In discussing her support of the DREAM Act, Faust often likes to tell the story of meeting with a group of undocumented students at the College, an experience that she has said convinced her of the urgent need to act on immigration reform legislation.

“I would draw the lines of appropriate engagement as issues having a direct impact on the University or its students in a way that inhibits them from fulfilling their educational goals, so that’s why I chose to speak on the DREAM Act,” Faust said.

But in these issues, Faust also has to consider Harvard’s position among its peers. When Harvard moves, other Colleges tend to follow, and that was apparent in Faust’s advocacy in support of the DREAM Act.

Heenan—who noted that several other university presidents followed Faust’s lead in backing the DREAM Act—said that as president of Harvard, Faust understands how she can use the bully pulpit to refocus public attention on the importance education.

“I think she is quite conscious in every setting of the fact that there will always be some that look to Harvard to set the standard and define the agenda,” Heenan said,

—Staff writer Tara W. Merrigan can be reached at tmerrigan@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Zoe A. Y. Weinberg can be reached at zoe.weinberg@college.harvard.edu.