Three years ago, almost no Harvard students had heard of “intellectual vitality.” Now, they can’t escape it. Read more on the Harvard Crimson…
How Intellectual Vitality Became Vital to Harvard
College’s Commitment to Intellectual Vitality: Creating, Facilitating, and Embracing Beginnings
As we welcome the class of 2028, what do we know about handling difficult conversations and connecting with people with whom we might disagree? The College’s Intellectual Vitality initiatives guide us. Read more on the Harvard College News website….
Harvard Magazine: September-October 2024
Read the September-October issue of Harvard Magazine, featuring a variety of insightful articles including “Academic Freedom and Free Speech.”…
Embrace Intellectual Vitality, Don’t Dismiss It
Harvard has a discourse problem. Just look at last year’s senior survey, which reported that only 36 percent of students felt comfortable expressing opposing views on controversial topics in courses. There’s no quick way to create a culture where students feel comfortable engaging in open, honest dialogue. But Harvard’s new intellectual vitality initiative is a good start….
What is at stake in Intellectual Vitality?
In April 2024, 200 students (across all class years) joined a town hall in Quincy dining hall to talk about their experience at Harvard: what is going well and what could be better? Brilliantly moderated by dedicated graduating seniors, students engaged in some “think, pair, shares” and flash polls. The results: students feel overwhelmingly fortunate…
The Missing Middle
How overheated political attention warps campus life This academic year, Harvard’s campus has been a political powder keg. Many commentators are rightly concerned about free speech at this University and others, but the current national discussion has overlooked the harmful effects of its own presence. A disproportionate focus on our campus can exacerbate the effects of…
Chin-wag: to have a chat, a friendly conversation.
On Sunday, April 28, actor Paul Giamatti and author and philosopher Stephen Asma recorded a live episode of their award-winning podcast, Chinwag, in Sanders Theater. The show’s focus is anything and everything – offering the podcasters the opportunity to discuss diverse topics in-depth. The duo opened the show with Paul playing the theremin and…
Books Open, Gates Unbarred: The University and the Limits of Free Speech
The Council for Academic Freedom catalyzed a broad re-examination of assumptions dominating campus culture for over a decade. Among them was whether Harvard University administration should adopt institutional neutrality. On Monday, April 8, 2024, James Bryant Conant University Professor Danielle Allen, and Harvard Medical School Professor of Psychobiology, Bertha Madras, came together to share their…
Is Harvard Campus Conversation Constrained?
At Harvard, there are research areas that can’t be investigated, subjects that can’t be broached in public, and ideas that can’t be discussed in a classroom. So say a group of Harvard professors, now more than 120 strong, who have formed a Council on Academic Freedom to respond to perceived assaults on free inquiry and…
Harvard College and PEN America Intellectual Vitality and Free Expression Staff Summit
On January 24, 2024, as part of the Intellectual Vitality Initiatives, Harvard College welcomed guest speakers from PEN America for a special professional development event for College staff and administrators. The day-long summit comprised of three workshops that aimed to help equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and insights needed to navigate issues related to…