division of Continuing Education and University Extension School is a part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences [i]... 

      , including Harvard Extension School  and Harvard Summer School
  • The Faculty of Medicine, including the Medical School Harvard Medical School

    Harvard Medical School is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University [i]. ... 

      and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Harvard School of Dental Medicine

    Harvard School of Dental Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University [i]. ... 

     .
  • Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School

    Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University [i], located in Cambridge, Massachusetts [i] ... 

  • Harvard Law School Harvard Law School

    Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University [i]. ... 

  • Harvard Business School Harvard Business School

    Harvard Business School, officially named the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administ... 

  • The Graduate School of Design Harvard Graduate School of Design

    The Harvard Graduate School of Design [i] is a graduate school at Harvard University [i] offering degrees in Architecture [i] ... 

  • The Graduate School of Education Harvard Graduate School of Education

    The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University [i], and i ... 

  • The School of Public Health Harvard School of Public Health

    The Harvard School of Public Health is Harvard University [i]'s school of public health. ... 

  • The John F. Kennedy School of Government John F. Kennedy School of Government

    The John F. Kennedy School of Government is a public policy school [i] and one of the graduate schools o ... 



In 1999, the former Radcliffe College was reorganized as the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

Sports and athletic facilities


Harvard's athletic rivalry with Yale Yale University

Yale University is a private university in New Haven, Connecticut [i]. ... 

 is intense in every sport in which they meet, coming to a climax each fall in their annual American Football meeting, which dates to 1875 and is usually called simply The Game. Harvard has won The Game for the past five years running. While Harvard's football American football

American football, known in the United States [i] and Canada [i] simply as football, is a competit ... 

 team is no longer one of the country's best as it often was a century ago during football's early days, it, along with Yale Yale University

Yale University is a private university in New Haven, Connecticut [i]. ... 

, has influenced the way the game is played. In 1903, Harvard Stadium Harvard Stadium

Harvard Stadium is a horseshoe [i]-shaped football [i] stadium [i] in the Allston [i]... 

 introduced a new era into football with the first-ever permanent reinforced concrete stadium of its kind in the country. The sport eventually adopted the forward pass because of the stadium's structure.

Older than The Game by 23 years, the Yale-Harvard Regatta Harvard-Yale Regatta

The Yale-Harvard Boat Race or Harvard-Yale Regatta is an annual rowing [i] race betw ... 

 was the original source of the athletic rivalry between the two schools. It is held annually in June on the Thames river in eastern Connecticut. As of 2006, Harvard has won on the Thames in every varsity race since 1999. The Harvard Crew is considered to be one of the top teams in the country in rowing Sport rowing

In the context of sport [i]s, rowing is a system of competition that refines the rowing of boats [i] ... 

.

Today, Harvard does field top teams in several other sports, such as ice hockey Ice hockey

Ice hockey, referred to simply as hockey in Canada [i] and the United States [i], is a team sport [i] ... 

 , squash, and even recently won the NCAA title in Men's and Women's Fencing. Harvard also won the Intercollegiate Sailing Association National Championships in 2003. But like other Ivy League universities, Harvard Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i].
... 

 does not offer athletic scholarships. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country.

Harvard has several , the most played of which, especially at football games, are "Ten Thousand Men of Harvard" and "Harvardiana" . The Harvard University Band performs these fight songs and other cheers at football and hockey games.

Harvard has several athletic facilities, such as the Lavietes Pavilion Lavietes Pavilion

The Ray Lavietes Basketball Pavilion at the Briggs Athletic Center is a 2,195-seat multi-purpose arena [i] ... 

, a multi-purpose arena and home to the Harvard basketball teams. The Malkin Athletic Center, known as the "MAC," serves both as the University's primary recreation facility and as a satellite location for several varsity sports. The five story building includes two cardio rooms, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a smaller pool for aquaerobics and other activities, a mezzanine, where all types of classes are held at all hours of the day, and an indoor cycling studio, three weight rooms, and a three-court gym floor to play basketball. The MAC also offers personal trainers and specialty classes. The MAC is also home to Harvard volleyball, fencing, and wrestling. The offices of women's field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and men's soccer are also in the MAC.

