Harvard University is promising to review its academic offerings and admissions policies in response to a pair of internal reports on a
ntisemitism and anti-Arab prejudice at the Ivy League campus commissioned in th
e aftermath of last spring’s pro-Palestinian protests.
Harvard released the reports on Tuesday while the university simultan
eously battles the Trump administration over demands to limit campus activism —
reforms the government says are necessary to root out campus antisemitis
m. The administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal fundi
ng and Harvard responded with a lawsuit in a clash that is being watched closely across higher education.
In a campus message, Harvard President Alan Garber said Harvard has m
ade “necessary changes and essential progress” over the last year but promised further action.
“We will redouble our efforts to ensure that the University is a plac
e where ideas are welcomed, entertained and contested in the spirit of seeking truth,” Garber wrote.
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Garber convened two panels to study campus antisemitism and a
nti-Muslim bias last year, with an initial round of recommendations rele
ased last June. The final reports total more than 500 pages and include dozens of recommended changes.
Harvard said it will begin implementing at least some of the recommendatio
ns, with potential updates to admissions, hiring and discipline systems.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, chairman of the Education and Workforce Committe
e, said Harvard’s internal reports suggest it tolerated antisemitism.
“Harvard’s president said the school will not abide bigotry, yet that’s exactly what the school’s feckless leadership did,” said Walberg, a Michigan Republican.
In a list of “actions and commitments,” Harvard said it will review admissions processes to make sure applicants are evaluated based on their ability to “engage constructively with different perspectives, show empathy and participate in civil discourse.”
