Harvard University

:Harvard redirects here. For information about undergraduate education at Harvard University, see Harvard College. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard (disambiguation).

Criticism of Harvard

Harvard is the target of a number of critiques, many of them also levelled at other research-based American educational institutions. It has been accused of grade inflation,{{ref|gradeinflation1}}{{ref|gradeinflation2}} as have other Ivy League institutions and Stanford University.{{ref|princetongrades}} The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the New York Times, and some students have criticized Harvard (as well as many leading universities){{ref|yaletfteach1}}{{ref|dartmouthtfteach}} for its reliance on teaching fellows in undergraduate education, as many in the faculty are engaged in research (assistant teaching is not taken into account by the major college and university rankings); they consider this to be detrimental to the quality of education.{{ref|nytimestfteach}}{{ref|carnegietfteach}} According to some internal faculty and external observers, including former Harvard president Derek Bok,{{ref|Bokcrit}} the Harvard Corporation exercises disproportionate power, negatively compromising the indepedence of Harvard academics. However, the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Henry Rosovsky, who was once appointed as a member of the corporation, {{ref|rosovsky}} sees it as instrumental in maintaining a long-term view and sound stewardship. The undergraduate admissions office's preference for children of alumni and wealthy benefactors, {{ref|legacy}} has been the subject of debate, as has been its preference for underrepresented minorities. Similar debates have occurred at other prominent schools. Minorities and women are considered underrepresented on the Harvard faculty according to The New York Times, as at several other Ivy League universities.{{ref|nytimesminorities}} The College is not the sole target of criticism: the Business School has been criticized for over-reliance on the case method,{{ref|hbscasemethod}}, and several Law School faculty have been implicated in plagiarism.{{ref|facultyplagiarism}}

Related Topics:
Grade inflation - Stanford University - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching - New York Times - Teaching fellows - College and university rankings - Preference for children of alumni - The New York Times - Business School - Case method - Law School - Plagiarism

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