Weld Boathouse and Newell Boathouse house the women's and men's rowing teams, respectively. The men's crew also uses the Red Top complex in Ledyard CT, as their training camp for the annual Harvard-Yale Regatta Harvard-Yale Regatta

The Yale-Harvard Boat Race or Harvard-Yale Regatta is an annual rowing [i] race betw ... 

. The Bright Hockey Center hosts the Harvard hockey teams, and the Murr Center serves both as a home for Harvard's squash and tennis teams as well as a strength and conditioning center for all athletic sports.

has footage from historical games and athletic events including the 2005 pep-rally before the Harvard-Yale Game. has more comprehensive information about Harvard's athletic facilities.

Library system and museums

The Harvard University Library System, centered in Widener Library Widener Library

The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, commonly known as Widener Library, is the primary build... 

 in Harvard Yard Harvard Yard

Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about 25 acres, adjacent to Harvard Square [i] in Cambridge, Massachusetts [i] ... 

 and comprising over 90 individual libraries and over 15.3 million volumes, is the fourth largest library collection in the world, after the Library of Congress Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the de facto [i] national library [i] of the United States [i] and the re ... 

, the British Library British Library

The British Library is the national library [i] of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

, and the French Bibliothèque nationale Bibliothèque nationale de France

The Bibliothque nationale de France is the National Library [i] of France [i]. ... 

. Harvard describes its library as the "largest academic library in the world."rd operates several art museums, including the Fogg Museum of Art ; the Busch-Reisinger Museum  ; the Sackler Museum ; the Museum of Natural History, which contains the famous Blaschka Glass Flowers exhibit; the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, specializing in the cultural history and civilizations of the Western Hemisphere; and the Semitic Museum.

Harvard in fiction and popular culture

Love Story Love Story

Love Story is a 1970 [i] romance [i] motion picture [i] drama based o ... 

, by Harvard alumnus Erich Segal, the much-beloved and also much-ridiculed tearjerker of the 1970s, concerns a romance between a Harvard student and a Radcliffe student. The novel is deeply imbued with local color. A current Harvard tradition is the annual showing of the film Love Story to incoming freshmen, during which the film is openly mocked by the Crimson Key Society, a tour-giving organization on campus.

Though Harvard has been featured in many US films, including Stealing Harvard, Legally Blonde Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde is a 2001 [i] comedy film [i] starring Reese Witherspoon [i], produced b... 

, The Firm, The Paper Chase The Paper Chase

The Paper Chase was a 1970 [i] novel [i], as well as a 1973 [i] movie [i] ... 

, Good Will Hunting Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting is a 1997 film [i] directed by Gus Van Sant [i], set in greater Boston, Massachusetts [i] ... 

, With Honors, How High How High

How High is a 2001 [i] comedy film [i], directed [i] by Jesse Dylan [i], ... 

, Soul Man, and Harvard Man Harvard Man

Harvard Man is a 2001 [i] feature film [i] written and directed by James Toback [i]. ... 

, the University has not allowed any movies to be filmed in campus buildings since Love Story Love Story

Love Story is a 1970 [i] romance [i] motion picture [i] drama based o ... 

in the 1960s; most films are shot in look-alike cities, such as Toronto Toronto

Toronto is the largest city [i] in Canada [i] ... 

, and colleges such as UCLA University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles, generally known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university [i] ... 

, Wheaton and Bridgewater State Bridgewater State College

Bridgewater State College is a public liberal arts college [i] located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts [i] ... 

, although outdoor and aerial shots of Harvard's Cambridge campus are often used. The graduation scene from With Honors was filmed in front of Foellenger Auditorium at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also known as UIUC and the U of I, is the fl... 

