A century of Harvard, philosophy of life

One of the earliest private universities in America. A comprehensive university focusing on training graduate students and engaging in scientific research. Formerly known as Harvard College. 1636, 10/0 On October 28th, the colonial parliament of Massachusetts Bay passed a resolution and decided to allocate 400 pounds to establish an institution of higher learning similar to Cambridge University in England. 1638 Cambridge, Massachusetts officially opened, with four first-year students. 1638 On September 4th, J Harvard, pastor and dean of Emanuel College, died of illness. He donated half of his savings of 720 pounds and more than 400 books to the school. On March 1639 and 13, the Massachusetts bay colonial parliament passed a resolution to name this school Harvard college. In the first century and a half, the school system mainly imitated European universities. 172 1 formally established the position of professor of theology, 1727 established the position of professor of mathematics and natural science, 1780 established the position of professor of medicine. In the same year, it was expanded to Harvard University; 18 16 set up a seminary, 18 17 set up a law school. Later, various colleges were established in the19th century. The College of Education was established in1990; 1936 set up a school of political science (1966 was named J.F. Kennedy School of Political Science). Since 1966, Harvard University has established 10 graduate schools, namely, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, School of Design, School of Dentistry, School of Theology, School of Education, School of Law, School of Medicine, School of Public Health and Kennedy School of Politics. The two colleges that recruit undergraduates are Harvard College and Radcliffe College. And set up a continuing education office, responsible for summer schools, affiliated courses and lifelong learning centers. The three graduate schools of dentistry, medicine and public health are located in Boston, and the rest are concentrated in Cambridge. The college is relatively independent, and successive presidents of Harvard adhere to the 3A principles, namely academic freedom, academic autonomy and academic neutrality (the first letter of these three principles is A).

Historically, six Harvard graduates have been elected president of the United States. They are john adams (the second president of the United States), john quincy adams, Rutherford Hayes, theodore roosevelt, franklin roosevelt (re-elected for four terms) and John F. Kennedy. Harvard University has 34 Nobel Prize winners.

Today, Harvard University has developed into a large institution with ten graduate schools, more than 40 departments and more than 100 majors. Officially registered degree candidates 18000, mainly graduate students, including undergraduates. In addition, 65,438+03,000 non-degree students study one or more courses in their further education colleges. There are more than14,000 faculty members working in Harvard University, including more than 2,000 professors and lecturers. There are more than 7000 teachers working in various teaching hospitals.

Over the years, Harvard University has not only trained a large number of American students, but also accepted a large number of international students and visiting scholars from all over the world.

Its headquarters is located in Cambridge, a famous historical and cultural city in Boston, and its medical school and business school are located in the center of Boston. In Cambridge, next to Harvard University is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which ranks first in the world. Interestingly, there is no clear boundary between the two campuses.

65438-0986, the 350th anniversary of Harvard University. Harvard University was born in 1636 (when China was in the late Ming Dynasty). After the English Puritans 1620 immigrated to Plymouth, it was established by the Supreme Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Named after its first donor, john harvard, a young priest, died in 1638, leaving his library and half his property to a new school. Because many Puritans were born in Cambridge University in England, they named the new town where Harvard University was located as Cambridge. At first, the school had only one male teacher and nine students.

The courses offered by the school in its early years were based on the model of British universities, but they were consistent with the Puritan philosophy prevailing in this colonial frontier. Although many early graduates became priests in the Puritan settlement of New England, the school never formally joined a particular Sect. An early pamphlet published in 1643 clarified the existence of Harvard University: "Promote knowledge and make it last forever for future generations."

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Harvard first, then America. -inscription

The first institution of higher learning in the United States

/kloc-at the end of 0/5, after the Atlantic waterway from Europe to America was opened by Columbus, Europeans came to America one after another. /kloc-At the beginning of the 7th century, the first British immigrants arrived in North America, where they opened up their own "Garden of Eden"-New England. Among the immigrants, there are more than 65,438+000 Puritans who received classical higher education at Oxford and Cambridge universities. In order to enable their descendants to receive such education in their new homes, they established Harvard College, the first institution in American history, on the Charles River in Massachusetts in 65,438+0636. 1780, the fourth year after the founding of the United States, Harvard College with a history of 140 years was upgraded to Harvard University.

When the founder of Harvard College transplanted the model of Cambridge University, the original name of the college was "Cambridge College". 1639, in memory of John Howard, the founder of the college and the main donor of the school-building expenses, the Massachusetts legislature passed a resolution to rename the college "Harvard College".

