Meet the Members of the Harvard Corporation
TL/DR –
The Harvard Corporation, the more powerful of Harvard University’s two governing boards, is supporting President Claudine Gay amid mounting scrutiny over her leadership. The board, officially known as The President and Fellows of Harvard College, is responsible for most of the major policy decisions of the university, including hiring the president. The board was originally made up of only seven members, but expanded to include 13 in 2010 to improve communication with the wider Harvard community.
Harvard Corporation’s Governance Amid President Controversy
Harvard University’s president, Claudine Gay, is under intense scrutiny but the governing Harvard Corporation remains supportive of her. This 13-member board, also known as President and Fellows of Harvard College, plays a crucial role in hiring the university president and making significant policy decisions.
Harvard Corporation: History and Structure
Established in 1650, the Harvard Corporation is the oldest corporation in the Western Hemisphere according to the university. Initially consisting of only the university president and six others, it expanded to 13 members in 2010 to foster improved communication with the broader Harvard community according to the school’s Office of the Governing Boards.
Current Members of the Board
Notable members include Timothy R. Barakett, a university treasurer and donor who founded the now-defunct hedge fund Atticus Capital, Kenneth I. Chenault, a managing director for venture capital firm General Catalyst and former CEO of American Express Company, and Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of California who now serves as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Additional Board Members
Other board members include Paul J. Finnegan, former treasurer for Harvard and chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners, Claudine Gay, the current Harvard president, and Biddy Martin, a German studies scholar and former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Continuing the List of Board Members
The list continues with Karen Gordon Mills, former administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Diana L. Nelson, a former member of the Harvard Board of Overseers heavily involved in alumni efforts, and Tracy Pun Palandjian, CEO and co-founder of Social Finance.
Final Members of the Board
The board also includes Penny Pritzker, a billionaire businesswoman who served as U.S. secretary of commerce under President Obama, Shirley M. Tilghman, former president of Princeton University known for her work in molecular biology, and Theodore V. Wells Jr., a trial lawyer and co-chair of the litigation department of the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
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