President and Fellows of Harvard College

Governing board of Harvard University

The Harvard College seal

The President and Fellows of Harvard College, also called the Harvard Corporation or just the Corporation, is the smaller and more powerful of Harvard University's two governing boards. It refers to itself as the oldest corporation in the Western Hemisphere.[1] At full capacity, as of 2024, the corporation consists of twelve fellows as well as the president of Harvard University, for a total of thirteen members.[2]

The Corporation and the Board of Overseers exercise institutional roles that, at most other colleges and universities, are more commonly consolidated into a single board of trustees.[3]

Although the institution it governs has grown into a university of which Harvard College is one component, the corporation's name remains "The President and Fellows of Harvard College".[4]

## Structure

[edit]

The Harvard Corporation is a 501(c)(3) and the owner of all of Harvard University's assets and real property.[5]

As a governing board, the Corporation traditionally functioned as an outside body whose members were not involved in the institution's daily life, meeting instead periodically to consult with the day-to-day head, the president of Harvard University, whom it appoints, and who also serves as a member. The Corporation is self-perpetuating, appointing new members to fill its own vacancies as they arise.

For most of its history, the Corporation consisted of six fellows in addition to the president. But after the presidency of Lawrence Summers from 2001 to 2006, and a large endowment decline after the Great Recession in 2008-2009, a year-long governance review was conducted. In December 2010, it announced that the Corporation's "composition, structure, and practices" would be altered: the number of fellows would increase from six to twelve, with prescribed terms of service, and several new committees would endeavor to improve the group's integration with the activities of the University as a whole, especially its long-term planning.[6]

## History

[edit]

Harvard presidents Josiah Quincy, Edward Everett, Jared Sparks, James Walker, and Cornelius Conway Felton each served as members of the Harvard Corporation at various times.

### 17th century

[edit]

Starting in 1636, the affairs and funds of Harvard College were managed by a committee of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts. In 1650, at the request of Harvard's first president Henry Dunster, the Great and General Court of Massachusetts issued the body a charter.[7]

The Charter of 1650 established the Harvard Corporation board which consisted of seven members: a President, five Fellows, and a Treasurer. The Corporation had the authority to manage the College's finances, real estate, and donations, act as a legal entity in courts of law, select officers and servants, and create orders and bylaws for the College, with the approval of the Board of Overseers.[8]

The founding members of the Harvard Corporation were respectively: Henry Dunster as President, Samuel Mather, Samuel Danforth, Jonathan Mitchell, Comfort Starr and Samuel Eaton as the five Fellows and Thomas Danforth as the Treasurer.[9] These men had, in perpetual succession, the duties of managing the College.

### 18th century

[edit]

The 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts reaffirmed that, despite the change in government due to the American Revolution, the corporation would continue to "have, hold, use, exercise and enjoy" its property and legal privileges.[10] However it further noted that "nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the legislature of this commonwealth from making such alterations in the government of the said university."[11]

### 19th century

[edit]

In 1805, the election of Henry Ware as Hollis Professor of Divinity placed the Corporation, then politically Federalist and religiously Unitarian, at odds with Massachusetts politics that was increasingly Democratic-Republican and still Trinitarian.[clarification needed][12]

### 21st century

[edit]

In December 2023, the Corporation came under scrutiny by the United States House of Representatives, after a House Committee hearing on antisemitism.[13][14] The following month, in January 2024, the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over university tax status and endowments, probed the tax status of Harvard and three other universities, over allegations of inadequate responses to antisemitism.[15][16]

On May 22, 2024, one day before the annual Harvard Commencement ceremony, the corporation refused to give diplomas to thirteen seniors of Harvard College involved in pro-Palestinian protests, overruling a vote of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences that included the students on the list of graduating students.[17][18][19][20] Critics called it an attempt "to kill faculty governance" from a body that is usually "publicity-shy".[21]

## Current membership

[edit]

As of May 2024, there are currently thirteen members of the Corporation, including the University president, who sets the agenda but does not vote.[22][23]

Name | Harvard Degree(s) | Year appointed | Occupation

|
|
|

Alan Garber | AB 1976, AM 1977, PhD 1988 | 2024[24] | President of Harvard University
Timothy R. Barakett, Treasurer | AB 1987, MBA 1993 | 2019[25] | former CEO of Atticus Capital
Kenneth Chenault | JD 1976 | 2014[26] | former CEO of American Express
Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar | AB 1993 | 2019[25] | President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former Justice of the Supreme Court of California
Joseph Bae | AB 1994 | 2024[27] | co-CEO of KKR & Co. Inc.
Carolyn Martin | None | 2018[28] | President Emerita of Amherst College
Karen Mills | AB 1975, MBA 1977 | 2014[26] | former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
Diana L. Nelson | AB 1985 | 2018[29] | chair of Carlson Holdings
Penny Pritzker, Senior Fellow | AB 1981 | 2018[28] | former United States Secretary of Commerce
Tracy P. Palandjian | AB 1993, MBA 1997 | 2022[30] | co-founder and CEO of Social Finance
Shirley M. Tilghman | LLD 2004 (Honorary) | 2016[31] | President Emerita of Princeton University[32]
Ted Wells | JD 1976, MBA 1976 | 2013[33] | partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Kenneth C. Frazier | JD 1978  | 2024[34] | former CEO of Merck & Co.