On the emblem of Harvard University, which has been used since the time of Harvard College, the words VERITAS are written in Latin, meaning "truth". The original motto of Harvard University was also written in Latin, meaning "take Plato as your friend, Aristotle as your friend, and more importantly, take truth as your friend". The words of the school emblem and motto all show the purpose of Harvard University-to pursue and worship the truth.

Conant, a famous American educator who has been the president of Harvard University for 20 years (1933 ~ 1953), once said: "The honor of a university lies not in its architecture and quantity, but in its quality passed down from generation to generation." Only by adhering to high standards and high quality of talent selection and education can Harvard University become a first-class prestigious school with a large number of talents, which has had a great impact on the economy, politics, cultural science and higher education of American society and has great attraction to learners all over the world.

Be the first in the competition.

1693, William and Mary College (now the first college of the University of Virginia), the second institution of higher learning in North America, was born. 170 1 year, Yale college (now the first college of Yale university) was established. The emergence of these two colleges has enabled Harvard College to have partners and competitors. /kloc-in the second half of the 0/8th century, nine colleges were established in North America. Although the newly-built colleges generally follow the model of the old British universities, after all, the times are different. Influenced by the European Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, mathematics and natural sciences gradually squeezed into the teaching fields of these colleges. Harvard College, deeply influenced by the tradition of ancient British universities, is facing a strong challenge. 1727, Harvard College established a professor's lecture on mathematics and natural philosophy, which is in line with the changes of the times. At this time, the momentum of the industrial revolution in North America is rising, and the demand for applied science from emerging industries and businesses makes Harvard face a major choice: either stick to the rules, which will lose its leading position in North American institutions of higher learning; Only by bringing forth the old and bringing forth the new can we continue to take charge of North American universities. Harvard chose the latter.

After the lectures on mathematics and natural philosophy were held, Harvard College also purchased a batch of scientific instruments and equipment, and professors taught students astronomy, physics and chemistry by experiment. In the field of mathematics, technical disciplines such as measurement and navigation have been established. 1780, the establishment of medical professors' lectures promoted the research of botany and chemistry. Professors have carried out various scientific research and published the research results in academic journals in North America and Britain. Natural science finally established a solid position in Harvard and had an impact on other colleges.

1775- 1783, an independent war against British colonial rule broke out in North America 13. Harvard College conforms to the trend and stands on the side of sympathy and support for the just cause of the War of Independence. In Massachusetts, almost all famous revolutionaries are Harvard graduates, including john adams, one of the drafters of the American Declaration of Independence and the second president of the United States. 1775 On July 3rd, George Washington was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the North American Revolutionary War Army in Cambridge, where Harvard College was located, and his headquarters was also located in Cambridge. 1776 After the birth of the United States of America, Harvard College awarded honorary doctor of laws degrees to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (the main drafter of the Declaration of Independence, the third president of the United States), john jay (the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court) and alexander hamilton (the first treasury secretary of the United States federal government).

By 1780, Harvard College had successively set up lectures on theology, mathematics, natural philosophy and medicine, and the college was upgraded to a university. According to the tradition of medieval universities in Europe, only a consortium of three colleges can qualify as a university. At that time, the Massachusetts legislature unexpectedly recognized Harvard College as a university, which was both a love and a spur. Harvard University continues to pay attention to its own construction. 18 16 set up a seminary, 18 17 set up a law school. Together with Harvard College, which was originally dominated by arts and sciences, there are three colleges, making it a truly justified university. /kloc-In the first half of the 9th century, the influence of Harvard University has surpassed Massachusetts and reached the central and southern parts of the United States.

In the early days of the North American War of Independence, Harvard College's funds, including real estate rent, were insufficient 1700. After 1793, Harvard's fund has exceeded 182000 dollars. /kloc-In the 9th century, due to the sponsorship of alumni, the fund of Harvard University rose steadily, reaching $242,000 in 1800 and $2.25 million in 1869.

