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Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 acknowledged concerns that the dismissal of two faculty directors at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies in March and the renaming of the University’s diversity office appeared to some as concessions to the Trump administration, but declined to explain either decision.
Citing a policy against commenting on personnel decisions, Garber did not address the rationale behind leadership changes at CMES. But he rejected the notion that it was politically motivated.
“I know that people have said that,” Garber said, referring to speculation that the dismissals were meant to placate federal critics. “But people often come up with one preferred explanation for why we make a personnel decision that may or may not have anything to do with the real reasons.”
He also did not explain why the funding for affinity group celebrations during Commencement was halted, referring reporters to Chief Community and Campus Life Officer Sherri A. Charleston, who did not respond over email for an explanation. The decision was announced in a brief unsigned email to affinity group leaders in April, which also did not include an explanation.
But addressing controversy surrounding the CMES changes, Garber said management ability — not just academic qualifications — plays a key role in determining who leads Harvard’s centers, including CMES.
“Among the characteristics that we consider in a leader is how well they do at basic management, how capable they are managing budgets, of raising funds and of steering the activities of the center and institute,” he said.
In the lead up to Harvard’s decision late March to oust the faculty directors of the CMES, the University had fielded a barrage of criticism accusing the center of incubating antisemitic events and programming.
Garber also confirmed he was directly involved in the University’s decision to rename the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging — now known as the Office for Community and Campus Life — a move that drew criticism from some students and faculty who saw it as a signal of Harvard retreating from its public commitment to diversity.
“The work of that office is shifting in important ways,” he said. “The title no longer fit the mission or the work of the office.”
But still, Garber defended diversity, saying it was a mission-critical value for the University.
“I would point out that we are trying to make it clear that this office is serving everyone, and we have not — in any way — stepped back from our commitment to diversity along an array of dimensions,” he said.
Garber said there had been “wide consultation among leadership and other members of the community.”
When asked whether staff positions in the office would be eliminated as a result of the changes, Garber said he was still reviewing how to align staffing with the office’s evolving mission.
“We are looking at how the Office of Community and Campus Life can best serve the Harvard community and we cannot yet make any statements about whether either the personnel will change,” he said.
Garber has repeatedly pushed back on accusations that Harvard is capitulating. On Friday, he defended the University’s decision to sue the federal government over its move to bar it from enrolling international students in an email to Harvard affiliates. And in an interview later that day, he also said the University was preparing for additional federal actions but declined to detail what those might be.
Still, he acknowledged that some criticism levied by the Trump administration had a “kernel of truth” — particularly around antisemitism on campus.
“I disagree with many of the specifics of what they claimed,” Garber said. “I do agree that we need to do more to address problems like antisemitism — and specifically antisemitism — and that is why we are paying such close attention to the recommendations of the antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias task force.”
Asked whether he intended to adopt a mask ban, one of the recommendations of that task force and an item on the Trump administration’s list of demands, Garber said it was “one of many areas that we are still contemplating.”
Correction: May 28, 2025
A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to the Community and Campus Life office as the Campus and Community Life office. This article has been updated to reflect the correct name.
—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.
—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.
