A change in the makeup of Congress shouldn’t change Harvard’s pursuit of its mission.
With Democrats winning control of Congress, universities that reached settlements with the White House or changed policies during federal pressure could face government scrutiny from a different direction. Unlike some universities, Harvard hasn’t reached a settlement and continues to challenge federal actions in court.
Harvard’s independence doesn’t exempt it from the law or mean lawmakers have nothing useful to contribute — their scrutiny can surface important problems or opportunities, and in some areas they play an official oversight role. But the value of a reform for Harvard’s mission doesn’t depend on which politicians may support it. The question for Harvard in evaluating each reform should be the same as before the election: is it helping Harvard fulfill its mission of academic excellence?
Harvard had identified its own concerns around bias, classroom engagement, and open inquiry well before its dispute with the federal government began in April 2025. That includes:
Antisemitism and Islamophobia: In January 2024, President Alan Garber announced the creation of parallel task forces on combatting antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus, recognizing the “feelings of uncertainty, abandonment, mistrust, and fear” among each community.
Classroom disengagement: In February 2024, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) established its Classroom Social Compact Committee to examine classroom disengagement and self-censorship. The report described students prioritizing extracurricular commitments over coursework and faculty viewing students’ disengagement “with alarm.”
Open inquiry: In spring 2024, Harvard convened a University-wide Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue Working Group. Its report found that 45% of student respondents were reluctant to discuss controversial topics in class, while only 49% of faculty respondents felt comfortable leading such discussions.
Institutional voice: Also in spring 2024, Harvard established an Institutional Voice Working Group and adopted the Group’s principles, limiting when the University takes official positions on public issues so community members can debate them freely.
Recognizing that these issues directly impact Harvard’s mission — from apathy or reluctance to question ideas, to discrimination that undermines full participation in academic life — Harvard has since taken steps to address them, both before and after the federal dispute. That includes:
Admissions: Starting August 2024, Harvard College added an application question about how prospective students handled a disagreement.
Classroom norms: In March 2025, FAS adopted norms to strengthen classroom engagement, including stricter attendance policies and a speaker non-attribution policy.
Student orientation: Beginning in fall 2025, Harvard schools added modules on open inquiry, ideological pluralism, constructive dialogue, antisemitism and Islamophobia, and engagement across difference.
Instructor training: In fall 2026, FAS’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning trained more than 1,500 teaching fellows and teaching assistants in teaching best practices, including fostering open inquiry.
When President Garber rejected the federal demands in April 2025, he also wrote, “The work of addressing our shortcomings, fulfilling our commitments, and embodying our values is ours to define and undertake as a community.”
There are encouraging signs of progress. College Dean David Deming recently shared that 67% of Harvard’s graduating seniors reported voicing disagreement on controversial topics when they felt it was important to do so, up from 44% in 2023. Deming called the increase “real progress” but added, “I’m not declaring victory, not until these numbers are at 100.” This stat doesn’t point to which initiatives have helped, but it’s one useful measure of how campus culture has improved.
Continuing to pursue improvements doesn’t mean keeping every initiative unchanged. Completing an orientation module doesn’t necessarily improve how a student handles disagreement. Harvard can learn from experience and revise programs that aren’t accomplishing their goals. Keeping an ineffective program around just to demonstrate resolve would be no more independent than abandoning an effective one because its political associations became inconvenient.
Explaining such judgments publicly would give the community something more useful than what can sound like just another assurance that Harvard remains committed to its mission: a way to understand how that mission guides actual decisions.
In April 2025, we wrote that “lasting and meaningful change must ultimately come from within the university itself.” Elected officials will continue to have plenty to say about Harvard, including concerns worth taking seriously. But identifying and addressing its own shortcomings — and explaining publicly how its decisions serve its mission — remains a responsibility of Harvard’s, regardless of which party controls Congress.
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Q: How is the Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU) strike affecting classes at Harvard College?
