ICYMI: FIRE has released its 2027 College Free Speech Rankings and Harvard jumped 174 places. Read our analysis of what drove the change here.
People often pay attention to why a speaker was invited to Harvard only when there’s a controversy. That’s happening now over New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s September 18 talk for this year’s Malcolm H. Wiener Lecture in International Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). It also happened for the many events that affected Harvard’s FIRE College Free Speech rankings in the past.
The Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance (HJAA) has asked HKS Dean Jeremy Weinstein to remove the endowed characteristic of Kristof’s lecture (i.e., make it an unnamed lecture rather than the annual Malcolm H. Wiener Lecture), which both the HJAA and The Crimson describe as an “honor.” The dean’s response, which was obtained and published by The Crimson, said, “An invitation to speak or to deliver an endowed lecture at HKS does not suggest institutional agreement with the views a guest has espoused.”
Whatever happens with Kristof’s lecture, Harvard can make explicit in speaker announcements and introductions whether an invitation is intended to be an honor, what specifically is being recognized if so, and above all what makes a lecture educationally worthwhile.
Harvard has clarified before that under its Institutional Voice principles, “Hosting an academic conference or inviting a speaker does not constitute a statement” from the University.
But adopting the Institutional Voice principles in 2024 was only the beginning; for them to take root, Harvard should consistently remind its community what the principles are and what a speaker invitation does — and doesn’t — mean, not just when controversy arises.
Beyond clarifying what an event invitation signifies, its organizers should explain what the community could learn from the event. Making that educational reasoning open to discussion is often framed as matters of transparency or accountability. But at a university, there’s another reason to explain why a speaker was invited or honored: doing so can itself be part of the education.
Sharing the rationale and inviting discussion about it can in turn sharpen an event, or give its organizers reasons to rethink it altogether. Just as understanding why an author appears on a syllabus gives students context for critically engaging with the work, understanding why a speaker was invited can do the same. Which of the speaker’s ideas should be, in the words of the Institutional Voice report, “subject to challenge, reconsideration, and revision” during the event?
The professors or staff involved in organizing a school-sponsored speaking engagement could make that exchange even more valuable by explaining what intellectual questions the event will explore and what students might learn, and by being open to discussing that reasoning. Their academic expertise can help move the conversation beyond who the speaker is to what’s worth examining in their ideas or experience.
The Institutional Voice report says the University pursues truth through “open inquiry, debate, and weighing the evidence, as opposed to mere assertion or unjustified belief.” Harvard is full of lectures, conferences, and other events that create opportunities for its community to learn every day. Explaining the thinking behind those opportunities — and being willing to discuss it — helps the community make the most of them.
Ask 1636
Send us your Harvard and higher education questions!
Q: How many Harvard students were represented in this year’s FIRE free speech rankings?
This year, 287 Harvard undergraduates — about 4.3% of the undergraduate population — responded to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE) survey used in its College Free Speech Rankings. That’s down from 5.9% of undergraduates last year, but within the 1.4%-4.8% range seen from the rankings in the past 5 years.
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Events
Virtual — September 17 at 6 p.m. ET: The Harvard Undergraduate Association (HUA) is hosting its first-ever “State of the Campus,” featuring HUA Co-Presidents Zach Berg (AB ‘28) and Daniel Zhao (AB ‘28) and student leaders from across the College discussing the undergraduate experience, priorities for the year ahead, and opportunities and challenges facing their communities. Register here.
Cambridge, MA — September 18 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. ET: Meet Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Dean Jeremy Weinstein (PhD ’03) at this HKS on the Road series event. The event will follow HKS’s annual Malcolm H. Wiener Lecture in International Political Economy, this year featuring Nicholas Kristof (AB ‘82). Register here.
Virtual — September 22 from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. ET: The Harvard Alumni Association is hosting President Alan Garber (AB ’76, PhD ’82) for an off-the-record conversation about the University’s priorities, progress on campus, and Garber’s vision for Harvard’s future. Register here.
