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President of Harvard University
 
 
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The President is the chief administrator
Academic administration

An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities....
 of Harvard University
Harvard University

Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the Colonial Colleges institution of higher learning in the United States....
. Ex officio the chairman of the Harvard Corporation, he or she is appointed by and is responsible to the other members of that body, who delegate to him or her the day-to-day running of the university. The current incumbent is Drew Gilpin Faust
Drew Gilpin Faust

Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust is an United States historian, college administrator, and the first female president of Harvard University of Harvard University....
, formerly the dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard is an educational institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the semiautonomous components of Harvard University....
.

Harvard is a famously decentralized university, noted for the "every tub on its own bottom" independence of its various constituent faculties
Faculty (university)

A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas . The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had individual faculties for a Madrasah and theological seminary, Sharia and Fiqh, Arabic grammar, Islamic astronom...
.






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The President is the chief administrator
Academic administration

An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities....
 of Harvard University
Harvard University

Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the Colonial Colleges institution of higher learning in the United States....
. Ex officio the chairman of the Harvard Corporation, he or she is appointed by and is responsible to the other members of that body, who delegate to him or her the day-to-day running of the university. The current incumbent is Drew Gilpin Faust
Drew Gilpin Faust

Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust is an United States historian, college administrator, and the first female president of Harvard University of Harvard University....
, formerly the dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard is an educational institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the semiautonomous components of Harvard University....
.

Harvard is a famously decentralized university, noted for the "every tub on its own bottom" independence of its various constituent faculties
Faculty (university)

A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas . The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had individual faculties for a Madrasah and theological seminary, Sharia and Fiqh, Arabic grammar, Islamic astronom...
. They set their own academic standards and manage their own budgets. The president, however, plays an important part in university-wide planning and strategy. She names each faculty's dean
Dean (education)

In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific Academia unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both....
 (and, since the foundation of the office in 1994, the university's provost
Provost (education)

Provost is the title of a senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada. It is the equivalent of Deputy Vice Chancellor or Pro-Vice-Chancellor at certain institutions in United Kingdom and Ireland such as Trinity College Dublin, and the head of certain ancient colleges ....
), and grants tenure
Tenure

Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have their position terminated without just cause....
 to recommended professors. (She is, however, expected to make such decisions after extensive consultation with faculty members).

Traditionally, as the leader of one of the U.S.'s most prominent universities, Harvard presidents have influenced educational practices nationwide. Charles W. Eliot, for example, originated America's familiar system of a smorgasbord of elective courses available to each student; James B. Conant worked to introduce standardized testing; Derek C. Bok
Derek Bok

Derek Curtis Bok is an United States lawyer and educator, and the former president of Harvard University.Bok was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Stanford University , Harvard Law School , and George Washington University ....
 and Neil L. Rudenstine argued for the continued importance of diversity in higher education.

Recently, however, the job has become increasingly administrative, especially as the President has become increasingly responsible for conducting fund-raising campaigns. Some have criticized this trend to the extent it has prevented the president from focusing on substantive issues in higher education.

Each president is a qualified academic professor
Professor

The meaning of the word professor varies. In some English-speaking countries, it refers to a senior academic who holds a departmental chair, especially as head of the Academic department, or a personal chair awarded specifically to that individual....
 in some department of the university and will, on occasion, teach courses.

History

At Harvard's foundation it was headed by a "schoolmaster," Nathaniel Eaton
Nathaniel Eaton

Nathaniel Eaton was the first schoolmaster of Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later became a clergyman....
. He was soon dismissed, however; and when in 1640 Henry Dunster
Henry Dunster

Henry Dunster was an Anglo-American Puritan clergyman and educator. Born at Bolholt, Bury, Lancashire, England to Henry Dunster Sr and Isabelle Kaye , Dunster studied and graduated from Magdalene College, Cambridge, specializing in oriental languages and temporarily became a teacher there until he emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1640...
 was brought in he adopted the title "president." The origins of this title have been grounds for a certain amount of speculation; see President (history of the term)
President (history of the term)

The word president is derived from the Latin prae- "before" + sedere "to sit." As such, it originally designated the officer who presides over or "sits before" a gathering and ensures that debate is conducted according to the rules of order ....
.

Harvard was originally founded for the training of Puritan
Puritan

A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group pietism....
 clergy, and even though its mission was soon broadened, nearly all presidents through the end of the 18th century were in holy orders.

