Lawrence S. Bacow

Derek Bok

Drew Gilpin Faust

Neil L. Rudenstine

Lawrence H. Summers

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In the weeks and months ahead, a lawsuit aimed to compromise Harvard’s ability to compose a diverse student body will move forward in the courts and in the media. As the case proceeds, an organization called Students for Fair Admissions—formed in part to oppose Harvard’s commitment to diversity—will seek to paint an unfamiliar and inaccurate image of our community and our admissions processes, including by raising allegations of discrimination against Asian-American applicants to Harvard College. These claims will rely on misleading, selectively presented data taken out of context.  Their intent is to question the integrity of the undergraduate admissions process and to advance a divisive agenda. Please see for more information about the case.

Year after year, Harvard brings together a community that is the most varied and diverse that any of us is likely ever to encounter. Harvard students benefit from working and living alongside people of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives as they prepare for the complex world that awaits them and their considerable talents.

I have affirmed in the past, and do so again today, th����ר�� will vigorously defend its longstanding values and the processes by which it seeks to create a diverse educational community. We will stand behind an approach that has been held up as legal and fair by the Supreme Court, one that relies on broad and extensive outreach to exceptional students in order to attract excellence from all backgrounds.

As this case generates widespread attention and comment, Harvard will react swiftly and thoughtfully to defend diversity as the source of our strength and our excellence—and to affirm the integrity of our admissions process. A diverse student body enables us to enrich, to educate, and to challenge one another. As a university community, we are bound across differences by a shared commitment to learning, to pursuing truth, and to embracing the rigor and respect of argument and evidence. We never give up on the promise of a world made better by an assumption revisited, an understanding expanded, or a truth questioned—again and again and again.

Last month, I presided over our Commencement Exercises for a final time and reveled in the accomplishments of our graduates and alumni, and in the joy and pride of the faculty who educated them, the staff who enabled their manifold successes, and the family members who helped nurture them and their aspirations. Tercentenary Theatre was filled with individuals from the widest range of backgrounds and life experiences. It was a powerful reminder that the heart of this extraordinary institution is its people.

Now, we have an opportunity to stand together and to defend the ideals and the people that make our community so extraordinary. I am committed to ensuring that veritas will prevail.

Sincerely,

Drew Faust

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Re: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2018-0259

Dear Mr. Administrator:

With significant concern, I offer the following comments in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule, “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.” Evidence-based research is critical to informed decision-making and the formulation of new regulations and policies. This proposed rule, which would significantly limit the EPA’s ability to consider the best available scientific findings, is fundamentally flawed and risks not just erosion of the public trust in the EPA’s important work, but also progress on improving the health and wellbeing of our communities and our nation. On behalf of Harvard University, I write to oppose this rule.

As a nation, we benefit from the principle that knowledge created through research, discovery, and science is a public good and that these efforts enrich our understanding of the world around us and provide insights that improve our lives. This work is central to the premise and purpose of universities. Through competitive, peer-reviewed processes, discussion, and debates, we create, preserve, and publicly disseminate the ideas, discoveries, and knowledge that flow from our labs, libraries, and classrooms. These evidence-based outcomes have contributed to decades of economic growth and improved health and wellbeing.

Regulatory agencies are most effective when they have the entirety of the best scientific literature at their disposal for rulemaking to set new standards and policies. Research findings are but one consideration in that process, and evidence is weighed alongside other public needs and perspectives, but science offers invaluable and irreplaceable insight to informed public policy- and rulemaking.

This is certainly true for the EPA, an agency whose mission is to preserve public health and our air, waterways, and land. Industrial activity, energy production, agriculture, and many other realities of modern life challenge this mission and our natural environment. While research universities endeavor to address these challenges through discovery and breakthrough technologies in energy production and storage, medicine and biology, agriculture, and other areas, we also seek answers to the causes of disease and premature death. Routinely, these efforts have served as a resource to policymakers and regulators as they pursue informed and effective governance. This proposed rule will narrow policymakers’ access to a significant body of this research, resulting in weaker and less beneficial policies. 

Research relies on a multitude of data sources, and one particularly powerful source of discovery in medicine and public health is data from individual patients—their experiences and health records. Existing law, patient confidentiality standards, and most informed-consent agreements for research participants all protect patients’ identities by restricting access to their private information. Frequently, though not in every case, anonymizing and de-identifying information acts as an essential safeguard for patient privacy. Reliance upon studies even when they include private health data that cannot be released to the public is not an exercise in “secret science”; it is responsible science. The proposed rule, with its prohibition against EPA reliance on any study where personally identifiable data cannot be made public, effectively disqualifies the best available science from use in the regulatory process.