. Also set in Harvard is Korea Korea

Korea
One of the world's oldest civilization [i]s, Korea began with the founding of Gojoseon [i] in 2333 ... 

n hit TV series Love Story in Harvard, filmed at University of Southern California University of Southern California

The University of Southern California , located in the downtown district of Los Angeles, California [i], ... 

. Many movies have
characters identified as Harvard graduates, including Apocalypse Now Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American [i] film [i] about both a soldier's journey during Vietnam War [i] ... 

, A Few Good Men A Few Good Men

A Few Good Men, written by Aaron Sorkin [i], was an acclaimed Broadway [i] play and ... 

, American Psycho American Psycho

The 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis [i] is a first person narrative describing episo ... 

, and Two Weeks Notice.

The novel The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is a mystery [i]/detective [i] novel [i] by American [i] ... 

has its main character, Robert Langdon, as a Harvard "professor of symbology," although no such field exists at Harvard. Pamela Thomas-Graham, an alumna of Harvard College, Business School and Law School and the former President & CEO of CNBC, has written 3 mystery novels featuring African-American Harvard economics professor Nikki Chase as the protagonist.

The character Frasier Crane Frasier Crane

Frasier Winslow Crane is a character on American television sitcom [i]s Cheers [i] and Frasier [i] ... 

 from the sitcom Situation comedy

A situation comedy is a genre [i] of comedy [i] performance originally devised for radio [i]. ... 

s Cheers Cheers

Cheers was a long-running American [i] situation comedy [i] produced ... 

 and Frasier Frasier

Frasier is a critically acclaimed American TV [i] sitcom [i] ... 

 claimed to be a graduate of Harvard and Oxford University University of Oxford

The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford [i], England [i], is the oldest university [i]... 

.

The student produced show Ivory Tower Ivory Tower

The term Ivory Tower designates a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are di... 

is set on the Harvard campus but is about fictional Harvard students.

Overview of the campus

The main campus is centered around Harvard Yard Harvard Yard

Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about 25 acres, adjacent to Harvard Square [i] in Cambridge, Massachusetts [i] ... 

 in central Cambridge, and extends into the surrounding Harvard Square Harvard Square

Harvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge [i], Massachusetts [i] ... 

 neighborhood. The Harvard Business School and many of the university's athletics facilities, including Harvard Stadium Harvard Stadium

Harvard Stadium is a horseshoe [i]-shaped football [i] stadium [i] in the Allston [i]... 

, are located in Allston, on the other side of the Charles River Charles River

The Charles River is a small, relatively short river [i] in Massachusetts [i], USA [i] tha ... 

 from Harvard Square. Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health are located in the Longwood district of Boston Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the capital [i] of the Commonwealth [i] of Massachusetts [i] in the United States [i] ... 

.

Harvard Yard Harvard Yard

Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about 25 acres, adjacent to Harvard Square [i] in Cambridge, Massachusetts [i] ... 

 itself contains the central administrative offices and main libraries Library

In the traditional sense of the word, a library is a collection of book [i]s and periodicals. ... 

 of the University, several academic buildings, Memorial Church, and the majority of the freshman dormitories List of Harvard dormitories

This is a list of dormitories at Harvard College [i]. ... 

. Sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduates live in twelve residential Houses Harvard College

Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University [i], having been fo ... 

, nine of which are south of Harvard Yard along or near the Charles River Charles River

The Charles River is a small, relatively short river [i] in Massachusetts [i], USA [i] tha ... 

. The other three are located in a residential neighborhood half a mile northwest of the Yard at the Quadrangle Quadrangle

In architecture [i], a quadrangle, or more colloquially, quad, is a space or courtyard, usually sq ... 

, which formerly housed Radcliffe College students until Radcliffe merged its residential system with Harvard.

Radcliffe Yard, formerly the center of the campus of Radcliffe College , is halfway between Harvard Yard and the Quadrangle, adjacent to the Graduate School of Education.

