Advocate for Harvard and Higher Education
Stay informed, speak up, and support Harvard and the future of higher education.
“Today, we stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the world. We stand for the truth that colleges and universities across the country can embrace and honor their legal obligations and best fulfill their essential role in society without improper government intrusion. That is how we achieve academic excellence, safeguard open inquiry and freedom of speech, and conduct pioneering research—and how we advance the boundless exploration that propels our nation and its people into a better future.”
What’s at Stake
Harvard is home to many of the most groundbreaking medical, scientific, and technological discoveries in the world. For decades, the research behind these discoveries has been supported by the U.S. government, along with other sponsors. That support is critical for the continuation of pioneering innovations that impact countless human lives. Without federal funding, work stops midstream and researchers lack essential resources to complete ongoing projects or finance new ones in the numerous efforts underway across the University.
Academic Freedom & Freedom of Speech
Independence to educate, innovate, and pursue knowledge has made American higher education the envy of the world and driven excellence in teaching and research. Preventing this work will erode U.S. leadership in innovation and will weaken our local and national economies. This damage will also compound over time as cutting-edge infrastructure and top talent dwindle, and as talented young investigators and students—our future scientists, inventors, and engineers—choose different career paths.
No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue. Universities should be independent in these areas as the foundation for the academic excellence and rigor that serve our mission, educate our students, and deepen human knowledge.
Freedom of thought and inquiry, along with the government’s longstanding commitment to respect and protect it, has enabled universities to contribute in vital ways to a free society and to healthier, more prosperous lives for people everywhere.
- President Garber emphasizes the vital role of American higher education in advancing knowledge, fostering opportunity, and strengthening democracy amid growing societal challenges in his message, The Promise of American Higher Education.
- Harvard's University-Wide Statement on Rights and Responsibilities affirms the University’s commitment to free expression, mutual respect, and the responsible exercise of academic freedom.
- President Garber’s April 24 update on Rights and Responsibilities covers the reactivation of the University Committee on Rights and Responsibilities, including the rights of Harvard community members to learn, teach, research, live, and work without interference or disruption.
- The Report on Institutional Voice in the University outlines Harvard University's principles and guidelines on institutional speech.
- The Report from the Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue Working Group describes the climate for teaching and learning at Harvard University and highlights tools and techniques to reinforce the free exchange of ideas, rigorous discourse, and empathy for all members of our learning communities.
Federal Research Funding
Reducing funding sets back science-seeking cures to diseases and discoveries in technology. There is so much at stake, not just for Harvard and for higher education, but for students, scientists, patients, and millions of Americans around the country who benefit from lifesaving research.
Research that the government has put in jeopardy includes efforts to improve the prospects of children who survive cancer, to understand at the molecular level how cancer spreads throughout the body, to predict the spread of infectious disease outbreaks, and to ease the pain of soldiers wounded on the battlefield. As opportunities to reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease are on the horizon, the government is slamming on the brakes.
This is not just a Harvard issue. It affects scientists, students, and patients across the country. The scientific breakthroughs and economic benefits generated by University research drive innovation and economic growth.
- Research Funding highlights the importance of Harvard's research funding and notes examples of projects at risk, including research focused on the detection of ALS, Tuberculosis, and long-term radiation exposure, among many others.
- President Garber reaffirms the University’s commitment to its core values, academic freedom, and community integrity in the face of recent challenges and public scrutiny in his message, Upholding Our Values, Defending Our University.
- Research Powers Progress highlights research at Harvard—from medicine and technology to education and business—that touches countless lives, moving us closer to disease cures, next-generation technology, and a more secure future for millions of people.
- The Timeline of Discovery presents a historical timeline highlighting major medical discoveries and innovations made by Harvard Medical School.
- A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science traces the history of federal funding for basic scientific research in the United States.
- Research Funding News and Statements offers a collection of the latest headlines, news articles, and University announcements regarding research funding.
- The Office of Technology Development Impact Report provides an overview of Harvard’s activities to propel Harvard innovations toward global impact.
Advocate for Harvard and Higher Education
Your role as an ambassador for Harvard and an advocate for the vital role of higher education in our society—with elected officials, in your communities, and in public discourse—are important.
Below are opportunities for alumni to support and advocate for higher education and Harvard. From engaging with policymakers to helping to inform your alumni and local communities, every action contributes to a stronger future for institutions of learning and research.
Become an Ambassador
Help amplify the importance of higher education by sharing accurate information and engaging others in meaningful dialogue.
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Speak to Your Representatives
Reach out to your elected officials to share your support for higher education.
Give to Harvard
Support Harvard, and American higher education, through giving and inspiring others to give. Your gifts to the schools you attended, and where our faculty and students are doing essential work, make a tremendous difference no matter their size. Additionally, we have established a new Presidential Priorities Fund that provides flexible support to meet emerging needs.
“My goal now is to ensure that we continue to find ways to strengthen the fabric of our community as we meet unprecedented challenges. [ ... ] The good we do today and in the days to come is for all of us, but it will be experienced most profoundly by those who inherit Harvard from us.”
Additional Resources
We encourage you to engage deeply with Harvard’s efforts to pursue our mission and strengthen campus culture.
Understanding University Endowments:
- Harvard Endowment 101 offers a quick and easy overview of how the endowment supports the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, how it’s structured, and how it enables the mission for the long term.
- The Association of American Universities (AAU), of which Harvard is a member, compiled this background on how university endowments enable student aid and medical and scientific innovation.
- The Harvard Gazette article Endowment offers Harvard flexibility but also risks discusses how Harvard's endowment provides financial flexibility and supports its academic mission.
In 2015, President Drew Faust described the endowment in Harvard Magazine as enabling “vigorous immortality”—and the ways the “endowment must be preserved to continue to generate income permanently, taking into account the reality that a scholarship or a professorship is, given inflation, inevitably going to cost more over time.”
Combatting Bias and Promoting Pluralism:
Harvard has taken many steps to improve culture on campus and is dedicated to tackling antisemitism and bias on our campus, to creating an environment where all perspectives on issues are represented, and where people can debate and discuss passionately and respectfully.
Harvard is also refocusing efforts to promote pluralism, giving students the skills they need for the future and the tools they need to be able to listen to contrasting opinions, to make unpopular arguments, and to engage constructively with their peers, even if they vehemently disagree with them. Greater empathy is an important result of these efforts. By helping students build these skills, we are giving them the tools they need to succeed and lead.
- Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias
- Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias
- University-Wide Statement on Rights and Responsibilities
- Report on Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue
More from Campus:
- U.S. Immigration FAQs for International Students and Scholars
- April 30 University Update on International Students
- Harvard Looks Forward
In the News:
- President Garber’s NBC Nightly News interview with Lester Holt, “Bigger Than Harvard”
- President Garber speaks with the Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker
- From the New York Times, "Can Harvard’s Endowment Help It Fight Trump?"
- From the New York Times, "Harvard’s President Is Fighting Trump. He Also Agrees With Him"
- In an interview with the Boston Globe, President Garber discusses efforts and progress
“Our motto—Veritas, or truth—guides us as we navigate the challenging path ahead. Seeking truth is a journey without end. It requires us to be open to new information and different perspectives, to subject our beliefs to ongoing scrutiny, and to be ready to change our minds. It compels us to take up the difficult work of acknowledging our flaws so that we might realize the full promise of the University, especially when that promise is threatened.”