Crimson

Miller ‘25 argues that the lack of conservative professors and students at Harvard reflects “the very real and disturbing decline of ideological diversity at this school.” He goes on to say that “while Harvard has made tremendous strides in increasing racial and ethnic diversity, it has…completely reneged on its commitment to diversity of beliefs.”

Multiple Outlets

Both Harvard and Yale Law Schools announced that they will no longer be participating in the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings, saying the ranking discourages support for low-income students and public-interest careers.

Chronicle of Higher Ed

Harvard professor and China specialist William Kirby, former FAS Dean, writes about the rise of Chinese Universities globally. Kirby takes an optimistic view of China’s ambitions, despite the impediments of the Party. “Chinese universities have grown and flourished on international models and in partnership with the great institutions of Europe and North America. It is that company that they wish to keep, to compete in, and to lead.”

We are excited to announce that Harvard alumni Monica Harris (HLS ‘91) and Stephen Hawkins (MPP ‘16) have joined FAIR’s Board of Advisors. On the Board, they join fellow Harvard alumni Steven Pinker (PhD ’79), Ian Rowe (MBA ’93), Andrew Sullivan (MPA ’86, PhD ’90), Glenn Loury (AM ’82) and Niall Ferguson (AM ’04).

A group of Harvard undergrads with urgent concerns around free speech and open inquiry have written a petition to the Harvard Presidential Search Committee with a signature form. We strongly encourage our members and friends to read the petition and show your support.

Crimson

Svetkey ‘25 writes that denaming (removing names) from Harvard entities might not be the right strategy, arguing that it would set a dangerous precedent.

As FAIR Advisor and Harvard Professor Stephen Pinker tweeted, this is “the story of my colleague, biologist Carole Hooven @hoovlet, slandered & persecuted for uttering true & banal but taboo biological facts.”

Harvard Gazette

Experts in negotiation at Harvard alumni event say productive conflict starts with honest, opening listening.

Harvey Silverglate (LLB ‘67) announced that he is seeking to be a petition candidate for the Harvard Board of Overseers. Silverglate has been a staunch defender of free speech and due process throughout his long career.

Crimson

Miller ‘25 argues that “Freedom of the press does not mean freedom from criticism. University presidents should be allowed to express their disagreement with student newspapers’ editorial stances, as long as they don’t actively censor what student newspapers write.”

Quillette

Silverglate, who is seeking to be a petition candidate for Harvard’s Board of Overseers, argues that administrative bloat has driven up the cost of tuition “well beyond the rate of inflation” and vows to fire 90% of Harvard’s administrators if elected.

Tablet Podcast

Podcast on declining Jewish student numbers, the changing face of the American university, and what happens in the generations after the gates are crashed. Podcast with Rabbi Jonah Steinberg, researcher and author Marcia Graham Synnott, HLS professor Jeannie Suk Gersen, and various former and current Harvard students.

Crimson

Miller ‘25 documents free speech incidents at Harvard, arguing that “alone, these events are tragic incidents…together, they represent a disturbing pattern of social censorship.” He calls on the next Harvard president to be “a loud champion of free speech — one who will actively work to recruit diverse perspectives and welcome academic arguments of any political persuasion.”

Crimson

Peter Jones ‘25 argues that if Harvard’s “label as a retreat for coastal gentry isn’t sufficient reason to engage in some image rehab, Harvard has a moral obligation to care for the health of American democracy.”

City Journal

Mukherjee argues that Harvard’s own freshman survey data undermine one of its justifications for affirmative action, “that racial diversity generates viewpoint diversity on campus and contributes to the lively exchange of ideas.”

RealClear Politics

Charles Lipson (AM ‘74 PHD ‘76) writes a sobering piece on free speech at universities. “Students don’t need reminding how intolerant their campuses are. They already know. If they hold unpopular opinions, they keep their heads down. If they hold dominant views, they are all too eager to shame those who differ rather than debate them. Faculty and administrators are among the worst bullies, and they hold real power over students. Whole departments display this intolerance.”

Politico

The author asks why rich schools don’t pay taxes and what America has gotten in return. “To some extent, elite colleges are simply collateral damage in the culture war…But that’s not the whole story. Another line of attack is about access. It’s about who gets to be part of the elite, and whether America has gotten a fair return on the massive investment that it has made in elite colleges.”

Jonathan Turley

Turley, who recently penned a Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy article on the subject, discusses whether Harvard’s near-total liberal professoriate and student body has negative implications for viewpoint diversity on campus. “Editors of the Crimson insisted,” for example, “that there is no reason for concern that conservatives have virtually been removed from the entire faculty.”

Crimson

The Crimson’s Editorial Board asks if “our faculty's ideological slant represent a genuine, practical problem?” With 82% of Harvard faculty identifying as “liberal” or “very liberal” while 1% identify as “conservative” and zero faculty members “very conservative,” the board “rather sharply” disagrees that “more even distribution of faculty along a conservative-liberal binary would increase productive disagreement in any meaningful way.” In fact, they argue, “boiling down ideological and intellectual diversity to such limited labels strikes us as downright reductive.”

Crimson

After searching for Harvard undergrad courses on “conservative” ideas to no avail, Miller argues that there’s an “abundance of left-wing scholarship, without a corresponding focus on conservative ideas” and that the University is betraying its mission to “educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society.”