Satellite facilities

Apart from its major Cambridge/Allston and Longwood campuses, Harvard owns and operates
Arnold Arboretum Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University [i] was founded in 1872 when the President and Fellows of the ... 

, in the Roslindale area of Boston;
the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is the capital [i] city [i] of the United States of America [i]. ... 

;
and the Villa I Tatti research center in Florence Florence

Florence is the capital city [i] of the region of Tuscany [i], Italy [i].
... 

, Italy.

Major campus expansion

Throughout the past several years, Harvard has purchased large tracts of land in Allston, a short walk across the Charles River from Cambridge, with the intent of major expansion southward. The university now owns approximately fifty percent more land in Allston than in Cambridge. Various proposals to connect the traditional Cambridge campus with the new Allston campus include new and enlarged bridges, a shuttle service and/or a tram Tram

A tram, tramcar, trolley, or streetcar, is a railborne [i], lighter than ... 

.

One of the foremost driving forces for Harvard's pending expansion is its goal of substantially increasing the scope and strength of its science and technology programs. The university plans to construct two 500,000 square foot research complexes in Allston, which would be home to several interdisciplinary programs, including the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and an enlarged Engineering department.

In addition, Harvard intends to relocate the Harvard Graduate School of Education Harvard Graduate School of Education

The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University [i], and i ... 

 and the Harvard School of Public Health Harvard School of Public Health

The Harvard School of Public Health is Harvard University [i]'s school of public health. ... 

 to Allston. The university also plans to construct several new undergraduate and graduate student housing centers in Allston, and it is considering large-scale museums and performing arts complexes as well.

History


Harvard's founding in 1636 came in the form of an act of the colony's Great and General Court Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature [i] of the U.S. state [i] of Massachusetts [i]. ... 

. By all accounts the chief impetus was to allow the training of home-grown clergy so the Puritan colony would not need to rely on immigrating graduates of England's Oxford University of Oxford

The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford [i], England [i], is the oldest university [i]... 

 and Cambridge University of Cambridge

name = University of Cambridge
... 

 universities for well-educated pastors, "dreading," as a 1643 brochure put it, "to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches." In its first year, seven of the original nine students left to fight in the English Civil War English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place betwee... 

.

Harvard was also founded as a school to educate American Indians in order to train them as ministers among their tribes. Harvard's Charter of 1650 calls for "the education of the English and Indian youth of this Country in knowledge and godliness." Indeed, Harvard and missionaries to the local tribes were intricately connected. The first Bible to be printed in the entire North American continent was printed at Harvard in an Indian language, Massachusett. Termed the Eliot Bible since it was translated by John Eliot, this book was used to facilitate conversion of Indians, ideally by Harvard-educated Indians themselves. Harvard's first American Indian graduate, Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck from the Wampanoag tribe, was a member of the class of 1665. Caleb and other students-- English and American Indian alike-- lived and studied in a dormitory known as the Indian College, which was founded in 1655 under then-President Charles Chauncy. In 1698 it was torn down owing to neglect. The bricks of the former Indian College were later used to build the first Stoughton Hall. Today a plaque on the SE side of Matthews Hall in Harvard Yard, the approximate site of the Indian College, commemorates the first American Indian students who lived and studied at Harvard University.


The connection to the Puritans can be seen in the fact that, for its first few centuries of existence, the Harvard Board of Overseers included, along with certain commonwealth officials, the ministers of six local congregations , who today, although no longer so empowered, are still by custom allowed seats on the dais at commencement exercises.

Despite the Puritan atmosphere, from the beginning the intent was to provide a full liberal education Liberal arts

The term liberal arts has come to mean studies that are intended to provide general knowledge [i] and intellectual [i] ... 

 such as that offered at European universities, including the rudiments of mathematics and science as well as classical Classics

Classics, particularly within the Western [i] university [i] tradition, when used as a sin ... 

 literature and philosophy.

