Student Experience
Background Video of South asian countries and their people
Intellectual Vitality is a culture change created by Harvard College students who wanted more from their experiences in the classrooms, residential spaces, and social settings. This culture, which asks students to engage with each other with a spirit of “rigor, charity, and open exploration” can only be done when we lean into the understanding that viewpoint diversity and the ability to share these perspectives with one another is a feature of being a part of Harvard College and what drives us as a community. Explore the various ways in which intellectual vitality has been embedded into the College below.
Student Advisory Board
A culture of Intellectual Vitality asks students to engage in their classes, student groups and social settings with a spirit of “rigor, charity and open exploration.” When we lean into the viewpoint and experiential diversity of Harvard through thoughtful discussion and consideration of different perspectives, we develop both as students and as citizen leaders. The Intellectual Vitality Student Advisory Board (SAB) is designed to represent a diverse cross-section of Harvard’s undergraduate community, enabling Intellectual Vitality (IV) to broaden its reach across campus and foster a shared sense of responsibility for its mission. IV is intended to be both shaped and defined by the student body, with the SAB serving as a vital link between student-led initiatives. The SAB works to amplify these initiatives’ messaging, encourage community engagement, and sustain a sense of curiosity.
Objectives
- To define the message of Intellectual Vitality from the student perspective. This may take form through events and other community engagement, and written communications.
- To develop criteria for funding program proposals, and allocate funding appropriately, ensuring the spirit of Intellectual Vitality is upheld.
- To collaborate with the Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) on pedagogical initiatives to ensure classrooms foster curious, charitable discourse and encourage the exchange of ideas.
- To review and update student training materials, including those through pre-orientation and orientation, to align the mission of Intellectual Vitality with the broader values of the College, promoting a culture of epistemic humility and academic rigor.
- To serve as a sounding board for students, providing support and cultivating an environment of respectful engagement that contributes to a stronger sense of community at the College.
Student voices
Want to learn more about Intellectual Vitality?
If you’re interested in learning more about intellectual vitality, or having intellectual vitality embedded into your can be a part of your student group, organization, or department, please reach out to Camila Nardozzi.
Student Advisory Board
Through the SAB, the College will foster the bottom-up adoption of intellectual vitality in the different student spheres or activities at the College.
Fellowship in Values Engagement
The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, in partnership with Harvard’s Dean of Students Office, is piloting the new Fellowship in Values Engagement (FiVE) program. The goal is to foster intellectual vitality among undergraduates by promoting ethical reflection and civil discourse.