Since HGSU’s strike began October 27, several Harvard College courses have experienced disruptions. According to the Washington Free Beacon, discussion sections have been canceled in courses including Humanities 10, Government 30, Philosophy 14, and History of Science 100, while some other courses have combined sections, reduced office hours, or delayed grading.
The Crimson reported that more than 20 striking workers picketed outside Emerson Hall with chants and air horns while about 250 students took a Gen Ed midterm exam. At a faculty meeting, the course’s professor, David Jones, called the disruption a “sonic assault.” While reaffirming his support for the union’s right to strike, Jones said that he tried unsuccessfully to relocate the exam and described HGSU’s approach as being “with us or against us,” saying it pressures faculty to choose between supporting the strike and fulfilling their teaching responsibilities to undergraduates.
Events
Chicago, IL — November 12 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. CT: Meet HKS Dean Jeremy Weinstein at this HKS on the Road series event. Register here.
New York, NY — November 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET: Columbia Law School professors Joshua Mitts and David Pozen will debate whether universities should be governed by their campus communities or independent boards, and what each approach means for academic freedom, accountability, and institutional independence. Register here.
Boston, MA — December 5 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET: The Harvard Club of Boston is hosting Harvard’s 46th Saturday of Symposia, featuring School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean David Parkes and talks from Harvard faculty members conducting research across a range of fields. Register here.
FYIs
FAS Reports $31 Million Operating Surplus, but Unrestricted Operations Run $127 Million Deficit
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) reported nearly $1.8 billion in revenue and an adjusted operating surplus of approximately $31 million in fiscal year (FY) 2026, up $18 million from the prior year. The operating results exclude the impact of creating the Research Accelerator Challenge endowment, which raised $100 million to fund 50 new endowed PhD fellowships.
Expenses fell $36 million, reflecting reduced spending on research, hiring constraints, and other cost-cutting measures.
In a letter to faculty, FAS CFO Julie Joncas emphasized that the overall surplus “masks” a $127 million deficit in unrestricted funds, offset by a $158 million surplus in restricted funds, which can’t be redirected to general expenses.
FAS drew down $38 million of unrestricted (flexible) reserves, leaving $112 million in reserves, or 6% of operating expenses — below Harvard’s best-practice minimum reserve level of 10%. Joncas wrote that “reaching a responsible level of flexible reserves remains a critical financial priority for the FAS.”
Federally sponsored research spending fell $46 million from FY25, while indirect cost recovery — funding from research sponsors that covers facilities and infrastructure costs — declined $13 million. Meanwhile, FAS received a record $688 million in gifts and pledges, though much of that funding is restricted to specific purposes. Harvard’s 27.1% endowment return is expected to provide FAS “additional” operating income beginning in FY28.
Federal Judge Rules in Harvard’s Favor in Francesca Gino Lawsuit
On November 2, U.S. District Court Judge Myong Joun granted Harvard summary judgment on all claims brought by former Harvard Business School (HBS) professor Francesca Gino, dismissing her claims in Harvard’s favor without a trial.
Gino sued Harvard in August 2023 after an HBS investigation found that she had committed research misconduct involving four published studies. In May 2025, Harvard revoked her tenure — the first revocation in University history — and terminated her employment. Gino alleged that Harvard violated its investigative and disciplinary procedures, discriminated against her on the basis of sex, and retaliated against her for filing suit. In the years since Gino filed suit, Harvard Law School professor Larry Lessig released a podcast series questioning the University’s procedures and conclusions, while Bill Ackman (AB ‘88, MBA ‘92) announced in January 2026 that he would fund Gino’s legal defense.
On Gino’s breach-of-contract claims, Joun found that Harvard’s policies allowed “procedural flexibility” and that Gino hadn’t demonstrated any material violations. He rejected her objections to restrictions on document access and the introduction of additional expert evidence, writing that a procedural complaint isn’t actionable “merely because Gino would have preferred a different investigation.” He also found that Harvard’s decision had a “substantial contemporaneous evidentiary basis,” including forensic analysis of the disputed data and multiple rounds of faculty review.