In 1755, Harvard's oldest endowed lectures, the prestigious Dudleian lectures on religion, were first held. During the Revolutionary War, General Washington George Washington

George Washington commanded the American colonies' [i] Continental Army [i] during th ... 

 and the Continental Army quartered in Harvard buildings and organized military exercises in Cambridge Common.

Between 1800 and 1870 a transformation of Harvard occurred which E. Digby Baltzell calls "privatization." Harvard had prosperred while Federalists Federalist Party (United States)

The Federalist Party was a United States [i] political party [i] in the period 1792 to 1816, with remnan ... 

 controlled state government, but "in 1824 the federalist party was finally defeated forever in Massachusetts; the triumphant Jeffersonian-Republicans cut off all state funds." By 1870, the "magistrates and ministers" on the Board of Overseers had been completely "replaced by Harvard alumni drawn primarily from the ranks of Boston's upper-class business and professional community" and funded by private endowment.

During this period, Harvard experienced unparalleled growth that put it into a different category from other colleges. Ronald Story notes in 1850, Harvard's total assets were "five times that of Amherst and Williams combined, and three times that of Yale.... By 1850, it was a genuine university, 'unequalled in facilities,' as a budding scholar put it by any other institution in America—the 'greatest University,' said another, 'in all creation'". Story also notes that "all the evidence... points to the four decades from 1815 to 1855 as the era when parents, in Henry Adams's words, began 'sending their children to Harvard College for the sake of its social advantages'". Harvard was also an early leader in admitting ethnic and religious minorities. Stephen Steinberg, author of The Ethnic Myth, noted that "a climate of intolerance prevailed in many eastern colleges long before discriminatory quotas were contemplated" and noted that "Jews tended to avoid such campuses as Yale and Princeton, which had reputations for bigotry.... [while] under President Eliot's administration, Harvard earned a reputation as the most liberal and democratic of the Big Three, and therefore Jews did not feel that the avenue to a prestigious college was altogether closed". In 1870, one year into Eliot's term, Richard Theodore Greener became the first African-American to graduate from Harvard College. Seven years later, Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish justice on the Supreme Court, graduated from Harvard Law School.

Nevertheless, Harvard became the bastion of a distinctly Protestant elite—the so-called Boston Brahmin class—and continued to be so well into the 20th century. The social milieu of 1880s Harvard is depicted in Owen Wister Owen Wister

Owen Wister was an American [i] writer of western [i] novel [i]s. ... 

's Philosophy 4, which contrasts the character and demeanor of two undergraduates who "had colonial names " with that of their tutor, one Oscar Maironi, whose "parents had come over in the steerage."

Though Harvard ended required chapel in the mid-1880s, the school remained culturally Protestant, and fears of dilution grew as enrollment of immigrants, Catholics and Jews surged at the turn of the twentieth century. By 1908, Catholics made up nine percent of the freshman class, and between 1906 and 1922, Jewish enrollment at Harvard increased from six to twenty percent. In June 1922, under President Lowell, Harvard announced a Jewish quota. Other universities had done this surreptitiously. Lowell did it in a forthright way, and positioned it as means of combatting anti-Semitism, writing that "anti-Semitic feeling among the students is increasing, and it grows in proportion to the increase in the number of Jews.... when... the number of Jews was small, the race antagonism was small also." The social milieu of 1940s Harvard is presented in Myron Kaufman's 1957 novel, Remember Me to God, which follows the life of a Jewish undergraduate as he attempts to navigate the shoals of casual anti-Semitism, be recognized as a "gentleman," and be accepted into "The Pudding." Indeed, Harvard's discriminatory policies, both tacit and explicit, were partly responsible for the founding of Boston College Boston College

name = | image = | motto = ??e? a??ste?e?? Ever to Excel [i]
... 

 in 1863 and Brandeis University Brandeis University

Brandeis University is a private university [i] in Waltham, Massachusetts [i], United States [i]. ... 

 in nearby Waltham in 1948.

