Harvard University finally got a public statement right last month. It promised not to make declarations of empathy on issues “not relevant to the core function of the University” when it published a “Report on Institutional Voice in the University.”
Corporate America ought to take Harvard’s lead and follow suit.
Harvard has historically made public statements on a wide range of topics, including racial injustice, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. If this policy is adopted, Harvard will no longer make these statements.
The explanation is straightforward: Professor of law at Harvard and co-chair of the group that formulated the proposals, Noah Feldman, clarified in an interview that “Harvard isn’t a government.” It ought not to have an overseas policy.
NEW RESTRICTIONS ON STATEMENTS ABOUT “CONTROVERSIAL PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES” ANNOUNCED BY HARVARD
Choosing a side in contentious public policy matters has harmed the university’s standing. Following their disastrous reaction to the assaults on October 7, Harvard’s net favorability rating among American adults fell by fifteen points. Applications for the class of 2028 were down 5% overall and down 17% for early admission.
Harvard has decided to buck the trend and will only address matters pertaining to its purpose of seeking the truth via “open inquiry, debate, and weighing the evidence.”