Virtual & Cambridge, MA — September 22 at 6:00 p.m. ET: Harvard Kennedy School is hosting a debate on the role of diversity in higher education and American life as part of its Debate, Debrief, and Dessert series. Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) professor and former NAACP president Cornell Brooks will debate Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, with Washington Post reporter Laura Meckler moderating. HKS professor Julia Minson (AB ‘99) will then facilitate a debrief of how the session unfolded. Register here.
FYIs
Harvard Raises $100 Million for PhD Fellowships, Launches Second Fundraising Challenge
Harvard donors completed a $100 million fundraising challenge for endowed PhD fellowships, supporting 50 graduate students. The Research Accelerator Challenge, formally launched in February by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), reached its goal by June 30.
Harvard has now launched a second phase seeking another $100 million for PhD support. The new matching effort is backed by anonymous donors and, together with the first phase, would amount to a $200 million investment covering tuition, health insurance, and stipends for graduate students.
The original challenge was enabled by $50 million in donor commitments, including a lead gift from Alfred Lin (AB ‘94) and Rebecca Lin (AB ‘94), alongside gifts from Rui Dong (AB ‘05) and Thor Johnson, and Brian Young (AB ‘76) and Anne Young. The initial PhD fundraising push followed FAS’s decision last fall to cut PhD admissions roughly in half amidst financial pressures including a $350 million structural deficit, a $350+ million annual endowment tax, and uncertainty over future federal research funding.
Harvard Kennedy School Launches New Israel Program
Professor Tarek Masoud, faculty chair of Middle East Initiative (MEI) within Harvard Kennedy School’s (HKS) Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, announced the launch of a new Israel Program focused on research, teaching, and policy engagement on Israel “within its broader regional and global contexts.” The program will be led by Barak Sella, a senior research fellow at MEI and former executive director of the Reut Institute.
The program has three principal components: (1) its Shared Society Lab, led by senior research fellow Dana Schleifer, will focus on strengthening municipal institutions and fostering “genuine partnership” between Israel’s Jewish and Palestinian citizens through research, leadership development, and policy design; (2) “Arguing Israel-Palestine,” a new course intended to give students “the scholarly knowledge and practical skills necessary to grapple seriously” with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and (3) a new Israel Research Fellowship will bring scholars and practitioners from Israel to MEI for short-term residencies.
Masoud said the Program is also planning to host study groups and public events on topics including the U.S.-Israel relationship, the two-state solution, the Abraham Accords, and the settler movement. Masoud is known for his Middle East Dialogues (MED) series, in which he models respectful, rigorous debates with guests of different viewpoints on the conflict in the Middle East.
Harvard Expands Screening Requirements for Foreign Researchers and Institutions
Harvard has tightened its screening processes for foreign researchers, visitors, students, and institutions. Its revised guidance, dated August 26, builds on screening rules Harvard broadened last year and comes as the University faces increased federal scrutiny of its international relationships.
The new guidance expands when screening is required for export-control and sanctions risks. Harvard affiliates must now conduct checks for restricted parties in situations including student visa sponsorship, certain payments for foreign learners in online or hybrid courses, and visits by foreign guests to non-public areas of the University.
The revised rules also formalize a risk matrix for evaluating screening results. Government and outside watchlists are categorized from “low” to “very high” risk, with flagged individuals or institutions generally requiring case-by-case assessment.
Harvard’s screening system now also retains an audit record and automatically re-screens entries each day.
An August report by two House Committees questioned how Harvard evaluated national security risks beyond treating only legal compliance as its operating standard, including what criteria it uses to determine when legally permissible research relationships raise national security concerns. It also raised concerns over Harvard’s ability to provide a complete accounting of its research relationships, concluding that Harvard was “either unwilling or unable” to provide a complete list of its relationships with Chinese universities.
Federal Agencies Find Duke Medical School and Berkeley Law Violated Civil Rights Laws With Admissions Practices
Federal agencies sent Notices of Violation to Duke University School of Medicine and UC Berkeley School of Law, finding both schools violated federal civil rights law in their admissions practices.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said Duke “discriminates against white and Asian applicants” by “using race and race proxies in its admissions practices,” contrary to the Supreme Court’s 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) said the same of Berkeley Law.