Joun also found Gino’s evidence of sex discrimination “plainly insufficient.” He concluded that the two male professors she cited as examples of disparate treatment had faced materially different allegations and noted that HBS professor Frances Frei, who alleged a pattern of discrimination by HBS Dean Srikant Datar, couldn’t identify additional specific instances when questioned. On Gino’s retaliation claims, Joun found insufficient evidence that Harvard disciplined Gino because she filed suit, noting that Harvard’s tenure-revocation proceedings had begun before her lawsuit.
The case isn’t entirely resolved. Harvard’s defamation counterclaim against Gino remains pending. Joun said he would hold a hearing on Harvard’s request to sanction Gino for allegedly concealing or destroying evidence.
Faculty Senate Vote Postponed After FAS Professors Propose Amendments
Harvard’s FAS postponed a faculty vote on proposed bylaws for a University-wide faculty senate after a group of professors introduced a set of amendments.
The idea of establishing a faculty senate at Harvard was first proposed in May 2024 by University Professor Danielle Allen (PhD ‘01) and seven colleagues. Following deliberations from a faculty senate planning body, President Alan Garber (AB ‘76, PhD ‘82) and Provost John Manning (AB ‘82, JD ‘85) endorsed the proposed bylaws in October 2026.
The proposed faculty senate would establish a 43-member advisory senate representing faculty across Harvard’s schools. Among other provisions, the University president would have veto power over bylaw changes, senior administrators and deans could attend closed senate sessions (preventing faculty senators from deliberating privately without them), and a two-thirds majority vote would be required to pass resolutions.
In a Crimson op-ed, FAS professors Mina Cikara, Ryan Enos, and Kirsten Weld argued that the proposed bylaws would limit the senate’s independence and make it difficult to express faculty views. Along with three colleagues, they proposed amendments to eliminate the presidential veto, allow senators to deliberate without administrators present, enable the senate to form committees, and lower the threshold for passing resolutions from two-thirds to a simple majority.
Allen withdrew her motion to approve the bylaws, saying faculty needed more time to deliberate. She plans to reintroduce the motion in December, with faculty town halls expected beforehand.
More News
More News at Harvard
The Crimson: “Despite Harvard Writing Center Reshuffling, Freshmen Say They Are Finding Ways to Improve Their Writing”
The Crimson: “FAS Says It Will Recoup McKinsey Fees in Under Six Months, Declines to Disclose Costs”
The Crimson: “Fire Alarm Cuts Short Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Colbert Event as Graduate Student Union Pickets Outside”
The Crimson: “One Week Into Strike, Graduate Student Workers Rally at University Hall, Urge Deans to Intervene”
The Crimson: “Graduate Student Council President Tells Peers to Pitch Departments on New Faculty Hires”
The Crimson: “Harvard Extension School Instructors Navigate AI in the Classroom Amid Decentralized Policies”
Boston Globe: “With a Soaring Endowment, Why Is Everyone on Strike? At Harvard, Three Unions Could Walk Out at Once.”
