Harvard University, founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Named after John Harvard, it's a private Ivy League research university renowned for its prestige, wealth, and influence. Harvard consistently ranks among the top universities globally, attracting exceptional students and faculty and contributing significantly to research and scholarship across various disciplines.
Harvard University is battling the Trump administration over federal funding, with HHS freezing $60 million in grants. The Harvard president is seeking alumni support amidst these challenges.
In 1900, Harvard became a founding member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). During this time, the student body was predominantly comprised of "old-stock, high-status Protestants, especially Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians."
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 (AB). He later worked at The Harvard Crimson.
In 1909, Charles William Eliot's presidency at Harvard University concluded, a period notable for the decrease in the favored position of Christianity in the curriculum and the opening of the curriculum to student self-direction.
In 1909, the long tenure of Harvard president Charles William Eliot came to an end, a period during which Harvard developed multiple professional schools and transformed into a modern research university.
In 1910, Harvard established a historic rivalry with Cornell in men's ice hockey, marking the date of their first meeting.
In 1923, Harvard University's 22nd president, A. Lawrence Lowell, proposed capping the admission of Jewish students to 15% of the undergraduate population. Lowell also refused to mandate forced desegregation in the university's freshman dormitories.
In 1933, James B. Conant became the 23rd president of Harvard University, initiating efforts to reinvigorate creative scholarship and ensure Harvard's prominence.
In 1940, John F. Kennedy graduated from Harvard (AB). He later worked at The Harvard Crimson.
In 1945, following the end of World War II, special exams were developed to allow veterans to be considered for admission to Harvard, as part of an effort to standardize admissions and open the university to a more diverse group of students.
In 1945, under James B. Conant's leadership, Harvard faculty published the influential report, "General Education in a Free Society". Also in 1945, women were first admitted to the medical school.
In 1953, James B. Conant's presidency at Harvard University came to an end, a period notable for the reinvigoration of creative scholarship and efforts to guarantee Harvard's preeminence.
By 1960, admissions were standardized at Harvard University to open the university to a more diverse group of students.
In 1971, Harvard assumed control over undergraduate admission, instruction, and housing for Radcliffe's women.
In 1973, the NCAA Division I era began. The Harvard Crimson teams have won five NCAA Division I championships since.
In 1986, Harvard began reducing its South African holdings, driven by increasing pressure.
Between 1986 and 1987, the university reduced its South African holdings by $230 million out of a total of $400 million, responding to external pressure.
In 1989, the Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey team won the NCAA Division I championship.
In 1990, the Harvard Crimson women's lacrosse team won the NCAA Division I championship.
In 1999, Radcliffe was formally merged into Harvard University, fully integrating the institutions.
In 2003, the Harvard Crimson women's rowing team won the NCAA Division I championship.
Since its founding in 2003, the Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked Harvard first in each of its annual rankings of the world's colleges and universities.
In 2004, the Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings, ranked Harvard first in the world.
In 2006, the Harvard Crimson men's fencing team won the NCAA Division I championship.
On July 1, 2007, Drew Gilpin Faust, dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute, was appointed as Harvard's 28th and the university's first female president.
During the recession starting in 2007, Harvard University experienced significant financial losses, leading to budget cuts and the temporary halting of construction on the Allston Science Complex.
Harvard University suffered significant financial losses during the recession from 2007 to 2009, that forced large budget cuts, in particular temporarily halting construction on the Allston Science Complex.
In 2009, the Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings, ranked Harvard first in the world.
In 2010, film critic Paul Sherman noted that Harvard's reputation for elite achievement and elitist privilege has made it a common backdrop in literature and film, symbolizing tradition and a certain amount of stuffiness.
In 2011, Harvard topped the Mines ParisTech: Professional Ranking of World Universities, which measured universities' numbers of alumni holding CEO positions in Fortune Global 500 companies.
Since 2011, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings has ranked Harvard first in the world each year.
In fiscal year 2016, poor endowment performance forced a 4.4% cut in the number of graduate students funded by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard.
On July 1, 2018, Drew Gilpin Faust retired, joining the board of Goldman Sachs, 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.
As of 2019, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is the largest Harvard faculty, with an academic staff of 1,211.
During the 2018–2019 academic year, Harvard granted 1,665 baccalaureate degrees, 1,013 graduate degrees, and 5,695 professional degrees.
In 2019, Harvard topped the University Ranking by Academic Performance.
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 Harvard 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 was dissolved and replaced by the Undergraduate Association.
In February 2023, approximately 6,000 Harvard workers attempted to organize a union.
In June 2023, Lawrence Bacow retired as president of Harvard University.
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 from her position as president of Harvard following allegations of antisemitism and plagiarism.
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, the annual football rivalry between Harvard and Yale has been played 139 times, dating back to its first meeting in 1875.
In 2024, the Harvard Crimson men's fencing team won the NCAA Division I championship.
In April 2025, the United States federal government under President Donald Trump threatened to withhold nearly $9 billion in government funds from Harvard unless the university complied with government demands to modify many of its policies. The US Department of Education announced they were freezing $2.3 billion in federal funds to Harvard, and the Department of Homeland Security subsequently threatened to revoke Harvard's eligibility to host international students.
In May 2025, education secretary Linda McMahon informed Harvard president Garber that the federal government would no longer provide grant funding until the university complied with the Trump administration's demands. The following week, the Trump administration cut an additional $450 million in grants to the school.
As of 2025, Harvard differs from its peer universities in that it does not make its governing statutes publicly available and does not have an academic senate.
The end of the 2026-27 academic year will mark the end of Alan Garber's term as the 31st President of Harvard University. The specific date in 2026 or 2027 is not provided.
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