Throughout Faust’s tenure, the educational partnership between Harvard and the city of Boston has remained strong. In 2008, the Harvard Allston Education Portal opened in Allston to provide mentors—often Harvard undergraduates—and after-school programming to any neighborhood resident who signs up for a free membership.
Both Faust and Menino have underscored the success of the Ed Portal.
“Let me just tell you, the portal is very important because it educates the children of Boston, it gives them a good start, good after school programs,” Menino said. “If you track those kids, they do much better in school than other kids have.”
More recently, the Mayor announced the creation of BostonX, a program which will bring a modified version of Harvard and MIT’s edX platform to Boston community centers.
END OF AN ERA
When Menino leaves office in early 2014, the departure will mark the end of an era, not only for Boston, but for Harvard. As Harvard prepares to restart major construction in Allston, it will need to rely on a strong relationship with City Hall to ensure efficiency and approval of its plans.
Similarly, a strong relationship will enable the city to benefit from continued collaboration with Harvard in the areas of online education and afterschool programming. This is an area of interest Harvard will likely share with the new mayor, as the large majority of candidates looking to replace Menino are emphasizing education in their platforms.
Still, there are elements of uncertainty. Menino has encouraged the development of colleges, universities, and hospitals in the Boston area, commonly referred to as “meds and eds.” But observers say that his successor may not be of the same mind.
“If I were a senior administrator at Harvard, I would be rooting for an alumnus,” said M. Marty Linsky, a Massachusetts political veteran. Linsky, a Kennedy School lecturer, added that Harvard should be worried about a candidate whose policies might be hostile to major institutions.
Whoever emerges as the next mayor, Menino hopes said his replacement takes the importance of higher education into account.
“The brain power they give us is so important,” Menino said of Harvard and the colleges and universities in the greater Boston area. “The next mayor, whoever he or she may be, has to understand that. You can’t be in...conflict with the colleges. You have to work with them.”
Faust said she agrees that maintaining a strong partnership between the University and the city will be pivotal for both entities in the years ahead. She cited Allston development, activities in Longwood, and engagement in the Boston Public Schools as a few examples of sites of future collaboration.
“The city is so important to us, and we hope we’re so important to the city,” she said in April, shortly after Menino announced he would step down.
—Staff writer Matthew Q. Clarida can be reached at clarida@college.harvard.edu. Follow him on Twitter @MattClarida.
—Staff writer Ginny C. Fahs can be reached at fahs14@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @GinnyFahs.