All presidents from Leonard Hoar through Nathan Pusey were graduates of Harvard College
Harvard College

Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature....
 (i.e. they were undergraduates at the university). Of the presidents since Pusey, Bok took his undergraduate degree at Stanford
Stanford University

Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private university research university located in Stanford, California, California, United States....
, Rudenstine at Princeton
Princeton University

Princeton University is a private university university located in Princeton, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League and has the largest per-student Financial endowment in the world....
, and Summers at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private university research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States....
; but each earned a graduate degree at Harvard. Drew Gilpin Faust
Drew Gilpin Faust

Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust is an United States historian, college administrator, and the first female president of Harvard University of Harvard University....
 is the first president since the seventeenth century with no earned Harvard degree.

Presidents of Harvard

  • Nathaniel Eaton
    Nathaniel Eaton

    Nathaniel Eaton was the first schoolmaster of Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later became a clergyman....
     ("schoolmaster," 1637-1639)
  • Henry Dunster
    Henry Dunster

    Henry Dunster was an Anglo-American Puritan clergyman and educator. Born at Bolholt, Bury, Lancashire, England to Henry Dunster Sr and Isabelle Kaye , Dunster studied and graduated from Magdalene College, Cambridge, specializing in oriental languages and temporarily became a teacher there until he emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1640...
     (1640-1654)
  • Charles Chauncy
    Charles Chauncy

    Charles Chauncy was an Anglo-American clergyman and educator. He was born at Yardleybury , Hertfordshire, England and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he later was a lecturer in Greek language....
     (1654-1672)
  • Leonard Hoar
    Leonard Hoar

    Leonard Hoar was an early American clergyman and educator. He was educated at Harvard College, graduating in 1650, and later studied medicine at University of Cambridge....
     (1672-1675)
  • Urian Oakes
    Urian Oakes

    Urian Oakes was an American educator. He served as acting president of Harvard University of Harvard University between 1675 and 1680. He then served as president of Harvard University from 1680 to 1681....
     (acting president, 1675-1680; president, 1680-1681)
  • John Rogers
    John Rogers (Harvard)

    John Rogers was an early USA academic. He was born in Coggeshall and came to New England with his father in 1636. In 1660 he married Elizabeth Denison of Ipswich, Massachusetts....
     (1682-1684)
  • Increase Mather
    Increase Mather

    Increase Mather was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay . He was a Puritanism Minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials....
     (acting president, 1685-1686; rector, 1686-1692; president, 1692-1701)
  • Samuel Willard
    Samuel Willard

    Reverend Samuel Willard was a Colonialism clergyman. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, Massachusetts; graduated at Harvard University in 1659; and was minister at Groton, Massachusetts from 1663 to 1676, whence he was driven by the Indians during King Philip's War....
     (acting president, 1701-1707)
  • John Leverett
    John Leverett the Younger

    John Leverett son of Hudson Leverett, an attorney, and Sarah Leverett, . He was an early American lawyer, politician, and educator. He was educated at Harvard College ...
     (1708-1724)
  • Benjamin Wadsworth
    Benjamin Wadsworth

    Benjamin Wadsworth was an early American clergyman and educator. He was trained at Harvard College and served as President of Harvard University of that academic institution from 1725 until his death....
     (1725-1737)
  • Edward Holyoke
    Edward Holyoke

    Edward Holyoke was an early American clergyman, and the 9th President of Harvard College....
     (1737-1769)
  • Samuel Locke
    Samuel Locke

    Samuel Locke was a United States Congregationalist church clergyman and educator. After serving as pastor in Sherborn, Massachusetts, he was appointed President of Harvard University of Harvard University....
     (1770-1773)
  • Samuel Langdon
    Samuel Langdon

    Samuel Langdon was a United States of America Congregationalist church clergyman and educator. After serving as pastor in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he was appointed President of Harvard University of Harvard University in 1774....
     (1774-1780)
  • Joseph Willard
    Joseph Willard

    Joseph Willard was a United States of America Congregationalist church clergyman and academic. He was educated at Harvard College and served as pastor in Beverly, Massachusetts....
     (1781-1804)
  • Eliphalet Pearson
    Eliphalet Pearson

    Eliphalet Pearson United States of America educator; 1st principal of Phillips Academy 1778-1786; acting president of Harvard University 1804-1806....
     (acting president, 1804-1806)
  • Samuel Webber
    Samuel Webber

    Samuel Webber was an United States clergyman, mathematician, and academic.Webber was educated at Harvard College where he distinguished himself in mathematics....
     (1806-1810)
  • John Thornton Kirkland
    John Thornton Kirkland