The landmark Harvard Six Cities study is one such example. Published in 1993, Six Cities revealed a strong link between air pollution and life expectancy. The study, and others that followed, served as the basis for federal regulations that have reduced fine particulate matter in the air we breathe, and the long-term analyses published since these regulations were implemented indicate that the long-term health and economic benefits have been remarkable.

Despite these demonstrated benefits, Six Cities has repeatedly been cited as an example of “secret science,” a charge that its science cannot be trusted because some of the underlying data is not available for public scrutiny. Harvard has shared significant information and cooperated entirely in a full independent reanalysis of the data by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), which confirmed the validity of the findings. Through that process and since, Harvard has protected the personal health information and identity of study participants, who were guaranteed confidentiality. That commitment to confidentiality is necessary for contractual and legal reasons. to be sure, but also to assure the potential research volunteers th����ר�� will always protect their private health information. If not, individuals may be dissuaded from participating in new studies, and the quality of future science would suffer.

Beyond the HEI reanalysis, the findings of Six Cities have been replicated numerous times in many independent studies using different study designs, larger numbers of enrollees, broader geographical distributions across multiple regions of the world, and increasingly sharp analytical tools. The number of studies replicating Six Cities’ original findings demonstrate the soundness of the scientific process and have established an extensive foundation of literature whose conclusions are just as important to the weight of evidence as Six Cities itself. To call such science “secret” is to misrepresent the scientific process. Replication of results using different data, not revelation of personally identifiable health data, is the strength by which we should measure our science.

The well-established link between air quality and life expectancy is but one example of critical public health information that could be forced out of policy formation by this rule. Science is not undertaken solely for the joy of knowing; it is an effort to improve ourselves, our lives, and our world. I urge you to reject this proposed policy change and the long-term damage it will do to our health, our communities, and our nation.

Sincerely,
Drew Gilpin Faust

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We are writing to urge your attention to efforts to provide legal status for those individuals from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). As you know, the administration has announced the termination of TPS for individuals from these nations. Unless Congress acts, hundreds of thousands of TPS recipients, including many who contribute as employees at our institutions, will soon lose their ability to work legally in the U.S. and will become subject to deportation.

Since its inception, the United States has stood as a beacon of hope and opportunity for people around the globe. The TPS program, signed into law by George H.W. Bush in 1990, was established for the humanitarian purpose of providing refuge for citizens of countries where natural disaster or conflict had made life unsafe. The recipients of this program have put this refuge to good use – they have joined the workforce, bought homes, started families, and become productive members of their communities, including on our campuses. Several dozen of these individuals work across multiple departments at our universities and are highly valued and productive colleagues. They are also the family members, friends, and neighbors of our students, faculty, and staff. We should recognize and celebrate the contributions of these individuals, who have made a home in the United States and benefitted our economy and our nation. Repatriating them to countries in which they haven’t lived for many years – or forcing them into the shadows of undocumented status – does not serve any sort of greater good. It will serve only to put them at risk.

Your leadership is needed to protect this vulnerable population; we urge you to act quickly to advance legislation that provides TPS recipients with continued status to live and work in the U.S. Doing so will prevent potentially disastrous upheaval for hundreds of thousands of families across the country – many of which include U.S. citizens – and avoid disruption for entities, such as colleges and universities, that employ TPS workers and who value the many ways in which they support and strengthen our communities. It is also the fair, just, and right thing to do.

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Eisgruber
President
Princeton University

Drew Gilpin Faust
President
Harvard University

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Professor Long is a distinguished and influential scholar of economics whose work connects questions of policy and practice, especially as they relate to the transition from high school to higher education. From 2013 to 2017, she served as academic dean of the HGSE and made significant contributions to strategic plans for the School’s next decade. Widely recognized as an outstanding teacher, she takes very seriously her role as a guide and mentor, establishing lifelong relationships with many of her advisees. Her faculty colleagues describe her as an excellent and committed citizen with an abiding affection for the School.

