News

Study finds gap between rich and poor growing regionally too

May 2, 2019

There’s an old saying about a rising tide lifting all boats — and for more than a century, as the gap between the richest and poorest parts of the U.S. shrank, it seemed as though, in America at least, it might be true.

In recent decades, however, the tide has turned.

Over the past 40 years, the gap between rich and poor communities has increased dramatically, and Robert Manduca believes a large measure of the change can be chalked up to rising income inequality.

A Ph.D. student in the Sociology and Social Policy degree program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences,...

Study explores educational, social consequences of aggressive policing

May 1, 2019

Assistant Professor in Sociology Joscha Legewie takes a big-data approach to his inequality research. His most recent scholarship, published in American Sociological Review, found that aggressive policing in New York City had significant educational and social consequences for African American boys. Researched with Columbia Law School’s Jeffrey Fagan, the study credits New York City’s Operation Impact — a program that added police officers to high-crime neighborhoods — with...

Harvard’s Embedded EthiCS program wins grant

April 30, 2019

On Tuesday, Barbara J. Grosz, the Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), was named a winner in the Responsible Computer Science Challenge, a $2.4 million competition run by some of the biggest names in tech and civil society: Omidyar Network, Mozilla, Schmidt Futures, and Craig Newmark Philanthropies.

The $150,000 grant Grosz received will support the Embedded EthiCS...

Harvard adopts University-wide digital accessibility

April 30, 2019

As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure the accessibility of its digital systems and communications to persons with disabilities, Harvard University today announced the adoption of a new, University-wide Digital Accessibility Policy. This policy is intended to increase the accessibility of Harvard’s public-facing websites and web-based applications, as well as the digital content Harvard creates and posts on those sites. While effective immediately, the policy is forward-looking, and allows time for the...

Orlando Patterson: Harvard made ‘stunning progress’ toward diversity in half-century

April 29, 2019

Social change can often seem to move at a snail’s pace, but longtime Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson told a campus audience Sunday that the University and the larger American society have come a long way in embracing diversity in the past 50 years.

“It’s an amazing phenomenon, just stunning progress,” Patterson, John Cowles Professor of Sociology, said of the strides Harvard has made toward becoming more inclusive of African Americans and other minorities.

Recalling the overwhelmingly white campus he encountered when he arrived in 1970, Patterson said that now, “When I go to...

Radcliffe’s Vision & Justice conference explores race, justice

April 29, 2019

Diane Paulus considered it self-evident to put race at the center of the American Repertory Theater’s revival of the award-winning musical “1776,” debuting next year.

Speaking Friday at the “Vision & Justice” conference, Paulus, A.R.T.’s director, said earlier runs of the musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence, failed to adequately depict how the nation’s founders dealt with slavery...

Harvard College launches Service Starts with Summer Program

April 28, 2019

Starting this summer, incoming first-year students will have the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Service Starts with Summer Program (3SP), a new initiative launched by Harvard College through the Phillips Brooks House to encourage students to engage in public service in their respective hometowns. Officially announced during the annual Visitas festivities (April 26–29), 3SP will also connect first-years with pathways to explore public service opportunities at Harvard.

“We are so excited to announce the first of what we...

Diversity dialogue addresses racism, politics, poverty, and privilege

April 26, 2019

In what Assistant Dean Chris Ciotti called “a comfortable and safe place for an uncomfortable conversation,” scores of Harvard faculty and administrators gathered Thursday morning to discuss racism, sexism, LGBTQ rights, politics, white privilege, and economic equity as part of the FAS Diversity Conference “A Decade of Dialogue.”

And while one speaker said that “the world needs Harvard to become a leader” in fostering an inclusive environment, keynote speaker Tim Wise noted that institutions everywhere are increasingly examining whether they foster or impede climates of belonging —...

Harvard economist, sociologist win prestigious Carnegie fellowships

April 23, 2019

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program marked its fifth year with the announcement of the 2019 class of fellows, comprised of 32 scholars, including Raj Chetty, the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics, and Michèle Lamont, professor of sociology and African and African American Studies and the Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies. Each recipient of the so-called “Brainy Award” will receive a grant of up to $200,000, making it possible for him or her to devote significant time to research, writing, and publishing in the humanities and social sciences — work that will...

Harvard student tutors ease challenges for immigrant employees

April 18, 2019

Luz Orozco has two families: the one she immigrated for, and the one that helped her become a citizen.

Orozco, who is originally from Medellin, Colombia, came to Boston 14 years ago with her husband and two young daughters. Onetime business owners, Orozco and her husband were harassed and extorted by criminals in Colombia to the point where they feared for their safety. They fled the country for a better life for their daughters, and “everything we wanted for them came true,” Orozco said — but more than a decade later, her English was still limited and she was not yet a citizen.

...