During this period, the curriculum of Harvard University has undergone great changes. 1790 Harvard University offers Latin, Greek, mathematics (including astronomy), English writing, philosophy (including metaphysics, morality and politics), theology, natural science, Hebrew and French, and students can choose one of them. The change of Harvard university curriculum is largely influenced by the reform of German higher education. During this period, wilhelm humboldt, a famous German educator, put forward three famous principles about the reform of university education: independence; The principle of unity of freedom and cooperation; The principle of unity of education and research and the principle of scientific unity. Humboldt not only put forward the ideal of university reform, but also put it into practice in Berlin University he advocated, advocating academic freedom and combining education with scientific research. Berlin University has become a model of new universities in Germany. Some young professors who taught at Harvard University studied in Germany and were influenced by German universities. They demanded to change the mode of British universities, take Germany as the teacher and follow the system of German universities. 1825, four young professors jointly put forward four reform suggestions: reducing the proportion of classical literature courses; Attach importance to the study of foreign modern literature; Establish a postgraduate degree system; Teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. None of these four opinions was adopted at that time.

1829, J. Quincy became the president of Harvard University. He drastically reversed the direction of Harvard University and strongly advocated attaching importance to scientific teaching. He worked in16 (1829-1845) and established a school of science and an observatory at Harvard University. 18th century and19th century, with the development of Harvard University, the curriculum scope of the school has been expanded and the focus has changed, and natural science has received great attention.

1869- 1909, chemist Charles. William Eliot was the president of Harvard University. He served for 40 years and built Harvard University into a large modern university. He injected new vitality into law schools and medical schools, and established new schools of business administration, dentistry and art. The number of registered students increased from 1000 to 3,000, the number of teaching staff increased from 49 to 278, and the school funding increased from $23 million to $225 million.

1909- 1933, Albert Lance Lowell was the president of Harvard University. He reformulated the undergraduate course plan and implemented the system of combining centralized and decentralized courses, so that students could receive a good basic education. Lowell's tutorial system is still used by Harvard University. Lowell's most outstanding contribution is to implement the boarding system at Harvard University. With the implementation of this system, undergraduates in large comprehensive universities have a small college environment. Freshmen live in dormitories on or near Harvard campus in their first year. A year later, students moved into 12 dormitory, and 13 dormitory was set up for a few days. Each dormitory building has resident teachers and tutors to guide students' study and life. In addition, each dormitory also has a restaurant and a library. In the dormitory area, various interesting sports, social and cultural activities are often carried out. Moreover, Lowell used his own body to confront and defend Harvard professors Berg and Lasky, which led to the settlement of these two professors.

In recent years, several presidents, such as Conant, Nathan Marsh Puxi, Derek Bok and the current president Lu, have made great efforts for the construction of Harvard University. On the one hand, they strive to improve the education quality of undergraduate and graduate students, and at the same time, they strive to play the prominent role of Harvard University as a research institution.

Conant was a professor, dean and president of the Department of Chemistry of Harvard University in191953. He implemented the off-campus special committee system at Harvard University to evaluate the qualifications and tenure of school teachers. He also created a general education program to provide all undergraduates with a wide range of research fields besides the main courses.

1953- 197 1 year, with Puxi as the president. Under his auspices, Harvard University conducted the largest fund-raising activity in the history of American higher education, raising 825 million dollars for Harvard University. This activity has increased the salaries of Harvard university teachers, expanded the financial aid for students, established new professorships and enriched teaching equipment.

Since 197 1, Bok has been the president. He seriously dealt with some major issues in higher education, including administration, educational opportunities for ethnic minorities and women, and technological transformation between academia and industry. President Bok also reorganized the management organization of Harvard University, and introduced modern management science and procedures into various graduate schools and departments of Harvard University.

199 1 year, Lu became the 26th president. As part of better coordinating the relationship between colleges and teachers, he launched a centralized academic plan for the whole school to determine the most important and priority parts of Harvard. In addition, Lu also emphasized the responsibilities of universities: excellent undergraduate education, the doors of universities are always open to people of different economic classes, and how research universities can adapt to the era of rapid information growth and serious financial constraints and meet challenges in a freely expressed society.

The continuous reform and renewal of the curriculum

The history of Harvard University for more than 360 years is a history in which development and change advance each other.

Harvard College, founded a century and a half ago, has always been based on two universities in Britain, Oxford and Cambridge, with the goal of cultivating priests, lawyers and officials, paying attention to humanities, and students are not free to choose courses. /kloc-At the beginning of the 0/9th century, the horn of higher education curriculum reform sounded in Harvard, advocating "academic freedom" and "lecture freedom". The stereotype of "fixed academic year" and "fixed curriculum" has been impacted, and the system of free elective courses has gradually emerged. Some people at Harvard College also advocate the implementation of elective courses. This demand for innovation was opposed by traditional conservative forces, and the initiative was not realized at Harvard.