## List of Senior Fellows

[edit]

The Corporation's senior fellow is the lead trustee within the board.

Name | Term

|

Penny Pritzker | 2022–[35]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Harvard Corporation". www.harvard.edu. Harvard University. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
2. ^ "Amid Crisis, Harvard Corporation Seat Goes 6 Months Unfilled". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
3. ^ "Leadership and Governance". Harvard University. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
4. ^ Chait, Richard P.; Daniel, D. Ronald; Lorsch, Jay W.; Rosovsky, Henry (May–June 2006). "Governing Harvard: A Harvard Magazine Roundtable". Harvard Magazine.
5. ^ Andrea Suozzo; Alec Glassford; Ash Ngu; Brandon Roberts (May 9, 2013). "President And Fellows Of Harvard College - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
6. ^ "Governance Review Culminates in Changes to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. December 6, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
7. ^ Whitehead, John S. (1971). The Separation of College and State: The Transformation of Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Yale from Quasi-Public to Private Institutions, 1776–1876 (Thesis).[page needed]
8. ^ "Collection: Charters and legislative acts relating to the governance of Harvard | HOLLIS for".
9. ^ "Research Guides: Harvard Presidential Insignia: Harvard Charter of 1650".
10. ^ "Chapter V". Massachusetts Constitution.
11. ^ "Massachusetts Constitution". malegislature.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
12. ^ Whitehead, John S. (1973). The Separation of College and State: Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Yale, 1776-1876. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-01606-2.
13. ^ Desk, JACKSON WALKER (December 20, 2023). "Congress expanding Harvard probe to include plagiarism allegations against president". WPMI. Retrieved January 4, 2024. `{{cite news}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
14. ^ Moody, Josh. "Who Failed Whom at Harvard?". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
15. ^ Lorin, Janet (January 10, 2024). "Harvard, MIT Tax Status Probed by Congress Over Antisemitism". Bloomberg News.
16. ^ "House Panel Probes Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, MIT Tax Exemption". news.bloombergtax.com. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
17. ^ "Harvard Corporation Rules Thirteen Students Cannot Graduate". Harvard Magazine. May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
18. ^ "Harvard Corporation won't give diplomas to 13 students, despite faculty vote". WBUR. May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
19. ^ "Harvard University's governing board pulls degrees for 13 pro-Palestinian student protestors". Boston 25 News. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
20. ^ Hilary Burns (May 22, 2024). "Harvard's governing board overrules faculty, bars 13 students who participated in pro-Palestinian encampment from receiving degrees". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
21. ^ "Opinion | the Harvard Corporation Tries to Kill Faculty Governance". June 5, 2024.
22. ^ Dixon, Brandon J.; Parker, Claire E. (June 27, 2017). "The Harvard Corporation, Explained". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
23. ^ "Harvard Corporation". Harvard University. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
24. ^ University, Harvard; william (January 2, 2024). "Statement from the Harvard Corporation: President Gay". Harvard University. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
25. ^ a b "Two elected to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. February 11, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
26. ^ a b "Kenneth Chenault and Karen Gordon Mills to join Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. February 10, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
27. ^ gazettebeckycoleman (February 4, 2024). "Two new Corporation members". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
28. ^ a b "Harvard Corporation elects two new members". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. May 23, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
29. ^ "New Corporation member named". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. February 10, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
30. ^ "Tracy Palandjian elected to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. April 4, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
31. ^ "Tilghman named to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. December 7, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
32. ^ "Shirley M. Tilghman". Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (C-PREE). Retrieved June 10, 2024.
33. ^ "Mathews and Wells elected to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. September 23, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
34. ^ "Kenneth Frazier, Joseph Bae to Join Harvard Corporation Ahead of Presidential Search". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
35. ^ "Penny Pritzker elected next senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette (Press release). Harvard University. February 15, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2025. "She was elected by her Corporation colleagues to become senior fellow as of July 1, 2022."

