In an interview this week, President Alan Garber said Harvard has done “a lot” to combat antisemitism and is “well on the way” to implementing the recommendations of its task forces on antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Days later, Harvard president emeritus Larry Summers stood before the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee’s (PSC) “Wall of Resistance” installation at the Science Center Plaza, calling Harvard’s decision to approve the wall evidence of a double standard where the University has failed to treat antisemitism as seriously as other forms of hate. “I do not believe that if the doctrines of the Ku Klux Klan were proposed for installation in the Science Center, that that would be permitted,” he said. Summers emphasized that his preference is for “bad” speech to be met with “more and alternative speech” but the University must hold all speech to the same standards.
Garber’s optimism and Summers’ frustration capture two sides of one problem: no one outside the senior administration seems to know what progress has actually been made. Nearly six months after the task force reports were released, the University has offered no real public update beyond Garber’s assurance that it’s done “a lot.”
When The Atlantic profiled Garber in July, a University spokesperson requested a correction that “although Harvard deans have been slow to implement the task force's recommendations, they have not missed deadlines for reports mandated by it.” That sort of splitting hairs doesn’t instill confidence about pace and priority. Which recommendations have been adopted? Which are under review? Has anything worked? At a sprawling institution like Harvard, that kind of opacity makes it difficult to assess progress or to trust it’s happening.
That vacuum breeds mistrust and invites avoidable misunderstandings. During Summers’ remarks, Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh, who is known to be supportive of Israeli students, asked him to move a few feet so PSC students could dismantle the wall in compliance with the installation’s permit. The moment, caught on video, was quickly miscast online as an attempt to silence advocacy against antisemitism.
Contrary to Crimson reporting that could be interpreted otherwise, Summers later told us (and said we could share), “I want to be crystal clear that I have no doubt it was not her intent to silence or censor me,” but called it an “ill-advised move.” And he's right: when transparency is missing around what the University is doing to improve, perception fills the gap, and often assumes negative intent.
The same fog surrounds other priorities Garber has named — from viewpoint diversity, to Islamophobia, to grade inflation. Whether progress is happening at all is hard to know, and harder still to see.
Trust isn’t rebuilt through task forces or talking points. It’s restored when actions are visible, progress is measurable, and leadership chooses transparency over comfort. At a university built on Veritas, clarity shouldn’t feel radical. It should be the baseline.
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Q: Sometimes you mention that a Harvard faculty member is a ‘University Professor.’ Is that just a tenured professor at Harvard?
No, it’s a separate title from regular tenured faculty and is Harvard’s highest faculty honor. University Professors hold specially endowed positions awarded to tenured Harvard scholars whose “groundbreaking work crosses the boundaries of multiple disciplines,” enabling them to teach and conduct research at any of Harvard’s schools. There are just 25, including presidents emeriti Drew Faust and Larry Summers (PhD ‘82), political theorist Danielle Allen (PhD ‘01), quantum physicist Mikhail Lukin, and literary historian Stephen Greenblatt.
Events
New York, NY — October 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET: This Harvard College Fund reception will include updates from campus and research from biology professor Fei Chen and bioengineering professor Sriya Stinivasan. Register here.
Toronto, Canada — October 29 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. ET: Meet Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein at this HKS on the Road series event. Register here.
Cambridge, MA — November 6 from 7-8:30 p.m. ET: The MIT Free Speech Alliance’s Fall 2025 debate, “Are U.S. Colleges too Dependent on International Students?” will feature former Crimson Education COO David Freed (AB ‘16, AM ‘16), Boston College professor Chris Glass, James Fishback, and Nathan Halberstadt, moderated by MIT professor and edX founder Anant Agarwal. Register here.
Los Angeles, CA — November 6 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. PT: This Harvard College Fund reception will include updates from campus and research from biology professor Erin Hecht and earth and planetary sciences professor Brendan Meade. Register here.
Cleveland, OH — November 13 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. ET: Harvard Divinity School (HDS) and the Harvard Club of Northeast Ohio are hosting a reception with HDS Dean Marla Frederick. Register here.
New York, NY — November 18 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. ET: Harvard Business School (HBS) and the HBS Club of New York are hosting a reception for alumni with additional career planning workshops for recent graduates. Register here.
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FYIs
Harvard Reduces PhD Admissions and SEAS Staff Amid Ongoing Budget Pressures
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) will reduce PhD admissions by more than half over the next two cycles, citing continued financial pressure despite the restoration of federal funding. The cut follows FAS Dean Hopi Hoekstra’s September announcement that PhD admissions would shrink “significantly.”
The Science division will cut admissions by over 75%, Arts & Humanities by around 60%, and Social Sciences by 50-70%. Departments left with only one slot will not be allowed to admit students (e.g., the German department).
By contrast, the University of Pennsylvania announced a “modest increase” in its 2026 PhD admissions cycle, though still below historical norms.