HHS pointed to statistically significant differences in admissions rates and academic performance by race. For the 2024-25 admissions cycle, HHS reported admission rates of 10% for Black applicants and 6.7% for Hispanic applicants, compared with 3.3% for white applicants and 3.4% for Asian applicants. HHS said that while Duke blinded applicants’ reported race and ethnicity from admissions screeners, it continued “encouraging applicants” to “reveal their race” through other components of their application like personal statements and essays.
DOJ and ED said that post-SFFA, “Berkeley’s application asked applicants to specify their racial identity, so that admitted students could be ‘grouped’ with others of the same ‘primary identity’ in class” and that in 2025, “black applicants had 5.8 times higher odds of admission than comparable white applicants with similar qualifications.”
Harvard is facing its own federal scrutiny over its compliance with SFFA. The Department of Justice and Department of Education have sued Harvard to compel production of applicant-level admissions data from Harvard College, Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Harvard Law School (HLS), saying the University didn’t provide the information the agencies requested in their reviews of Harvard’s compliance with the ruling. The lawsuit doesn’t accuse Harvard of discrimination, and Harvard has maintained that its admissions practices comply with SFFA.
Columbia Bans Electronic Devices in Core Undergraduate Humanities Classes
Columbia has banned electronic devices in all undergraduate Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization sections for the 2026-27 academic year. The two year-long courses are required parts of Columbia College’s Core Curriculum, generally taken by first- and second-year students, respectively.
Columbia is also requiring all instructors of Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization to establish an “explicit course-level policy” for AI use in students’ coursework.
The policy follows a faculty working group’s review of AI and technology in Columbia’s Core Curriculum. Columbia said the policy is intended to help students “engage meaningfully with physical Core texts, listen carefully to their classmates” and participate “thoughtfully and authentically” in class discussions.
Last month, the University of Chicago announced it was prohibiting electronic devices and AI use in its core social science classes.
More News
More News at Harvard
The Crimson: “Deming Calls Summer Layoffs ‘Horrible’ But Says College Programming Largely Survived”
The Crimson: “Deming Defends Five-Day In-Office Mandate as Essential to College’s Residential Mission”
Boston Globe: “Anthropic signs lease for 24,000-square-foot office near Kendall Square”
The Crimson: “Oil, Lawsuits, AI: Inside Harvard’s Increasingly Opaque $57 Billion Endowment”
The Crimson: “Harvard Law School Launches National Security Law & Policy Initiative”
The Crimson: “FAS Faculty Grew More Skeptical of Systemic Antisemitism as DOJ Pressed Its Case”
The Crimson: “Harvard’s Student Activities Pool Doubles to $2.7 Million After Fee Becomes Mandatory”
The Crimson: “Deming Cites Declining Student Interest in Decision to Phase Out Dudley”
Chronicle of Higher Education: “Harvard College’s Dean: ‘Everyone Is Using AI All the Time, for Everything’” — feat. David Deming (PhD ‘10), Dean of Harvard College and economics professor at FAS, HKS, and HGSE
The Crimson: “Wu Says Boston Won't Follow New York’s Lead in Restricting AI in Public Schools”
The Crimson: “Sherri Charleston Urges Harvard Affiliates to ‘Disagree Without Being Disagreeable’ at Morning Prayers” — feat. Harvard’s Chief Community and Campus Life Officer Sherri Charleston
The Crimson: “Fifteen Questions: Jessica Marglin on Jewish Studies, the Dudley Co-Op, and Campus Protest Culture” — feat. FAS Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations professor Jessica Marglin (AB ‘06)
The Crimson: “ADL CEO Credits Harvard With ‘Real Shift’ on Antisemitism, Says Work Remains”
