A Conversation with President Garber

President Garber held a conversation with the Harvard alumni community, speaking with author Gish Jen during a webinar on September 22. The Alumni Association event lasted one hour and was presented as “off the record” and "meant exclusively for the community." Alumni were invited to submit their questions when they registered.

Prior to the event, Crimson Courage sent President Garber a letter (see below) discussing issues we wanted him to address. The letter commended him for his steadfast resistance to the Trump administration's overreaching agenda and raised questions about some Harvard policies that seem to recede from the university's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Respecting the off-the-record nature of the conversation, our reaction was that President Garber strongly reaffirmed his commitment to academic freedom and to not allowing the government to encroach on Harvard's ability to teach as it sees fit. In April 2025, he stated, “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” Some important issues we raised in our letter were not directly addressed, and we will continue to dialogue with the administration to critically reflect on making positive change.