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President of Harvard University

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President of Harvard University
Seal of the president of Harvard University
Incumbent
Alan Garber (interim)
since January 2, 2024 (2024-01-02)
AppointerHarvard Corporation
Formation1640 (1640)
First holderHenry Dunster
WebsiteOffice of the President

The president of Harvard University is the chief administrator of Harvard University and the ex officio president of the Harvard Corporation.[1] Each is appointed by and is responsible to the other members of that body, who delegate to the president the day-to-day running of the university.

The president plays an important part in university-wide planning and strategy. Each names a faculty's dean (and, since the foundation of the office in 1994, the university's provost), and grants tenure to recommended professors; however, the president is expected to make such decisions after extensive consultation with faculty members.

Harvard presidents have traditionally 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 Bok and Neil L. Rudenstine argued for the continued importance of diversity in higher education.

Recently, however, the job has become increasingly administrative, especially as fund-raising campaigns have taken on central importance in large institutions such as Harvard. Some have criticized this trend to the extent it has prevented the president from focusing on substantive issues in higher education.[2]

Each president is professor in some department of the university and teaches from time to time.

Harvard's current president is Alan Garber, having become interim president on January 2, 2024, following the resignation of Claudine Gay.

History

At Harvard's founding it was headed by a "schoolmaster," Nathaniel Eaton. In 1640, when Henry Dunster was brought in, he adopted the title president. The origins of this title have been grounds for a certain amount of speculation.

Harvard was founded for the training of Puritan 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 in 1672 through Nathan Pusey in 1971 were graduates of Harvard College. Of the presidents since Pusey, Bok and Gay earned undergraduate degrees at Stanford, Rudenstine at Princeton, and Summers and Bacow at MIT, but each earned a graduate degree at Harvard. Drew Gilpin Faust was the first president since the seventeenth century with no earned Harvard degree.

Short-term acting presidents

Other minor acting presidents have included Henry Ware (1810, 1828–1829), Andrew Preston Peabody (1862, 1868–1869), and Henry Pickering Walcott.

Provost Albert Carnesale served as acting president for three months, from November 1994 to February 1995, during Rudenstine's leave of absence.

Presidents of Harvard

No. Image Presidents Term of office Length Notes
– Nathaniel Eaton 1637–1639 Referred to as "schoolmaster" of Harvard College
1 Henry Dunster 1640–1654
2 Charles Chauncy 1654–1672
3 Leonard Hoar 1672–1675
4 Urian Oakes 1675–1680 (acting); 1680–1681
5 John Rogers 1682–1684
6 Increase Mather 1685–1686 (acting); 1686–1692 (rector); 1692–1701
– Samuel Willard 1701–1707 (acting)
7 John Leverett 1708–1724
8 Benjamin Wadsworth 1725–1737
9 Edward Holyoke 1737–1769
– John Winthrop 1769 (acting) Declined presidency on a permanent basis on grounds of old age.[1]
10 Samuel Locke 1770–1773
– John Winthrop 1773–1774 (acting) Declined presidency on a permanent basis on grounds of old age.[2]
11 Samuel Langdon 1774–1780
– Edward Wigglesworth 1780–1781 (acting) [3]
12 Joseph Willard 1781–1804
– Eliphalet Pearson 1804–1806 (acting)
13 Samuel Webber 1806–1810 4 years, 2 months and 11 days [3]
14 John Thornton Kirkland 1810–1828
15 Josiah Quincy 1829–1845 16 years, 6 months and 29 days [4]
16 Edward Everett 1846–1848 2 years, 11 months and 27 days [5]
17 Jared Sparks 1849–1853
18 James Walker 1853–1860
19 Cornelius Conway Felton 1860–1862
20 Thomas Hill 1862–1868
21 Charles William Eliot 1869–1909 Longest term of office (40 years)
22 A. Lawrence Lowell 1909–1933
23 James B. Conant 1933–1953
24 Nathan Pusey 1953–1971
25 Derek Bok 1971–1991 Henry Rosovsky served as acting president in 1984 and 1987 when Bok traveled took brief sabbaticals.[6][7]
26 Neil Rudenstine 1991–2001 9 years, 11 months and 29 days [8]
27 Lawrence Summers 2001–2006 4 years, 11 months and 29 days First Jewish president[9][10][11][12][13]
– Derek Bok 2006–2007 (interim) 11 months and 29 days [14][15]
28 Drew Gilpin Faust 2007–2018 10 years, 11 months and 29 days First female president[15][16]
29 Lawrence Bacow 2018–2023 4 years, 11 months and 29 days [15][17]
30 Claudine Gay 2023–2024 6 months and 1 day First black president[18]; shortest term of office (6 months)[19]
– Alan Garber 2024– (interim) 8 months and 12 days [19][20]

References

  1. ^ Central Administration Archived November 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Governance of the University, from Office of the Provost
  2. ^ Lee, Richard S. (March 10, 2001). "An Empty Chair at Harvard (Op-Ed)". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
  3. ^ "Papers of Samuel Webber". Harvard Library. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "Papers of Josiah Quincy, 1811-1874". Harvard Library. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  5. ^ "Papers of Edward Everett". Harvard Library. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  6. ^ gazetteterrymurphy (November 16, 2022). "Henry Rosovsky, former acting University president, FAS dean, dead at 95". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  7. ^ "Henry Rosovsky, Former Harvard FAS Dean, Remembered for Contributions to Undergrad Education and African American Studies | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  8. ^ "Rudenstine leaving presidency in 2001". The Harvard Gazette. The Harvard Gazette. May 25, 2000. ISSN 0364-7692. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  9. ^ YUNews Director of the National Economic Council, Dr. Lawrence H. Summers, is Keynote Speaker at Yeshiva University's Annual Hanukkah Dinner and Convocation on December 13, November 18, 2009
  10. ^ The Harvard Crimson Harvard’s First Jewish President, March 8, 2006
  11. ^ The Harvard Crimson Did Summers’ Faith Affect His Fall?, March 3, 2006
  12. ^ The Harvard Crimson A Milestone of Faith, October 14, 2001
  13. ^ "Lawrence Summers". Jewish Virtual Library. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Derek Bok". ethics.harvard.edu. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "History of the Presidency". Harvard University. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "First Female Harvard President Discusses Priorities and Goals". pbs.org. February 12, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  17. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (February 11, 2018). "Harvard Chooses Lawrence Bacow as Its Next President". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  18. ^ "Harvard names Claudine Gay 30th president". The Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. December 15, 2022. ISSN 0364-7692. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Harvard President Claudine Gay steps down". The Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. ISSN 0364-7692. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  20. ^ Mangan, Dan (January 2, 2024). "Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism claims". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
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