Separately, Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) laid off about 35 staff, or 15% of its workforce, including several student-facing roles such as academic advisers and lecturers.
While a September court order required the federal government to restore Harvard’s previously frozen research funds, an increase in the endowment tax is now projected to cost Harvard $300 million (and rising) annually, and it faces the prospect of no future research funding.
Harvard College Releases Class of 2029 Admissions Data
Asian American representation rose to 41% (from 37%). Black enrollment dropped to 11.5% (from 14%), and Hispanic enrollment fell to 11% (from 16%). The self-reported data reflects the second full admissions cycle since the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions. Experts have been hesitant to label the changes a trend, citing the limited time frame and adjustments in how Harvard reports demographic data.
In a Bloomberg interview with former Harvard Corporation member David Rubenstein this week, President Garber reiterated Harvard’s compliance with the ruling, noting that the College removed admissions officers’ access to demographic checkboxes and trained staff not to consider certain demographic characteristics that may appear elsewhere in students’ applications.
45% of admitted students will attend tuition-free, following a March 2025 expansion of the College’s financial aid program. 21% are estimated to be Pell Grant-eligible, and 20% are first-generation college students.
This is the first admitted class since Harvard reinstated SAT/ACT requirements. The College received 47,893 applications and admitted 2,003 students (4% acceptance rate). Applications rose 10% over 2023, when scores were required, but fell 11% from the Class of 2028, when testing was optional.
UVA Signs Agreement With DOJ, Avoids Financial Penalty and Monitor
The University of Virginia has signed a formal agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) that pauses five active civil rights investigations into the university’s admissions, hiring, and programming practices through 2028.
Per UVA’s detailed Q&A on the agreement:
UVA must certify quarterly that it is in full compliance with federal civil rights laws and will follow the DOJ’s July 2025 Guidance, which bans race-based distinctions in any university activity.
The agreement was “expressly structured to uphold UVA’s institutional autonomy and protect academic freedom.”
UVA retains eligibility for federal funding despite declining to sign the White House’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.
The DOJ will permanently close the paused investigations if UVA complies fully through 2028. If not, it may resume probes, impose fines, or revoke funding.
More News
More News at Harvard:
The Crimson: “Ancient DNA Database Faces Uncertain Future after Funding Expires”
Washington Free Beacon: “A Harvard Dean Defended Death Threats Against Trump. The University Has Said Nothing.”
The Crimson: “Sandel, Deming, Kennedy Clash Over Meritocracy in Higher Education and Democracy”
The Crimson: “FAS Officials Confront Union Organizers Over Harvard’s Use Rules During Rally”
The Crimson: “Heightened Cash Monitoring Status Could Hassle Harvard, but Poses Little Risk to Financial Aid”
The Crimson: “Harvard Cannot Save Us From Ourselves” — op-ed by S. Mac Healey (AB ’27)
The Crimson: “The Bandaids on a Pedagogical Bullet Hole” — op-ed by Katie Martin (AB ’28)
The Crimson: “I Want More of a Voice in AI Policy — We All Should” — op-ed by Ana Cabrera Antkowiak (AB ’28)
More News Beyond Harvard:
Jewish Insider: “Harmeet Dhillon says DOJ will fight antisemitism through law, not speech codes”
Wall Street Journal: “Interest in American M.B.A. Programs Shrinks, but Schools Across Asia Are Booming”
Yale Daily News: “To woo students, French department makes courses easier”
Brown Daily Herald: “University to launch campus climate survey, fulfilling agreement with federal government”
Brown Daily Herald: “Brown is opposing a bill seeking to restrict foreign donations”
Daily Pennsylvanian: “AAUP-Penn alleges Title VI office summoned faculty over ‘unsubstantiated’ antisemitism accusations”
The Daily Northwestern: “Judge rules against TRO in Northwestern bias training lawsuit”
Wall Street Journal: “A Backlash Is Growing Against Another Elite College Practice: ‘Legacy’ Admissions”
Higher Ed Dive: “US Chamber sues White House to block ‘plainly unlawful’ H-1B visa fee”
Student Life: “‘Not a way to run a country’: Congressman Gottheimer discusses shutdown, compromise, and college campuses” — in which Rep. Josh Gottheimer (JD ‘04) says, “I’d much rather have a WashU kid than a Harvard kid.”
American Association of Universities: “Statement of AAU President Barbara R. Snyder on the Administration’s Higher Education Compact”
Wall Street Journal: “Trump’s University ‘Compact’ Would Make America Mediocre” — op-ed by Princeton economics professor and former Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve Alan Blinder
Wall Street Journal: “The UVA Model for a Trump Deal — editorial by the WSJ Editorial Board”
The Atlantic: “The Appeal of the Campus Right” — by Stanford alum Julia Steinberg, who testified before Congress on antisemitism on campuses
Chronicle of Higher Education: “Left-Wing Bias Is Corrupting Sociology” — op-ed by Wayne State sociology professor Jukka Savolainen