Harvard Should Invest in Talent, Not Freeze Faculty Hiring

THE BIG IDEA: Harvard Should Invest in Talent, Not Freeze Faculty Hiring

Last Monday, President Alan Garber announced a "temporary" University-wide faculty and staff hiring freeze, citing "substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies." The next day, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS) said it will reject all waitlisted graduate program candidates for the same reason. At the School of Public Health (HSPH), the Biostatistics PhD program halved its admitted class and the Population Health Sciences PhD program reduced its admissions by 25%.

These are significant changes, and Harvard isn't alone — similarly austere measures have emerged nationwide. Columbia's medical school and Penn have both halted hiring and imposed spending cuts. Johns Hopkins, heavily reliant on National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, is laying off over 2,000 employees. However, Princeton and Stanford have largely so far avoided faculty hiring freezes, with Stanford instituting only a staff hiring freeze.

Harvard should be even bolder than Princeton and Stanford, recognizing this moment as an opportunity. With its considerable endowment, Harvard is uniquely positioned to invest in faculty excellence while others pull back. As the University refocuses on academic excellence—a theme Garber has frequently emphasized—Harvard has a real opportunity to recruit exceptional scholars. Like investors "buying the market dip," Harvard should recognize the long-term value of these scholars and act decisively now, rather than let them slip away.

This moment is especially valuable as Harvard builds on recent efforts to strengthen its faculty. In the past, hiring barriers like mandatory "diversity" statements and an ideological monoculture (less than 3% of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences (FAS) faculty identify as conservative) may have deterred exceptional candidates. Last spring, Harvard signaled a shift by adopting an institutional neutrality policy and FAS eliminating the diversity statement requirement. Now, as other institutions freeze hiring, Harvard can put these commitments into practice by recruiting top scholars who will enhance its intellectual diversity and academic rigor.

Rather than retreating during this moment of widespread institutional caution, Harvard should invest boldly in academically excellent talent and position itself as the top choice for outstanding scholars and professors. Harvard's reputation depends on its commitment to excellence; now is the time to double down—not scale back.

Note: Thank you to our readers who wrote in asking for more clarification of acronyms like "FAS" and "HSPH" — please keep sharing your feedback!

EVENTS:

• New Delhi, India — March 20 from 7-9 p.m. IST: At this event hosted by the Harvard Alumni Association in partnership with the Harvard Club of Bengaluru, Harvard Club of Chennai, Harvard Club of India (New Delhi), and Harvard Club of Mumbai, alumni can hear from President Alan Garber. Register here.
  

• San Francisco, CA — March 25 at 6 p.m. PT: To mark the 25th anniversary of the Radcliffe Institute, "Radcliffe on the Road: A Quarter Century of Interdisciplinary Exploration" will include Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin and lightning talks on research. Register here.
  

• Virtual — March 27 from 2:30-3 p.m. ET: Harvard Graduate School of Education's Education Now series will host "Nurturing Democratic Engagement in the Classroom" about how to help K-12 & higher education students "become informed and motivated citizens in our society, particularly in polarized times." University Professor Danielle Allen (PhD '01) will speak, moderated by HGSE professor Julie Reuben (AM '00). Register here.
  

• Virtual — March 27 from 5-6 p.m. ET: Harvard Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh (PhD '01) and Dean of Students Thomas Dunne will host a conversation with College alumni on campus life today, including intellectual vitality, academic freedom, and civil discourse. Register here.

FYIs:

Federal Government Sets Preconditions for Columbia Negotiations

• On Thursday, the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration outlined the preconditions for "formal negotiations regarding Columbia University's continued financial relationship with the United States government" in a letter to interim president Katrina Armstrong and board co-chairs David Greenwald and Claire Shipman.

• By March 20, Columbia is expected to:
  

  – Enforce its rules
  – Reform its disciplinary process
  – Implement time, place, and manner rules that prevent academic disruption
  – Institute a mask ban
  – "Deliver a plan to hold student groups accountable"
  – Adopt a formal definition of antisemitism
  – Give the university's security full law enforcement authority
  – Begin to place the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department under academic receivership
  – "Deliver a plan for comprehensive admissions reform"

• Columbia has already complied with the letter's request to enforce "meaningful discipline" for last spring's Hamilton Hall takeover. The new sanctions involve "multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions."