Professor Long received her PhD from Harvard in 2000 and went on to join the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In addition to her deep ties to the University, she has a strong record of service to her profession. She is a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and member of the board of directors of MDRC, a nonprofit organization focused on education and social policy research. She has been a presidential appointee and served as chair of the National Board for Education Sciences, the advisory panel of the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. She is a trustee of the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge. She also was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to the Public Education Nominating Council of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These influential roles, spanning the private and public sectors, have informed her readiness to lead the School. 

Professor Long brings the energy and imagination to create an environment that will nurture new ideas and inspire solutions to some of the most pressing problems in education. HGSE’s commitment to producing research and to creating useable knowledge is central to its dedication to students everywhere. Improving educational opportunities for all will mean moving forward with the School’s ambitious agenda to change the methods by which practitioners are trained, while simultaneously deepening understanding of the conditions necessary for learning. Professor Long is extraordinarily capable of leading the School towards these goals.

Provost Garber and I are grateful to the many members of the HGSE community and beyond who offered advice during the search and helped us to arrive at this excellent outcome. We especially wish to thank the members of the faculty advisory committee who invested so much time and care in this process. And Alan and I again thank Jim Ryan for his remarkable leadership and for all that he has done to move HGSE forward and to secure its future.

Please join Provost Garber, President-elect Bacow, and me in congratulating Bridget Terry Long as she prepares to take up her new role as dean. I know that she will rely on the insight, collaboration, and support of the HGSE community as she guides the School in the years ahead.

Sincerely,
Drew Faust

PS: For more on today’s announcement, please see a related .

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On April 16, I wrote to the community about the troubling events culminating in the arrest of a Harvard student by the Cambridge Police Department. Since then, University officials have engaged in an extensive series of conversations with members of the community. Through open and frank dialogue, we have heard expressions of grave concern and of pain. We have heard genuine uncertainty about whether the healthy, safe, and supportive environment essential to an effective education is equally available to every member of the community. And we have heard a desire to understand the circumstances that led up to the incident, to delineate the roles and responsibilities of Harvard offices, and, as I noted in my letter to the community, to “determine wh����ר��, as an institution, can learn from [it].”

The University takes these concerns—and the distress expressed by so many members of the Harvard community—seriously. As our work on belonging and inclusion has sought to underscore and to advance, Harvard’s excellence is rooted in creating the opportunity for all members of this community to realize their highest potential. If our faculty, students, and staff do not feel safe and supported, if they do not feel that the institution is committed to creating the conditions where they can succeed, then we must do better and we must act. It is clear, in light of the recent incident and the ensuing conversations, that there is work for us to do.

To that end, I have asked Annette Gordon-Reed, Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History ����ר�� Law School and Professor of History in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, to chair a review committee. Other members of the committee include:

• Roberto Gonzales, Professor of Education ����ר�� Graduate School of Education
• Sean Kelly, Teresa G. and Ferdinand F. Martignetti Professor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Faculty Dean of Dunster House of Harvard College
• Herman “Dutch” Leonard, George F. Baker, Jr. Professor of Public Management ����ר�� Kennedy School of Government and Eliot I. Snider and Family Professor of Business Administration ����ר�� Business School
• Stephanie Pinder-Amaker, Director of the College Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital and Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry ����ר�� Medical School
• Jasmine Waddell, Resident Dean of Freshmen for Elm Yard and Assistant Dean of Harvard College
• Sarah Wald, Senior Policy Advisor and Chief of Staff ����ר�� Kennedy School

The committee will start by determining the sequence of events leading to the student’s arrest. It will seek to gain an understanding of how the College, HUHS, and HUPD responded to (and were able to respond to) events such as those that occurred in this instance. That understanding, in turn, will inform a more systematic examination of opportunities for improvement across a range of institutional activities. This work must start with a focus on how the changing nature of our student body should influence the ways in which we address issues of College policy, mental health resources, and community policing.

The first stage of the review committee’s work will entail hearing from members of the community and learning how other institutions address related issues. I have asked the chair to ensure broad levels of student engagement, while recognizing the importance of the confidentiality of student records. In the coming days, I expect that the committee will have more to say about its plans for community engagement. In the meantime, I encourage you to share your perspective with the committee at the following email address: reviewcommittee@harvard.edu.

As I emphasized in my letter of April 16, this work must proceed with a special urgency. In consultation with President-elect Bacow, I have asked the committee to work intensively during the remaining weeks of the semester, to complete its work over the summer, and to make findings and initial recommendations in time for action before the start of fall semester.