Harvard Gazette: “A New Diplomacy for the 21st Century as Economic, Political, and Tech Power Shifts” — feat. former U.S. Ambassador to China and HKS professor of the practice Nicholas Burns
Wall Street Journal: “How Harvard Won Back an Angry Megadonor” — feat. Stuart Zimmer (AB ‘91)
Washington Free Beacon: “Error-Riddled Harvard Law School Report Demonizes Israel as ‘Inhumane’”
Harvard Gazette: “Survey of Young Researchers Raises Concerns Over Future of Science in U.S.” — feat. HBS professor Raffaella Sadun
Boston Globe: “What Harvard (and the Rest of Higher Ed) Still Needs to Do to Fix Itself” — op-ed by Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker
The Crimson: “Don’t Tell Us To Write Our Papers With AI” — editorial by The Crimson Editorial Board
The Crimson: “Harvard Jews Are Doing Just Fine” — op-ed by Azaria Sussman (AB ‘29)
The Crimson: “Harvard’s Application Culture Has Gone Too Far” — op-ed by Michael Babayev (AB ‘28)
The Crimson: “Harvard Students Need Summer School“ — op-ed by Matthew Tobin (AB ‘27)
The Crimson: “Harvard’s Cuts Are Only Half the Job” — editorial by The Crimson Editorial Board
The Crimson: “The Case for Autodidactacism [sic]” — op-ed by Andrew Shlomchik (AB ‘29)
The Crimson: “The Concurrent Master’s Has To Go” — op-ed by Khadija Khan (AB ‘28)
More News Beyond Harvard
Eternally Radical Idea: “Why Some Schools Rose and Others Imploded in FIRE's 2027 College Free Speech Rankings” — feat. Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE) 2027 College Free Speech Rankings
The Daily Princetonian: “While Other Schools Weigh Grading Reforms, Princeton Remains Silent”
The Daily Princetonian: “Eisgruber Encourages Critical Thinking, Independence From AI at Opening Exercises”
Columbia Daily Spectator: “CCSC Calls for Trustee Reform, Divestment at First-Year Info Session”
Stanford Daily: “Justice Clarence Thomas Blasts Stanford Law School as ‘Off Limits’ to Conservatives”
Daily Pennsylvanian: “Penn GSE to Offer Early Admission Opportunities for Colby College Undergraduates”
Yale Daily News: “As Yale Solicits Feedback on Lewis, Students Doubt Rebukes Will Matter”
Vanderbilt Hustler: “Vanderbilt Received $230M in Foreign Gifts and Contracts Since 1986, Department of Education Report Reveals”
Bloomberg: “Trott Gives $100 Million for Rural Education, Career Programs”
New York Magazine: “The College Students Finding New Ways to Cheat With AI”
Chronicle of Higher Education: “Blue Books Are Back. Is That a Good Thing?”
Nature: “How Contemporary Academic Structures Constrain Scientific Creativity and Hold Back Early-Career Researchers”
Emory News: “Historian Deborah Lipstadt Founds Emory Institute to Address Antisemitism”
Chronicle of Higher Education: “What Even Is an Author?”
Reason: “How Often Are Articles in Top Law Reviews Written in Part by AI?” — by Stanford Law professor Julian Nyarko
Boston Globe: “Wellesley College to Offer Free Tuition for Students From Middle-Income Families”
Daily Pennsylvanian: “High Schoolers See Penn Summer Programs as a Resume Booster. For the University, They're a Moneymaker.”
eJewishPhilanthropy: “What Jewish Leaders Can Learn From Nine Months of Mothers Against College Antisemitism Infighting”
Chronicle of Philanthropy: “Campuses Are Rebuilding a Culture of Dialogue. Funders Can Ensure It Lasts.”
The Atlantic: “Why I Want More AI at Dartmouth” — op-ed by Dartmouth president Sian Beilock
Kyle Saunders’s Substack: “What Are Universities Doing About AI?” — by Colorado State University professor Kyle Saunders
A Causal Affair: “How Do We Know If Writing Is AI?” — by Yale School of Management finance professor Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham
Boston Globe: “College Campuses Need to Be Liberated From Their Administrators” — op-ed by UC Riverside philosophy professor Barry Lam
Chronicle of Higher Education: “Jason Arday and the Corruption of Science” — op-ed by UChicago biology professor emeritus Jerry Coyne (PhD ‘78)
Chronicle of Higher Education: “Harvard’s and Dartmouth’s AI Embrace Is Insane” — op-ed by UC Irvine philosophy professor Anastasia Berg (AB ‘09)