After a chaotic year at Harvard University marked by protests and recrimination, the school is adopting a new policy that will limit the types of issues its leadership comments on.
The policy, which establishes a precedent of institutional neutrality when it comes to commenting on issues outside its "core function," comes from a faculty committee called the Institutional Voice Working Group, established in April as the university continued to reel from antiwar protests over the ongoing conflict in Gaza and allegations of antisemitism leveled at the protesters and the Harvard administration.
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Harvard and Harvard leadership should not "issue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function," which is defined as creating "an environment in which its members can research, teach, and learn," the report says.
It cited three rationales:
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- Leadership, speaking on behalf of the university, are employed to run the institution, and speaking on matters outside that domain could compromise Harvard's "integrity and credibility."
- Issuing those kind of statements on matters outside the university's core function establishes a precedent to do so on a range of issues, which "is the reality of contemporary public life in an era of social media and political polarization" and can distract from the mission of higher education.
- Issuing a statement on an issue outside the core function may be seen as taking a side, which "can undermine the inclusivity of the university community."
Interim President Alan Garber and other Harvard leaders said in a statement Tuesday that they accepted the recommendations.
"The process of translating these principles into concrete practice will, of course, require time and experience, and we look forward to the work ahead," they said.