Policies of exclusion were not limited to religious minorities. In 1920, "Harvard University maliciously persecuted and harassed" those it believed to be gay via a "Secret Court" led by Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell. Summoned at the behest of a wealthy alumnus, the inquistions and expulsions carried out by this tribunal, in conjunction with the "vindictive tenacity of the university in ensuring that the stigmatization of the expelled students would persist throughout their productive lives" led to two suicides. As late as the 1950s, Wilbur Bender, then the dean of admissions for Harvard College, sought better ways to "detect homosexual tendencies and serious psychiatric problems” in prospective students.

During the twentieth century, Harvard's international reputation grew as a burgeoning endowment and prominent professors expanded the university's scope. Explosive growth in the student population continued with the addition of new graduate schools and the expansion of the undergraduate program. Radcliffe College, established in 1879 as sister school of Harvard College, became one of the most prominent schools for women in the United States.

In the decades immediately after the Second World War World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

, Harvard reformed its admissions policies as it sought students from a more diverse applicant College application

... 

 pool. Whereas Harvard undergraduates had almost exclusively been white, upper-class alumni of select New England "feeder schools" such as Andover Phillips Academy

Phillips Academy is a coed prep school [i] for boarding and day students in grades 9-12. ... 

 and Groton, increasing numbers of international, minority, and working-class students had, by the late 1960s, altered the ethnic and socio-economic makeup of the college. Nonetheless, Harvard's undergraduate population remained predominantly male, with about four men attending Harvard College for every woman studying at Radcliffe. Following the merger of Harvard and Radcliffe admissions in 1977, the proportion of female undergraduates steadily increased, mirroring a trend throughout higher education in the United States. Harvard's graduate schools, which had accepted females and other groups in greater numbers even before the college, also became more diverse in the post-war period.

Today, Harvard is considered one of the premier centers of higher learning in the world. Despite periods of reactionary sentiment in the past, the politics of Harvard's affiliates, in line with most of American academia, are generally liberal : Richard Nixon Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States [i], serving from 1969 to 1974. ... 

 famously attacked it as the "Kremlin Moscow Kremlin

The Moscow Kremlin is a historic fortified complex at the very heart of Moscow [i], overlooking the Moskva River [i]... 

 on the Charles Charles River

The Charles River is a small, relatively short river [i] in Massachusetts [i], USA [i] tha ... 

". In 2004 United States presidential election, 2004

The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2nd, 2004.... 

, the Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson

The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper [i] of Harvard University [i], was founded in 1873. ... 

found that Harvard undergraduates favored Kerry John Kerry

+ style="font-size: larger;" | John Forbes Kerry
... 

 over Bush George W. Bush

This page is monitored by many people and bots, and joke edits are removed quickly.
... 

 by 73% to 19%, consistent with Kerry's margin in major eastern cities such as Boston and New York City.
While Harvard has sometimes been criticized as elitist and "hostile to progressive intellectuals" , there have been both prominent conservatives and liberals who have attended the school. President George W. Bush George W. Bush

This page is monitored by many people and bots, and joke edits are removed quickly.
... 

 graduated from the Harvard Business School Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School, officially named the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administ... 

 while John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F.... 

 and Al Gore Al Gore

Albert Arnold Gore, Jr., is an American [i] politician [i], teacher [i], businessman [i], ... 

 graduated from Harvard College Harvard College

Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University [i], having been fo ... 

. Today, there are both prominent conservative and prominent liberal voices among the faculty of the various schools, such as Martin Feldstein, Greg Mankiw N. Gregory Mankiw

Nicholas Gregory Mankiw is a macroeconomist [i]. ... 

 and Alan Dershowitz Alan Dershowitz

Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer [i] and law professor.
... 

.