However, the call for higher education to adapt to social development and students' individual needs is growing. 1839, Harvard University started the curriculum reform again. 184 1 year, Harvard officially implemented the course selection system, but it quickly regressed under the opposition of conservative forces.

/kloc-In the 1960s of 0/9, the American Civil War broke out. The civil war paved the way for the development of American capitalism. The productivity is advancing by leaps and bounds, and the status of scientific and technological workers is gradually improving. Engineers, natural scientists and industrial technicians can keep pace with lawyers and officials. The change of the situation is very beneficial to the curriculum reform in colleges and universities, and the elective system has risen again, and Harvard has once again taken the lead in reform.

1869, Eliot became the president of Harvard University at the age of 35. After that, he served as president for 40 years, and he was the main commander of the electoral system. Under his leadership and promotion, Harvard University fully implemented the elective system. By 1895, only English and modern foreign languages are compulsory courses, and others are optional courses. Many colleges and universities in the United States have followed the footsteps of Harvard University, reducing or canceling compulsory courses and increasing elective courses.

According to the requirements of the free elective system, students can take 16 courses to pursue their degrees. As long as you meet the requirements, you can get the corresponding degree. This method breaks the fixed four-year academic system, and those with excellent grades can get corresponding degrees within three years, which can be called "eclectic talent reduction". Thanks to Eliot's efforts, Harvard University hired celebrities and scholars to teach, offering more elective courses than other universities, expanding students' knowledge and giving full play to their learning potential. Eliot's educational thought and curriculum reform have had a far-reaching impact on the development of American higher education. He stressed that colleges and universities should give students three magic weapons: first, give students the freedom to choose in their studies; The second is to give students the opportunity to display their talents in the subjects they are good at; The third is to change students' learning from passive behavior to independent behavior, and liberate students from dependence and subordination to teachers.

1909, Lowell became the principal. On the premise of retaining the advantages of free course selection system, he put forward a new teaching reform plan. From 19 14, the system of "centralization and decentralization" was implemented. The so-called "concentration" means that in 16 elective courses, six specialized courses of the department must be taken to ensure the key points; The so-called "distribution" means that two of the other six courses are selected from three different knowledge fields to ensure that students' knowledge is broader. The rest of the courses are freely chosen by students. This system can not only ensure the depth of specialized courses, but also broaden students' horizons and leave appropriate space for students' personal hobbies.

1933, chemist Conant served as the principal, and he made great efforts to set up a special Committee to study the curriculum reform of 1940. After five years of repeated research, a special report was put forward, which advocated strengthening general education. According to the recommendations of the special report, Harvard University conducted experiments for another five years, and formally implemented the "general education" system in 195 1. According to the provisions of the general education system, students in the first, first and second grades should take 6 specialized courses from their own departments, and then choose 1 general education courses from humanities, society and nature, with 3 courses and at least 3 courses from other departments; Second, there are also general education classes in the third and fourth grades. Those who have not studied general education in grade one or two may not attend general education in grade three or four. Third, students studying for master's degree and doctor's degree can take some general education courses in the third and fourth grades; Fourth, students are not allowed to take two courses belonging to the same examination group. In this way, general education and professional education are closely integrated, connected and developed in an orderly manner. This method absorbs the advantages of the former system and synthesizes them, forming a free course selection system based on exchange education and oriented to centralization and decentralization.

There are generally four grading methods for Harvard students' grades: First, according to the five grades of A, B, C, D and E, A is the highest score; Second, pass and fail; Third, satisfaction and dissatisfaction; Fourth, there are credits and no credits.

The curriculum reform of Harvard University has not stopped. They then study which courses are the core courses or basic courses in general education. They deeply realize that no matter what major they study, they must have profound basic knowledge. Harvard university's concept of "deep roots and lush foliage" is very clear.

Derek Bok became president in 197 1. He attached great importance to undergraduate basic education and took effective measures. At the beginning of the 20th century, liberal arts courses in American universities were set according to the principle of combining depth with depth, which not only allowed students to have a deeper understanding of a certain field, but also required students to have a wider range of dabbling in other fields. By the middle of the 20th century, students are required to have a general and basic understanding of humanities, social sciences and natural sciences in terms of knowledge breadth. In the 1960s and 1970s, the above curriculum model was challenged again. Due to the unprecedented expansion of human knowledge, the boundaries between traditional disciplines have been broken, which makes the traditional liberal arts curriculum structure in a situation of having to be reformed. 1973, President Bok appointed Henry Rosovsky as the dean of Harvard College of Arts and Sciences, entrusted him to study the goals of Harvard College of Arts and Sciences and various problems existing in undergraduate education, and called on teachers to make suggestions, brainstorm and reformulate the goals and methods of university teaching. Rosovski appointed Professor Wilson to study the same basic courses, and put forward a reform plan in 1976, namely "Wilson Report". This report advocates the compulsory basic course of * * *. After repeated discussion and revision, Dean Rosovski personally presided over the further revision. Results 1978 put forward a report on the basic course of * * *, and decided to put it into practice the next year.

