Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a private Ivy League research university and the oldest higher education institution in the United States, founded in 1636. Named after its first benefactor, John Harvard, a Puritan clergyman, it is renowned for its prestige, wealth, and influence globally. Harvard consistently ranks among the top universities worldwide.
In 1900, Harvard became a founding member of the Association of American Universities. At this time, the student body consisted predominantly of "old-stock, high-status Protestants."
In 1900, Harvard co-founded the Association of American Universities, marking a significant step in its development as a modern research university.
In 1903, Franklin D. Roosevelt graduated from Harvard College and worked at The Harvard Crimson.
In 1909, Charles William Eliot's long tenure as Harvard president ended. During his time, he decreased the influence of Christianity in the curriculum, giving students more self-direction.
In 1910, the historic rivalry with Cornell began. The two teams play twice annually.
In 1923, A. Lawrence Lowell, Harvard's president, unsuccessfully proposed capping the admission of Jewish students to 15% of the undergraduate population.
In 1933, James B. Conant became the 23rd president of Harvard University, focusing on reinvigorating creative scholarship.
In 1940, John F. Kennedy graduated from Harvard College and worked at The Harvard Crimson.
In 1945, Harvard faculty published "General Education in a Free Society," an influential report on curriculum studies, and women were first admitted to the medical school.
In 1945, following the end of World War II, Harvard developed special exams so veterans could be considered for admission to open the university to a more diverse group of students.
In 1953, James B. Conant ended his presidency at Harvard. He began his tenure in 1933 and he reinvigorated the university's creative scholarship.
By 1960, admissions were standardized to open the university to a more diverse group of students.
In 1971, Harvard controlled undergraduate admission, instruction, and housing for Radcliffe's women.
In 1973, the NCAA Division I era began.
Between 1986 and 1987, the university began reducing its South African holdings by $230 million out of a total of $400 million.
Between 1986 and 1987, the university reduced its South African holdings by $230 million out of a total of $400 million.
In 1989, Harvard Crimson won the NCAA Division I championship for men's ice hockey.
In 1990, Harvard Crimson won the NCAA Division I championship for women's lacrosse.
In 1999, Radcliffe was formally merged into Harvard University.
In 2003, Harvard Crimson won the NCAA Division I championship for women's rowing.
Since its founding in 2003, the Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked Harvard first in each of its annual rankings.
From 2004 to 2009, the Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings ranked Harvard first in the world in each of its annual rankings.
In 2006, Harvard Crimson won the NCAA Division I championship for men's fencing.
On July 1, 2007, Drew Gilpin Faust was appointed Harvard's 28th president and the university's first female president.
During the recession of 2007, Harvard suffered significant losses that forced large budget cuts, in particular temporarily halting construction on the Allston Science Complex.
During the recession of 2007–2009, Harvard suffered significant losses that forced large budget cuts, in particular temporarily halting construction on the Allston Science Complex.
From 2004 to 2009, the Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings ranked Harvard first in the world in each of its annual rankings.
In 2010, film critic Paul Sherman noted that Harvard in film means tradition and a certain amount of stuffiness.
In 2011, Harvard topped Mines ParisTech: Professional Ranking of World Universities, measuring universities' numbers of alumni holding CEO positions in Fortune Global 500 companies.
Since 2011, Harvard has been ranked first in the world each year by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
In fiscal year 2016, a poor endowment performance forced a 4.4% cut in the number of graduate students funded by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
On July 1, 2018, Drew Gilpin Faust retired and Lawrence Bacow became Harvard's 29th president.
During the 2018–2019 academic year, Harvard granted 1,665 baccalaureate degrees, 1,013 graduate degrees, and 5,695 professional degrees.
Among rankings of specific indicators, Harvard topped the University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2019–20.
As of 2019, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, with an academic staff of 1,211, is the largest Harvard faculty.
During the 2018–2019 academic year, Harvard granted 1,665 baccalaureate degrees, 1,013 graduate degrees, and 5,695 professional degrees.
In 2019, Harvard's engineering school was ranked the third-best school in the world for engineering and technology by Times Higher Education.
In 2019, the medical school and its affiliates attracted $1.65 billion in competitive research grants from the National Institutes of Health.
In 2021, the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences expanded into the new Allston-based Science and Engineering Complex (SEC).
In 2022, the Undergraduate Council at Harvard College was dissolved and replaced by the Undergraduate Association.
In February 2023, approximately 6,000 Harvard workers attempted to organize a union.
In June 2023, Claudine Gay became Harvard's 30th president, succeeding Lawrence Bacow.
As of 2023, Harvard has the largest university endowment in the world, valued at about $50.7 billion.
In the 2023 report from the Center for Measuring University Performance, Harvard was ranked in the first tier of American research universities.
In January 2024, Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard following allegations of antisemitism and plagiarism, after serving only six months.
In August 2024, Harvard announced that Alan Garber would be appointed Harvard's 31st president through the end of the 2026–27 academic year.
As of 2024, Harvard and Yale have played their annual football rivalry 139 times, dating back to 1875.
In 2024, Harvard Crimson won the NCAA Division I championship for men's fencing.
As of 2025, Harvard differs from its peer universities by not making its governing statutes publicly available and not having an academic senate.
In August 2024, Harvard announced that Alan Garber would be appointed Harvard's 31st president through the end of the 2026–27 academic year.
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