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Encyclopedia > President of Harvard University

The President is the chief administrator of Harvard University. Ex officio the chairman of the Harvard Corporation, she is appointed by and is responsible to the other members of that body, who delegate to her the day-to-day running of the university. The current incumbent is Drew Gilpin Faust, formerly the dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... The President and Fellows of Harvard College (also known as the Harvard Corporation) is the more fundamental of Harvard Universitys two governing boards. ... Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947[1]) is an American historian and academic administrator, currently dean of Harvards Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and president-elect of Harvard University. ... The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard is an educational institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the semiautonomous components of Harvard University. ...


Harvard is a famously decentralized university, noted for the "every tub on its own bottom" independence of its various constituent faculties. They set their own academic standards and manage their own budgets. The president, however, plays an important part in university-wide planning and strategy. She names each faculty's dean (and, since the foundation of the office circa 1990, the university's provost), and grants tenure to recommended professors. (She is, however, expected to make such decisions after extensive consultation with faculty members). In recent years the President has also become increasingly responsible for the conduction of fund-raising campaigns. Faust's predecessor, Lawrence H. Summers, sought to take a very active role in his first few years in office, which won him a mix of praise (for perceived leadership) and criticism (for perceived heedlessness). Summers announced his resignation as President on February 21, 2006, following strained relations with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; former president Derek Bok then returned as an interim president. On February 9 2007, the Boston Globe reported that Drew Gilpin Faust, Dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study had been chosen as the next president and would be announced as such within a few days [1]; Harvard confirmed the announcement two days later. A faculty is a division within a university. ... In an educational setting, a dean is a person with significant authority . ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Provost is the title of a senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada, the equivalent of Vice-Chancellor at certain UK universites such as UCL, and the head of certain Oxbridge colleges (e. ... Look up tenure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Larry Summers Lawrence Henry Summers (born November 30, 1954) is an American economist, politician, and academic. ... Derek Curtis Bok (born March 22, 1930) is an American lawyer and educator. ... The Boston Globe is the most widely-circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and in the greater New England region. ... Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947[1]) is an American historian and academic administrator, currently dean of Harvards Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and president-elect of Harvard University. ... The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard is an educational institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the semiautonomous components of Harvard University. ...


Although the job is increasingly administrative, each president is an academic professor in some faculty of the university and will at least occasionally teach courses. As the leader, furthermore, of one of the U.S.'s most prominent universities, Harvard's president can sometimes find him- or herself in the national spotlight. Several have had significant influence on educational practice or contributed to national policy debates. Eliot, for example, originated America's familiar system of a smorgasbord of elective courses available to each student; Conant worked to introduce standardized testing; Bok and Rudenstine argued for the continued importance of diversity in higher education. The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Prof. ... James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 - February 11, 1978) was a chemist, educational administrator, and public servant. ... Derek Curtis Bok (born March 22, 1930) is an American lawyer and educator. ... Neil Leon Rudenstine (born January 21, 1935) is an U.S. educator, literary scholar, and administrator. ...


History

At Harvard's foundation it was headed by a "schoolmaster," Nathaniel Eaton. He was soon dismissed, however; and when in 1640 Henry Dunster was brought in he adopted the title "president." The origins of this title have been grounds for a certain amount of speculation; see President (history of the term). Nathaniel Eaton (1610–1674) was the first schoolmaster of Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later became a clergyman. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... Henry Dunster(c. ... The word president is derived from the Latin prae- before + sedere to sit. ...


Harvard was originally 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. For the record label, see Puritan Records. ...


All presidents from Leonard Hoar through Nathan Pusey were graduates of Harvard College (i.e. they were undergraduates at the university). Of the presidents since Pusey, Bok took his undergraduate degree at Stanford, Rudenstine at Princeton, and Summers at MIT; but each earned a graduate degree at Harvard. Drew Gilpin Faust is the first president since the seventeenth century with no earned Harvard degree. Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, founded in 1636. ... Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in Stanford, California. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States of America. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private, coeducational research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947[1]) is an American historian and academic administrator, currently dean of Harvards Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and president-elect of Harvard University. ...


