Could Harvard News Today

Many of the presidents attending a summit of 70 university presidents saw the erosion of Harvard’s brand as a problem not only for the school, but also by extension for the entire enterprise of higher education. If Harvard could not protect itself, then what about every other institution?

There is evidence of reputational damage: a 17% drop in the number of students applying to Harvard for early admission decisions this year.

When 70 university presidents gathered for a summit at the end of January, the topic on everyone’s mind was the crisis at Harvard University. The hosts of the summit treated the university, battered by accusations of coddling antisemitism, as a business-school case study on leadership in higher education, complete with a slide presentation on its plummeting reputation. The killer slide: “Boeing & Tesla Have Similar Levels of Negative Buzz as Harvard.” Sign up for The Mo...