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Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 opened the University’s 374th Commencement with a message centered on curiosity, humility, and the perils of intellectual complacency — delivering an apolitical speech amid a deeply politicized backdrop.

Garber did not reference the Trump administration’s recent move to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, nor did he address the ongoing lawsuits the University has filed in response. He also avoided any mention of anti-Trump protests that have dominated headlines throughout the spring.

Instead, Garber offered a philosophical call to graduates to resist “comfortable thinking” and to remain open to change, contradiction, and intellectual growth.

“Though many would be loath to admit it, absolute certainty and willful ignorance are two sides of the same coin,” he said. “A coin with no value but costs beyond measure.”

Speaking to the Class of 2025 as “one Harvard,” Garber framed the University not as a collection of schools, but as a unified community bound by a common pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.

“If — in some near or distant future — you find yourself feeling as if you have it all figured out, as if you know enough to kick up your feet and lean back in your seat,” Garber said, “recall this day — and your chairs — and just how much you have to gain from living your life in a state of curiosity.”

Garber’s remarks stood in sharp contrast to the tension outside the Yard, including a pro-Palestine protest with 50 demonstrators and a doxxing truck funded by right-wing media group Accuracy in Media that accused Harvard of tolerating antisemitism.

Inside the Yard, Garber maintained a quiet distance from those confrontations. He ended his speech with a message to graduates about the path ahead.

“May you chart a path for others to follow as you choose your own,” he said. “And may your many destinations bring you joy, satisfaction, and peace.”

Garber was met with another thunderous applause, before he slowly walked back to his seat in the notoriously uncomfortable Holyoke Chair.

—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.