## External links

[edit]

* Harvard Corporation website

* v
* t
* e

Harvard University

* History
* John Harvard
* statue
* President Alan Garber
* Board of Overseers
* President and Fellows
* Provost John Manning
* Library

Arts and
Sciences|

* Dean Hopi Hoekstra

College|

* Dean Rakesh Khurana
* Radcliffe College

* Freshman dormitories
* Upperclass houses
* Adams
* Cabot
* Currier
* Dudley
* Dunster
* Eliot
* Kirkland
* Leverett
* Lowell
* Mather
* Pforzheimer
* Quincy
* Winthrop

* Undergraduate organizations
* Hasty Pudding Theatricals
* The Harvard Advocate
* The Harvard Crimson
* The Harvard Independent
* The Harvard Lampoon

Continuing Education|

* Dean Nancy Coleman
* Extension School
* Extension School history
* Summer School

Engineering and
Applied Sciences|

* Dean David C. Parkes
* Lyman Laboratory of Physics

Graduate School|

* Dean Emma Dench

Libraries|

* Cabot
* Harvard-Yenching
* Houghton
* Harvard Review
* Lamont
* Pusey
* Widener
* Harry Elkins Widener
* Eleanor Elkins Widener
* Grossman

Centers, institutes,
and societies|

* Asia Center
* Center for African and African American Research
* Du Bois Institute
* Center for Astrophysics
* Center for Chinese Studies
* Center for European Studies
* Center for Visual Arts
* Center for Hellenic Studies
* Dumbarton Oaks
* Harvard Forest
* Rowland Institute
* Ukrainian Research Institute

Business|

* Dean Srikant Datar
* Baker Library/Bloomberg Center
* Harvard Business Publishing
* Harvard Business Review
* Harvard Business School RFC
* Spangler Center

Design|

* Dean Sarah Whiting
* Harvard Design Magazine
* Center for Housing Studies

Divinity|

* Dean David N. Hempton

Education|

* Dean Bridget Terry Long

Government|

* Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein
* Ash Center
* Belfer Center
* Carr Center
* Center for American Political Studies
* Center for Ethics
* Center for Housing Studies
* Center for Nonprofit Organizations
* Center for Public Leadership
* Institute of Politics
* Rappaport Institute
* Shorenstein Center
* The Journalist's Resource

Law|

* Dean John F. Manning
* Berkman Klein Center
* Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review
* International Law Journal
* Journal of Law & Technology
* Journal on Legislation
* Law Record
* Law Review

Medicine|

* Dean George Q. Daley
* Broad Institute
* Medical Library
* Anatomical Museum
* Program in Health Sciences
* School of Dental Medicine

Public Health|

* Dean Michelle Ann Williams

Museums and
arboretum|

* Arnold Arboretum
* Harvard Art Museums
* Archaeology and Ethnology Museum
* Busch–Reisinger Museum
* Fogg Museum
* Sackler Museum
* Collection of Scientific Instruments
* Glass Flowers
* Mineralogical Museum
* General Artemas Ward House
* Natural History Museum
* Comparative Zoology Museum
* Herbaria
* Museum of the Ancient Near East

Cambridge
campus|

* Boylston Hall
* Bradley Memorial
* Discobolus
* Gates of Harvard Yard
* Graduate Center
* Harvard Hall
* Memorial Church
* Choir
* Harvard Yard
* Massachusetts Hall
* Memorial Hall
* Night Wall I
* Peabody Terrace
* President's House
* Science Center
* Smith Campus Center
* University Hall

Centers and
institutes|

* Harvard Innovation Labs
* Computing Center
* Harvard Radcliffe Institute
* Schlesinger Library
* Institute for Advanced Theater Training
* Nieman Foundation for Journalism
* Real Colegio Complutense
* Villa I Tatti
* Wyss Institute

People|

* List of Harvard University people
* Non-graduate alumni

Athletics|

| Teams|

* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Fencing
* Football
* Men's ice hockey
* Women's ice hockey
* Men's lacrosse‎
* Men's rugby
* Women's rugby
* Men's soccer
* Women's soccer
* Men's squash
* Men's volleyball
* Women's volleyball

|

Venues|

* Bright-Landry Hockey Center
* Harvard Stadium
* Jordan Field
* Lavietes Pavilion
* Ohiri Field
* Malkin Athletic Center
* Newell Boathouse
* Weld Boathouse

Rivalries|

* Cornell (hockey)
* Yale (football)

Miscellaneous|

* Anti-Vietnam War protests
* Alma mater
* Commencement traditions
* Academic regalia
* Graduate Students Union
* Heraldry
* Tercentenary celebration
* Harvard Magazine
* Harvard University Press
* Lionel de Jersey Harvard
* Math 55
* Society of Fellows
* University Professor
* Harvard–Adam Dziewonski Observatory

* Category
* Commons

Authority control databases |

* IdRef

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template