Douglas Olsen
Harvard University has a long and illustrious history, dating back to its founding in 1636. Over the centuries, it has produced many notable alumni and made groundbreaking contributions to education and scholarship. However, one might ask, who were the very first students to grace Harvard's halls? The answer lies in the establishment of the Harvard Indian College in the 1640s, which educated Native American students. Unfortunately, only a handful of students attended, and only one of them graduated. While their names are not recorded, they were undoubtedly a part of Harvard's enduring legacy and helped shape the university into the prestigious institution it is today.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of founding | 1636 |
| First headmaster | Nathaniel Eaton |
| First woman appointed to faculty | Alice Hamilton (1918) |
| First female president | Drew Gilpin Faust (2007) |
| First female dean of Harvard Law School | Elena Kagan (2003) |
| First Chinese language instructor | Ge Kunhua (1879) |
| First of 2 Japanese students | Kentarō Kaneko (1874) |
| First Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School | Naina (1982) |
| First director of the Korean Language Program | Namhi Kim Wagner |
| First president of color | Claudine Gay (2023) |
| Endowment | $53.2 billion |
| Number of Nobel laureates | 40 |
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What You'll Learn
The first woman faculty member
Women have a long and complex history at Harvard University. While they did not have any academic opportunities until the late 19th century, women participated in the University community from its founding in 1636 as family members of faculty, administrators, and students. Women were also some of the University's earliest donors.
In 1948, Helen Maud Cam became the first female faculty member to receive tenure at Harvard. This was a significant milestone for women at the University. Cam was a literary scholar and was appointed as the A. Kingsley Porter University Professor. Following this, in 1956, astronomy professor Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin became the first woman in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to be promoted to full professor. Payne-Gaposchkin later became the first female department head at Harvard.
Another notable first for women at Harvard occurred in 1922 when Lorna M. Hodgkinson became the first woman to earn a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This was the first Harvard graduate school to enroll women in a degree-granting program. Hodgkinson's dissertation focused on the diagnosis and treatment of atypical children in public school systems, and her degree represented a breakthrough for female students at the University.
Harvard has continued to make strides towards gender equality in recent years. In 2006, the University opened its Women's Center, demonstrating a commitment to supporting its female community. In 2018, Claudine Gay was appointed as the first woman and the first Black person of colour to serve as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Gay's appointment broke new ground, reflecting Harvard's ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion at the highest levels of academic leadership.
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The first female president
For over two centuries, Harvard University only admitted male students. Women were not allowed to get degrees at Harvard until Elizabeth Cary Agassiz helped change that. Born in 1822, Agassiz was the founding president of the Society for the Collegiate Instruction of Women, colloquially known as "the Harvard Annex". By 1890, more than 200 women were enrolled in the program, and in 1894, the newly named Radcliffe College was granted an official charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with Agassiz serving as its first president.
Despite the establishment of multiple women's colleges across New England during this period, Harvard continued to refuse the admission of women as students or to recognize them in any official academic roles. In 1883, Harvard University President Charles Eliot stated that educating young men and women together was out of the question at Harvard, claiming that "generations of civil freedom and social equality" would be required before women's capacities could even begin to be assessed.
During World War II, Harvard temporarily permitted Radcliffe students to enrol in all courses at Harvard College, allowing women students into Harvard classrooms for the first time. In 1948, Helen Maud Cam became the first female faculty member to gain tenure at Harvard. In 1950, Harvard Law School admitted its first female students, and in 1956, Astronomy professor Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin became the first woman member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to be promoted to full professor. In 1963, Harvard degrees were awarded to Radcliffe students, and women were accepted into Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
In 1967, Lamont Library allowed women access to its stacks for the first time. In 1970, the first joint Harvard and Radcliffe commencement was held in Harvard Yard, and the following year, all Harvard and Radcliffe houses became co-ed. In 1971, Radcliffe was no longer a degree-granting institution and had joined Harvard in what was called a "non-merger merger". Radcliffe College was fully dissolved in 1999, at which point women ceased to have two signatures on their diplomas—one from Radcliffe and one from Harvard.