Recent developments



On February 21, 2006, president Lawrence Summers Lawrence Summers

Lawrence Henry Summers is an American economist [i] and academic. ... 

 announced his intention to resign the presidency, effective June 30, 2006. His resignation came just one week before a second planned vote of no confidence by the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Former president Derek Bok now serves as interim president, as of July 1. Members of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, which instructs graduate students in GSAS and undergraduates in Harvard College, had passed an earlier motion of "lack of confidence" in Summers' leadership on March 15, 2005 by a 218-185 vote, with 18 abstentions. The 2005 motion was precipitated by comments about the causes of gender demographics in academia made at a closed academic conference and leaked to the press. In response, Summers convened two committees to study this issue: the Task Force on Women Faculty and the Task Force on Women in Science and Engineering. Summers had also pledged $50 million to support their recommendations and other proposed reforms.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricane [i]s in the hist ... 

, Harvard, along with numerous other institutions of higher education across the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 and Canada Canada

Canada is the world's second-largest [i] country by total area, occupying most ... 

, offered to take in students who were unable to attend universities and colleges that were closed for the fall semester. Twenty-five students were admitted to the College, and the Law School Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University [i]. ... 

 made similar arrangements. Tuition was not charged and housing was provided.

Notable student organizations

The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson

The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper [i] of Harvard University [i], was founded in 1873. ... 

, one of the nation's oldest daily college newspapers. Founded in 1873, it counts among its many editors numerous Pulitzer Prize winners and two U.S. Presidents, John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • The Harvard Lampoon Harvard Lampoon

    The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate [i] humor organization and publication founded in 1876 [i] a ... 

    , an undergraduate humor organization and publication founded in 1876 and rival to the Harvard Crimson. The erratically produced magazine was originally modelled on the former British satirical periodical Punch, and has outlived it to become the world's second-oldest humor magazine . Conan O'Brien Conan O'Brien

    Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American [i] television presenter best known as host of NB ... 

     was president of the Lampoon. The National Lampoon National Lampoon

    National Lampoon is a humor [i] magazine [i] that began in 1970 as an offshoot of the Harvard Lampoon [i] ... 

    was founded as an offshoot in 1970 from the Harvard publication.


  • The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, a theatrical society known for its burlesque Burlesque

    With its origins in nineteenth century music hall [i] entertainments and vaudeville [i], in the early twentiet... 

     musical Musical theatre

    Musical theatre is a form of theatre [i] combining music [i], song [i]s, spoken dialogue [i] and dance [i] ... 

    s and annual "Man of the Year" and "Woman of the Year" ceremonies; past members include Alan Jay Lerner, Jack Lemmon Jack Lemmon

    John Uhler Lemmon III , better known as Jack Lemmon, was a Hollywood [i] movie star [i] and one of ... 

    , and J.P. Morgan J. P. Morgan

    John Pierpont Morgan I was an American [i] financier [i] and bank [i]er, who at the turn o... 

    .
  • WHRB WHRB

    WHRB is a commercial radio station in Cambridge [i], Massachusetts [i]. ... 

     , the campus radio station, run exclusively by Harvard students, and given space on the Harvard campus in the basement of Pennypacker Hall, a freshman dorm. Known throughout the Boston Boston, Massachusetts

    Boston is the capital [i] of the Commonwealth [i] of Massachusetts [i] in the United States [i] ... 

     metropolitan area Metropolitan area

    A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of inf... 

     for its classical, jazz, underground rock and blues programming, WHRB uses the radio "Orgy" format, where the entire catalog of a certain band, record, or artist is played in sequence.
  • The Harvard Advocate, the oldest college literary publication in the country. Past members include T. S. Eliot T. S. Eliot

    Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM [i] was an American poet [i], dramatist [i] and literary critic [i] ... 

     and Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt

    Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. , also known as T.R. and to the public as Teddy, was the 26th President of the United States [i] ... 

    .
  • The Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial to John F. Kennedy that promotes public service among undergraduates.
  • The , a 501c3 non-profit organization which serves as the umbrella organization for 78 public service programs at Harvard. PBHA has 1600 volunteers which serve over 10,000 people in the greater Boston area. Notable alums include Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the 32nd President of the United States [i] and was elected to four... 

    , David Souter, and John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy