As delivered. Thank you, President Torres. Welcome, Governor Patrick. Thank you, everyone, for being here. The 146th annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association at the 364th Commencement of Harvard University. It’s a particular pleasure to welcome former Governor Deval Patrick of the College Class of 1978 and the Harvard Law School Class of 1982….
2015 Remarks at ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
As delivered. At the end of Commencement week exactly 150 years ago, a crowd assembled here in the Yard for a very special Harvard occasion — a commemoration of the end of four long years of Civil War. The day was to be a celebration of the sons of Harvard who had served and a…
2015 Baccalaureate Service
As delivered. Greetings, Class of 2015! What a privilege it is to be with you here today. Four years ago at your convocation, under a cloudless sky, when we came together for the very first time, I mentioned this day and suggested that you would be different people, changed by what you had learned and…
Memorandum to President Faust from the Committee on the Oversight of Electronic Communications
President Faust in November of 2014 asked the Committee on the Oversight of Electronic Communications to consider certain issues raised by an attendance study conducted in 2014 by the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT). Please click here for a copy of the Committee’s memorandum….
Presidential Panel on Climate Change
Experts from the worlds of science, government, economics, business, and history gather in Sanders Theatre for a wide-ranging panel discussion on how society in general and universities in particular can best confront the perils posed by climate change. Moderator: Charlie RoseHost and Executive Producer, Charlie Rose, PBSCo-anchor, CBS This Morning Panelists: Joseph AldyAssistant Professor of…
Universities and the Challenge of Climate Change
Download Chinese translation / 中文 As prepared for delivery Party Secretary Chen Xu, Assistant President Shi Yigong, distinguished faculty, students and friends. It is a privilege to be back at Tsinghua, with an opportunity to exchange ideas on the most pressing challenges of our time. One challenge that will shape this century more than any…
President Faust at Morning Prayers
As prepared. History says, Don’t hopeOn this side of the grave.But then, once in a lifetimeThe longed-for tidal waveOf justice can rise up,And hope and history rhyme. “History says, Don’t hope,” the poet Seamus Heaney tells us. But sometimes, perhaps “once in a lifetime/The longed-for tidal wave/Of justice can rise up,/And hope and history rhyme.” I was…
Statement by Drew Faust on recent events
A statement from President Faust was included in The Harvard Crimson: “Black lives matter. It has taken far too long to make that fundamental truth a living, essential part of the fabric of our society, our government, and our lives. Martin Luther King, Jr. made clear a half century ago why we can’t wait. What was…
Statement by Drew Faust on threatening emails
Many of you may be aware of a troubling incident last month in which threatening, racist emails were sent to members of our community, mostly Harvard College students, who are of Asian or Asian-American descent. Our investigations have revealed that they were sent from a source outside the United States. Any form of aggression, and…
Statement on the passing of Mayor Tom Menino
No one I’ve known has personified Boston’s heart and soul, its drive and its resilience, more than Tom Menino. I have been privileged to call him a mentor and a friend. He lived a life full of purpose, always guided by a devotion to improving the lives of the people he served. He was a…