    John Thornton Kirkland served as President of Harvard University from 1810 to 1828. A Religious minister like many of his predecessors, he is remembered chiefly for his lenient treatment of students....
     (1810-1828)
  • Josiah Quincy
    Josiah Quincy III

    Josiah Quincy III was a United States of America educator and political figure. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives , Mayor of Boston , and President of Harvard University ....
     (1829-1845)
  • Edward Everett
    Edward Everett

    Edward Everett was a Whig Party politician from Massachusetts. Everett was elected to the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate, and also served as President of Harvard University, United States Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to United Kingdom, and Governor of Massachusetts before being appointed...
     (1846-1849)
  • Jared Sparks
    Jared Sparks

    Jared Sparks was an United States historian, educator, and Unitarianism minister. He served as President of Harvard University of Harvard University from 1849 to 1853....
     (1849-1853)
  • James Walker
    James Walker (Harvard)

    James Walker was the President of Harvard College from 1853 to 1860.External links...
     (1853-1860)
  • Cornelius Conway Felton
    Cornelius Conway Felton

    Cornelius Conway Felton was an American educator. He was regent of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as professor of Greek literature and President of Harvard University of Harvard University....
     (1860-1862)
  • Thomas Hill
    Thomas Hill (clergyman)

    Thomas Hill was an American Unitarianism clergyman and educator. He was president of Antioch College from 1860 to 1862, and then of Harvard University from 1862 to 1868....
     (1862-1868)
  • Charles William Eliot
    Charles William Eliot

    Charles William Eliot was an United States academic who was selected as Harvard University president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university....
     (1869-1909)
  • Abbott Lawrence Lowell
    Abbott Lawrence Lowell

    Abbott Lawrence Lowell was a U.S. educator, historian, and President of Harvard University .Abbott's siblings included poet Amy Lowell, astronomer Percival Lowell , and early activist for prenatal care Elizabeth Lowell Putnam....
     (1909-1933)
  • James Bryant Conant
    James Bryant Conant

    James Bryant Conant was a chemist, educational administrator, and government official. He was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1893 and graduated from the Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1910....
     (1933-1953)
  • Nathan Marsh Pusey (1953-1971)
  • Derek Curtis Bok (1971-1991)
  • Henry Rosovsky
    Henry Rosovsky

    Henry Rosovsky is an American List_of_economists and university administrator. From 1973 to 1987 he was the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University....
     Former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Rosovsky
    Henry Rosovsky

    Henry Rosovsky is an American List_of_economists and university administrator. From 1973 to 1987 he was the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University....
     served as acting president for 3 months in 1987 when Bok traveled abroad
  • Neil L. Rudenstine (1991-2001)
  • Provost Albert Carnesale
    Albert Carnesale

    Albert Carnesale is an American academia. He is a former Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, provost of Harvard University, and has been involved in international diplomacy on nuclear proliferation....
     served as acting president, November 1994-February 1995, during Rudenstine's leave of absence for exhaustion
  • Lawrence H. Summers (July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2006)
  • Derek Curtis Bok (interim president, July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007)
  • Drew Gilpin Faust
    Drew Gilpin Faust

    Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust is an United States historian, college administrator, and the first female president of Harvard University of Harvard University....
     (July 1, 2007 - present)
(John Winthrop (1714-1779)
John Winthrop (1714-1779)

John Winthrop was the 2nd Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Harvard College. He was a distinguished mathematician, Physics and astronomer, born in Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts His great-great-grandfather, also named John Winthrop, was founder of the Massachusetts Bay colony....
 served as acting president in 1769 and again in 1773; but both times he declined the offer of the full presidency on grounds of old age.)

(Other minor acting presidents have included William Brattle, Edward Wigglesworth
Edward Wigglesworth

Edward Wigglesworth was a clergyman and teacher in Colonial America. He graduated Harvard College in 1710 and in 1722 he was appointed to the newly created Thomas Hollis chair, thereby becoming the first divinity professor commissioned in the American colonies....
, Henry Ware
Henry Ware

Henry Ware may refer to:*Henry Ware , U.S. preacher and theologian*Henry Ware, Jr. , Unitarian theologian, son of the above*Henry Ware , Bishop of Chichester...
 (1810, 1828-1829), Andrew Preston Peabody
Andrew Preston Peabody

Andrew Preston Peabody was an United States clergyman and author.Peabody was descended from Lieut. Francis Peabody of St. Albans, who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1635....
 (1862, 1868-1869), and Henry Pickering Walcott.)

External links