Education Department Threatens 'Potential Enforcement Actions' at Harvard

• Last Monday, the Department of Education sent 60 colleges, including Harvard, a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" over investigations into "Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination."

• Stanford and all the Ivies except Dartmouth and Penn are included. MIT is not on the list.

HLS Student Referendum on Israel Divestment Passes

• On Thursday, the HLS student body voted on a referendum calling on Harvard to "divest from weapons, surveillance technology, and other companies aiding violations of international humanitarian law, including Israel's genocide in Gaza and its ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine."

• The referendum passed with 72.7% of votes in favor. Only 842 students participated out of the nearly 2,000 students who attend HLS, meaning about 30% or more of the whole HLS student body likely supports divestment.

• The HLS administration, accused of previously attempting to block the vote, quickly distanced itself, stating it "played no role" in the referendum and expressed "deep disappointment" over student government's decision to hold a "needlessly divisive" vote.

Librarian Who Tore Down Hostage Poster No Longer Employed by Harvard

• Less than a week after the incident, Harvard has parted ways with the Radcliffe Institute librarian who tore down a poster in Harvard Yard depicting the Bibas children, two Israeli hostages whose remains were returned by Hamas to Israel in a February exchange.

HAA Elected Director Candidate Allison Pillinger Choi Endorsed by Former Black Alumni Society President

• HAA Elected Director candidate Allison Pillinger Choi (AB '06)'s campaign website features an endorsement from former Harvard Black Alumni Society president Monica Clark (AB '06), whose term ended in December.

• Pillinger Choi's website emphasizes dedication to "diverse perspectives, healthy debate, and free thought" and over a decade of experience "serving as the center-right perspective in bipartisan initiatives of building balance and bridges."

More News at Harvard:

• The Crimson: "Can Hopi Hoekstra Have It Both Ways?"

• The Crimson: "As Universities Eliminate DEI Programming, Harvard Stays Its Course"

• The Crimson: "HUA Will Lobby Harvard Administration on Time Caps"

• The Crimson: "HKS Dean Visits West Bank and Israel To Recruit Students, Repair Alumni Relationships"

• The Crimson: "OpenAI Donates $50 Million for AI Use in Research at Harvard, 14 Other Institutions"

• The Crimson: "Trump Wants To Dismantle the Education Department. What Would That Mean for Harvard?"

• The Crimson: "Harvard Officials Met With Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, Used Info From Online Monitoring System" — on foundation created by Robert Kraft (MBA '65)

• The Crimson: "Nearly 200 Harvard Affiliates Rally on Widener Steps To Protest Arrest of Columbia Student"

• Bloomberg News: "Why Harvard Law Is Losing Black Students"

• The Crimson: "Harvard Students Should Ignore Calls to Boycott Israel Trek" — op-ed by HLS professor Jesse Fried, HBS professors Paul Gompers and Scott Kominers, and HMS professor Mark Poznansky

• The Crimson: "First They Came for Columbia" — op-ed by FAS Government professors Ryan Enos and Steve Levitsky

• The Crimson: "Give Students a Chance To Be on the Right Side of History" — op-ed by HKS professor Archon Fung

• The Crimson: "Harvard Must Pop Its Political Bubble" — op-ed by Kelli Higgins (AB '28)

More News Beyond Harvard:

• New York Times: "How a Columbia Student Activist Landed in Federal Detention"

• The Daily Pennsylvanian: "Larry Jameson appointed Penn's 10th president following interim term"

• The Daily Pennsylvanian: "Penn strikes antidiscrimination protections in graduate student union contract bargaining"

• The Daily Princetonian: "Campus groups react after Resources Committee rejects dissociation proposal" — on Princeton's rejection of a proposal to divest and disassociate from Israel

• New York Times: "The Authoritarian Endgame on Higher Education" — editorial by NYT Editorial Board