Harvard

Harvard agrees to adopt a broad definition of antisemitism to settle two lawsuits

5:00am January 22, 2025

Several other schools have recently settled similar lawsuits, and suits are pending against others, including the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

A new Harvard University report finds that housing was unaffordable for a record half of renters in 2022. And a softening rental market might not help those who struggle most.

Housing is now unaffordable for a record half of all U.S. renters, study finds

8:16am January 25, 2024

by Jennifer Ludden

A new Harvard analysis finds people across income levels got squeezed by rent hikes during the pandemic. The market has lost millions of low-rent places, and new construction is mostly high-end.

Queue Listen Now

Claudine Gay, pictured during commencement ceremonies in May, stepped down as Harvard University's president amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over her remarks at a congressional hearing in December.

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigns

4:13pm January 02, 2024

by NPR Staff

The resignation comes after new plagiarism allegations surfaced, adding to the controversy surrounding the Harvard president in recent weeks.

Claudine Gay (from left), president of Harvard University, Liz Magill, president of University of Pennsylvania, Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University, and Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday.

Lawmakers grill the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn over antisemitism on campus

10:05am December 06, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Three university presidents defended their responses to rising antisemitism in a House committee hearing Tuesday. Many have faced scrutiny as they struggle to balance free speech with student safety.

Queue Listen Now

Disinformation researcher Joan Donovan testifying remotely during a U.S. Senate hearing in April 2021. Donovan contends she lost her job at Harvard University due to pressure from the social media company, Meta.

Education

Disinformation researcher says Harvard pushed her out to protect Meta

4:47pm December 04, 2023

by Shannon Bond

Joan Donovan accused Harvard of violating her free speech rights and the school's own commitment to academic freedom in an attempt to protect its relationship with the tech company and its executives.

Demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2023, after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, saying race cannot be a factor.

Activists spurred by affirmative action ruling challenge legacy admissions at Harvard

9:13pm July 03, 2023

by The Associated Press

The practice of giving priority to the children of alumni has faced growing pushback in the wake of last week's Supreme Court's decision ending affirmative action in higher education.

A view of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 5.

Politics & Government

Supreme Court guts affirmative action, effectively ending race-conscious admissions

7:51pm June 29, 2023

by Nina Totenberg

The decision reverses decades of precedent upheld over the years by narrow court majorities that included Republican-appointed justices.

Queue Listen Now

Harvard University has had the largest academic endowment since 1986.

Education

As Harvard's endowment abandons fossil fuels, oil-rich University of Texas catches up

5:01am November 10, 2022

by David Gura

Royalties on oil and natural gas, along with lease payments on millions of acres of land, are helping the University of Texas, which is in second place, narrow the gap with Harvard.

Queue Listen Now

Bar chart showing how households have been affected by inflation. 69% of Native American households, 58% of Black households, 56% of Latino households, 44% of white households and 36% of Asian households surveyed said that recent price increases driven by

National

Poll: Black, Native American and Latino families face serious problems from inflation

5:00am August 08, 2022

by Will Stone

Those households are struggling to stay afloat, according to a new poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

A general view of Harvard University campus is seen on April 22, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

National

Harvard releases report detailing its ties to slavery, plans to issue reparations

5:54am April 27, 2022

by Ayana Archie

A committee formed by Harvard President Lawrence Bacow found that Harvard faculty and staff enslaved 70 people from the school's founding in 1636 to the banning of slavery in Massachusetts in 1783.