I am grateful to the members of the committee for undertaking this important examination. By casting a critical eye to our own actions, we seek to ensure that all of wh����ר�� does, administrative and academic, is aligned in service of the institution’s commitment to creating an environment where every member fully belongs. As I have said in other settings, fostering a supportive community is everyone’s work. So please join the committee in helping to advance this commitment, which rests at the heart of all that we do.

Sincerely,
Drew Faust

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I write with the excellent news that Tomiko Brown-Nagin, the Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law ����ר�� Law School and Professor of History in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, has accepted my offer to serve as dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, effective July 1, 2018. I consulted closely with President-elect Bacow during the final stages of the search, and he shares my enthusiasm about its outcome.

An eminent legal historian and expert in constitutional law and education law and policy, Professor Brown-Nagin is known for her deep intellectual curiosity and insight, as well as her analytical skills as both a lawyer and a historian. She has made significant contributions to our understanding of the history of the civil rights movement, and, more broadly, of issues as varied as affirmative action, education law and reform, and the Affordable Care Act. Her work has garnered accolades from within and without her field, including the 2012 Bancroft Prize for her book Courage to Dissent: Atlanta and the Long History of the Civil Rights Movement.

As faculty director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice ����ר�� Law School and as an engaged and energetic university citizen, Professor Brown-Nagin is well versed in leading and promoting the broad range of intellectual and academic activities that are the hallmark of Radcliffe. She also has deep connections to the Institute and its work, having served on the search committee for the director of the Schlesinger Library and through her own Radcliffe Fellowship in 2016-2017. 

Many members of the Radcliffe and Harvard communities offered important advice during the search, and we are grateful to all for the helpful observations that have not only informed the choice of a dean but also helped reflect upon opportunities ahead for the Institute. I particularly want to thank the members of the faculty advisory committee for the search, who devoted their time and care to assuring an outstanding outcome. My special thanks go to Liz Cohen, whose leadership, wisdom, and limitless energy have been essential to the many accomplishments of Radcliffe for nearly seven years.

This is an important moment for Radcliffe as it matures into an established and renowned institute for advanced study, with its world class library and archive on the history of women in America, as well as its expanding role, through the Academic Ventures program, in bringing together faculty and students from across and beyond Harvard in common pursuits. Tomiko is exceptionally well equipped to advance and build upon this important work, and I know that she will count on the insight, partnership, and support of the entire Radcliffe community as she embraces those opportunities in the years ahead.

For today, please join Provost Garber, President-elect Bacow, and me in congratulating Tomiko on her appointment. We are certain our newest dean will be relying on your support and counsel as she prepares to take up her new duties.

Sincerely,
Drew Faust

PS: For more on today’s announcement, please see a related .

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Many of you have heard about an incident that occurred Friday night on Massachusetts Avenue, involving interactions between the Cambridge Police Department and a Harvard student in an extreme condition, including his forcible arrest. We do not yet know all the facts, and it will take time before the necessary reviews have been completed and we have a fuller understanding of events leading up to the incident and the incident itself. But what we do know raises important issues about the relationship between police and the communities they serve, student health resources, and the manner in which University units operate with each other and with our partners in the community.

The events of Friday night are profoundly disturbing. A Harvard student was in obvious distress, and we need to understand how that came to be and whether we could have interceded earlier and more effectively. We have been witness to the use of force against a member of our community, which, regardless of circumstances, is upsetting and compels the search for a deeper understanding. The arrest occurred against the backdrop of increasingly urgent questions about race and policing in the United States, and about racial differentials in health care, raising for members of our community appropriate anxieties—about their own safety and place in our society, about that of their friends and colleagues, and about the world outside our gates.

Over the coming days, we will be seeking to determine wh����ר��, as an institution, can learn from the incident. We have already engaged with the City of Cambridge to ensure that we understand its perspective, and we look forward to learning about the results of its reviews. We will work with City officials to address concerns members of our community have raised about interactions with the Cambridge Police Department. We will be asking questions of ourselves, recognizing that the responsibility rests with the University to establish the conditions of trust necessary for effective campus policing and the delivery and coordination of effective health care. This work will and must include hearing directly from students, faculty, and staff about their experiences, concerns, and ideas.

Ultimately, this is about building a community where people from all backgrounds and life experiences can come together confident in their ability to do their best work in a safe, supportive, and constructive environment. As the society outside our gates is riven by increasingly stark divisions and distrust, it is work that takes on a special urgency—and it is with that urgency that the University will proceed.

Sincerely,
Drew Faust

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