Harvard's graduate schools have their own gender histories. The Harvard Graduate School of Education was the first to admit women in 1920. The Harvard Medical School accepted its first female enrollees in 1945, although a woman had first applied almost 100 years earlier, in 1847. In 1957, Emily Gage became the school's first female graduate. In 1958, Harriet Hardy became the first female appointed associate clinical professor, and in 1961, Grete Bibring became the first woman appointed to a full professorship at Harvard Medical School.
In 2007, Drew Faust became Harvard's first female president, leading the university until 2018.
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The first Chinese language instructor
In 1879, Ge Kunhua (1838-1882) was appointed the first Chinese language instructor at Harvard University. Ge Kunhua was a little-known China Studies scholar in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. He was invited by Francis P. Knight and Harvard President Charles William Eliot to become the first native Chinese speaker to teach Chinese in America.
Harvard's commitment to the study of China and learning from Chinese scholars grew steadily over the following decades. The Harvard-Yenching Institute, founded in 1928, supported the development of what is today Harvard's Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. The Institute offers doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships for study and research at East Asian and Southeast Asian universities.
Harvard's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, founded in 1955, is named after John K. Fairbank, Harvard's professor of modern Chinese history. Fairbank raised the quality of Western studies of East Asia and, through his students, effected the widespread integration of Chinese studies into the American university curriculum. Today, many consider the Fairbank Center to be the premier centre for the study of China in the United States.
The University now has the greatest concentration of specialists in Chinese studies in the United States. It promotes a deeper understanding of China through many institutions, including the Harvard-Yenching Institute and Library, the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, the Asia Centre, the Harvard China Fund, and the Harvard Center in Shanghai.
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The first Native American students
Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. In the 1640s, Harvard College established the Harvard Indian College, which educated Native American students. However, only a handful of students attended, and only one of them graduated.
The Harvard Indian College was established specifically to educate Native American students. Unfortunately, the college was short-lived, and it is unclear why it closed. Nonetheless, it represented an early effort to provide educational opportunities for Native Americans.
The establishment of the Harvard Indian College was a significant development in the history of education and represented a step towards inclusivity and diversity in higher learning. The college's creation acknowledged the importance of providing educational opportunities for Native Americans, recognising their right to access higher education.
While the impact of the Harvard Indian College may have been limited during its time, it set a precedent and paved the way for future efforts to increase diversity and inclusivity in education. It is a reminder of the ongoing need to ensure equal access to education for all, regardless of background or identity.
Harvard University has a long and complex history, and its early efforts to educate Native American students through the Harvard Indian College are an important part of that history. While the college may not have lasted, it stands as a symbol of the university's pioneering role in expanding educational opportunities.
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The first graduate programs
Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, was founded in 1636. Over the next two centuries, the university grew and evolved, but it was not until the 19th century that Harvard began to offer graduate programs.
During the late 19th century, the faculty at Harvard was reorganised into departments, and the university began to add graduate programs, including the PhD. This was influenced by the university's president at the time, Charles William Eliot (serving from 1869 to 1909), who had spent two years studying at German universities. Inspired by the German model, Eliot established Harvard's first graduate department in 1872, and the first PhD degrees were granted in 1873, in mathematics and history.
In 1890, Eliot set up the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which had its own dean and budget. This school was dedicated to managing graduate students and funding research programs. By 2004, the number of graduate students at Harvard had grown to 3,200, spread across 53 separate programs.
In addition to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard also established other graduate schools over time. For example, in 1908, the Graduate School of Business Administration opened as a graduate department within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. This school became the country's first business program limited to college graduates.
The establishment of these graduate programs contributed significantly to Harvard's growth and reputation as one of the world's most prestigious universities. The university's endowment, valued at over $50 billion, is the largest in the world, and Harvard alumni include numerous notable individuals across various fields.
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Frequently asked questions
The first student at Harvard University was John Harvard, a University of Cambridge alumnus.
Radcliffe College, established in 1879, was the female counterpart of Harvard College. In 1945, Harvard Medical School admitted its first class of women.
In the 1640s, Harvard College established the Harvard Indian College, which educated Native American students. It was attended by a handful of students, only one of whom graduated.
The first female president of Harvard University was Drew Gilpin Faust, appointed in 2007.