Presidents of Harvard

(John Winthrop (1714-1779) served as acting president in 1769 and again in 1773; but both times he declined the offer of the full presidency on grounds of old age.) Nathaniel Eaton (1610–1674) was the first schoolmaster of Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later became a clergyman. ... Henry Dunster(c. ... Charles Chauncy (1592-1672) was an Anglo-American clergyman and educator. ... Leonard Hoar ( 1630 - 1675) was an early American clergyman and educator. ... Urian Oakes (1631 - 1681) was an American (English-born) educator. ... John Rogers (1630-July 12, 1684) was an early American academic. ... The Reverend Increase Mather (June 21, 1639 — August 23, 1723) was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay (now the Federal state of Massachusetts). ... Samuel Willard (1640-1707) was a Colonial clergyman. ... John Leverett (1662 - 1724) was an early American lawyer, politician, and educator. ... Benjamin Wadsworth (1670 - 1737) was an early American clergyman and educator. ... Edward Holyoke (June 26, 1689 – June 1, 1769) was an early American clergyman and educator. ... Samuel Locke (1732 - 1778) was a U.S. Congregational clergyman and educator. ... Samuel Langdon (January 12, 1723 – November 29, 1797) was a U.S. Congregational clergyman and educator. ... Joseph Willard (1738 - September 25, 1804) was a U.S. Congregational clergyman and academic. ... Eliphalet Pearson U.S. educator; 1st principal of Phillips Academy 1778-1786; acting president of Harvard 1804-1806. ... Samuel Webber (1759 - July 17, 1810) was a U.S. clergyman, mathematician, and academic. ... John Thornton Kirkland (1770 - 1840) served as President of Harvard University from 1810 to 1828. ... Josiah Quincy III (February 4, 1772 – July 1, 1864) was a U.S. educator and political figure. ... Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was a Whig Party politician from Massachusetts. ... Jared Sparks (10 May 1789 - 14 March 1866) was a U.S. historian, educator, Unitarian minister, and president of Harvard University. ... James Walker (August 16, 1794 – December 23, 1874) was the President of Harvard College from 1853 to 1860. ... Cornelius Conway Felton (November 6, 1807 - February 26, 1862) was an American educator. ... There is also an actor named Thomas Hill. ... Prof. ... Abbott Lawrence Lowell (1856–1943) portrait by John Singer Sargent Abbott Lawrence Lowell (January 1, 1856–January 6, 1943) was a U.S. educator, historian, and President of Harvard University (1909–33). ... James Bryant Conant James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 - February 11, 1978) was a chemist, educational administrator, and government official. ... Nathan Marsh Pusey (4 April 1907–14 November 2001) was a prominent American educator. ... Derek Curtis Bok (born March 22, 1930) is an American lawyer and educator. ... Neil Leon Rudenstine (born January 21, 1935) is an U.S. educator, literary scholar, and administrator. ... Larry Summers Lawrence Henry Summers (born November 30, 1954) is an American economist, politician, and academic. ... Derek Curtis Bok (born March 22, 1930) is an American lawyer and educator. ... Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947[1]) is an American historian and academic administrator, currently dean of Harvards Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and president-elect of Harvard University. ... John Winthrop (December 19, 1714 – May 3, 1779) (not to be confused with his great-great-grandfather John Winthrop, founder of the Massachusetts Bay colony) was the 2nd Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Harvard College. ...


(Other minor acting presidents have included William Brattle, Edward Wigglesworth, Henry Ware, Andrew Preston Peabody, and Henry Pickering Walcott.)


External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Harvard University: Information from Answers.com (6802 words)
Harvard has a friendly rivalry with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which dates back to 1900, when a merger of the two schools was frequently mooted and at one point officially agreed upon (ultimately canceled by Massachusetts courts).
Harvard is governed by two boards, the President and Fellows of Harvard College, also known as the Harvard Corporation and founded in 1650, and the Harvard Board of Overseers.
The President of Harvard University is the day-to-day administrator of Harvard and is appointed by and responsible to the Harvard Corporation.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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