Harvard Business School: “Harvard Business School Announces 2026-2027 Cohort of Executive Fellows”
Harvard Law Today: “The beginning of another era” — feat. Yale Law School professor and deputy dean Justin Driver (JD ‘04)
FAS Current: “Solving an Urgent Math Problem: How to Educate Grad Students Amid AI Disruptions” — feat. FAS math professors Melanie Matchett Wood and Dan Freed (AB ’80), who co-organized the summit
FAS Current: “Hoekstra Underscores Diversity, Financial Aid as Keys to Academic Vibrancy” — feat. FAS Dean Hopi Hoekstra
The Context Window: “Is A.I. Helping Students Learn, or Just Doing the Work for Them?” — feat. David Deming (PhD ‘10), dean of Harvard College and economics professor at FAS, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Crimson: “Federal Prosecutors Move to Drop Criminal Charges Against HMS Researcher Kseniia Petrova”
Harvard Gazette: “Where Better Than Universities?” — feat. Emory law professor and Berkman Klein Center faculty associate Ifeoma Ajunwa
Poets&Quants: “Report: Stanford & Harvard MBAs Dominate the Top Ranks of AI Venture Capital”
Boston Globe: “Brigham Nurses Schedule Nov. 12 Strike as Ongoing Contract Fight Heats Up Again”
Wall Street Journal: “Elite Institutions’ War on Science” — feat. Harvard Medical School
The Crimson: “Harvard Needs a Math Requirement” — op-ed by Rohan Nambiar (AB ‘27)
The Crimson: “Math Is Still Worth Studying in the Age of AI” — op-ed by Evan Tsingos (AB ‘27)
The Crimson: “Harvard Confuses Privilege With Merit” — editorial by The Crimson Editorial Board
The Crimson: “Harvard Has $68 Billion — But Not Enough To Pay Its Workers” — op-ed by FAS anthropology research associate Ashley Scott
More News Beyond Harvard
Bloomberg: “Dhillon Resigns From DOJ Civil Rights After Democrats’ Sweep”
New York Times: “Cornell Faculty Passes Vote of No Confidence in Administration”
Yale Daily News: “Yalies Express Worry About Grade Inflation Guidance Expected This Month”
Columbia Spectator: “Columbia Endowment Grows to $17.9 Billion, Trailing Ivy League Peers”
The Dartmouth: “Associate Dean for International and Interdisciplinary Studies and History Professor Matthew Delmont to Serve as Interim Provost”
The Dartmouth: “Schnell’s resignation prompts conversation on appropriate consequences for AI use”
Wall Street Journal: “The Best College Bargain Is a Super-Pricey Elite Liberal Arts School”
The Atlantic: “The Currency of the Journal Article Is Collapsing”
Chronicle of Higher Education: “AAUP’s New Political Action Committee Has No Cash”
Stanford Report: “Stanford Invests $10 Million to Rethink Majors for the AI Age”
Stanford Daily: “Stanford Master’s Degree Enrollment Defies National Decline”
UChicago: “A New Hub for Writing, in the Age of AI”
Daily Pennsylvanian: “Penn Professors Turn to New Tool to Keep Take-Home Writing Honest”
Chronicle of Higher Education: “Generative AI Has Transformed Higher-Ed Jobs”
Semafor: “My Reporting Prompted Dartmouth Provost to Resign. It Wasn’t the Right Call” — by Semafor San Francisco bureau chief Reed Albergotti
Nature: “AI-Hallucinated Citations Should Be Treated as Research Misconduct” — letter by Jan Pisek and Eve Veromann
Econvitals: “AI Could Do My First Job. Not My Last.” — by Harvard economics professor and former Council of Economic Advisers chair Jason Furman (AB ‘92, PhD ‘04)
The Atlantic: “The Time Is Right for a ‘Great Books’ Revival” — by MIT humanities and literature professor Joshua Bennett
Education Next: “The Decline and Fall of Rigor in Advanced Placement” — by John Moscatiello, founder of Marco Learning
The New Yorker: “The Year Math Changed Forever” — by Rivka Galchen
Free the Inquiry: “Topics Non Grata” — by Heterodox Academy researchers Erin Shaw and Shiri Spitz Siddiqi
Chronicle of Higher Education: “Can Academe Survive the Tidal Wave of AI Slop?” — op-ed by Caltech postdoc Mahmoud Jalloh
Free the Inquiry (Heterodox Academy): “The Progressive Monoculture on Campus Is Eroding Public Trust” — by University of Wisconsin-Superior professor Heather McGrew
Free the Inquiry (Heterodox Academy): “How Universities Can Promote Viewpoint Diversity Through Admissions” — by Dylan Selterman
North State Journal: “Checking In on UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Civic Life and Leadership” — by UNC System Board of Governors member Woody White
eJewishPhilanthropy: “Jewish studies funders: If not the university, then where?” — op-ed by University of Washington Judaism professor Mika Ahuvia