From the above process, we can see that Harvard University is constantly adapting to the requirements of the times and constantly innovating. This reform is not carried out in a hurry with pure enthusiasm, nor is it carried out in isolation. These are of great significance to our educational reform.

Institutions of Harvard University

The governing bodies of Harvard University are the Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors of Harvard University.

Harvard university board of directors

The board of directors of Harvard University is responsible for managing the financial affairs and affairs of the school. Major issues concerning educational policies and institutional setup shall be discussed and decided by the principals and directors of each department to the board of directors. The dean and dean of the graduate school of Harvard University are appointed by the President.

School affairs supervision Committee

The supervisory committee of Harvard University consists of 30 members. Most of these members are elected by alumni who graduated from Harvard College and Radcliffe College for a term of six years. The school affairs supervision committee holds regular meetings to investigate and study the work of the university, put forward suggestions on the educational policies and practices of the university, and support major activities of the university.

Long-lasting vitality is always new.

Among the world famous schools, Harvard University is an immortal pine tree. Exploring the lasting relationship of this famous university is a topic of interest to higher education researchers all over the world. The reason why it can endure and keep pace with the times is worth learning in all universities.

First, innovation. When Harvard College was founded, it was only the size of a rural school in rural China. Now it has developed into the first university in the United States with large scale, advanced equipment, outstanding achievements and far-reaching influence. This is not a gift from God, nor is it spontaneous, but the result of Harvard people's hard work and constant innovation. Facts have proved that metabolism and innovation are universal laws of the development of things. From imitating Britain and Germany to independent innovation system, from learning only fixed courses to adopting free course selection system, centralized and decentralized system and general education system, Harvard has formed a free course selection system based on general education and oriented by centralized and decentralized system, and so on, all of which are the results of innovation and have not stopped today. This is the vitality of a thriving school.

Second, pay equal attention to quality. When Harvard was founded, there was only one teacher and four students. Now, the number of teachers has exceeded 2000, and the number of students is nearly 20,000. The development of numbers is amazing. Harvard did not neglect the improvement of quality in its development, and insisted on paying equal attention to quality. In addition to clear guiding ideology, there are two more important measures to ensure the quality of education: First, enrich and improve the equipment, "workers must sharpen their tools first if they want to do a good job", and Harvard's teaching facilities, laboratories, libraries, museums and so on. Are first-class; Second, pay attention to people's quality. Teachers should be creative and students should be selective. Harvard is very strict about the admission of students. About 65,438+00-20% of the applicants were admitted, and most freshmen got A grades in middle school before entering school. Due to the strong faculty, high starting point for students and other conditions such as material facilities, Harvard's education quality is quite high, ranking among the best universities in the United States and even the world.

Third, the combination of teaching and scientific research. World-famous institutions of higher learning have become "two centers", which are both teaching centers and scientific research centers, among which Harvard is the best. Facts show that no matter how high the level of teachers is, they need to continue their studies. Teachers in Harvard all have scientific research tasks, and senior students or students with excellent grades in Harvard also engage in certain scientific research work while studying. Harvard library and museum not only serve teaching and research, but also engage in teaching and research. Harvard university has achieved the combination of teaching and scientific research, which promote each other and complement each other.

Fourth, internal and external cooperation. The internal units of Harvard University are closely linked, and many students can register and study across departments and disciplines. Harvard also cooperates with famous universities and influential scientific research institutions such as MIT. Internal and external cooperation enables Harvard University to maximize the mobilization of human and material resources, foster strengths and avoid weaknesses, and give full play to the best benefits.

Brand age: 37 1

Brand description: Harvard University was founded in 1636, and its graduate school of arts and sciences was founded in 1872. It is one of the oldest universities in the United States. So far, it has trained 6 American presidents, 29 Nobel Prize winners and 27 Pulitzer Prize winners. Harvard University is not only a think tank for the U.S. government to formulate domestic and international political, military and foreign policies, but also a campus with active academic schools and political opinions.

Headquarters address: USA