President and Fellows of Harvard College

The President and Fellows of Harvard College (also called the Harvard Corporation) is the smaller of Harvard University's two governing boards, the other being its Board of Overseers.

History

In 1650, at the request of Harvard President Henry Dunster, the Great and General Court of Massachusetts issued the body's charter, making it now the oldest corporation in the Americas; detailed provisions for the Corporation's status and privileges were subsequently written into the charter of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well. Although the institution it governs has grown into Harvard University (of which Harvard College is one of several components), the corporation's formal title remains the President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Presidents Josiah Quincy, Edward Everett, Jared Sparks, James Walker and Cornelius Conway Felton

The corporation was probably originally intended to be a body of the school's resident instructors, similar to the fellows of an Oxbridge college. However, it early fell into the now-familiar American model of a governing board—an outside body whose members are not involved in the institution's daily life, which meets periodically to consult with the day-to-day head, the president (whom it appoints). The Corporation is self-perpetuating, appointing new members to fill its own vacancies as they arise.

In recent years, the Corporation has comprised six fellows in addition to the president, but in December 2010 it announced that, as a result of a year-long governance review, its "composition, structure, and practices" would be greatly altered: the number of fellows would increase from 7 to 13, with prescribed terms of service, and several new committees would endeavor to improve the group's integration with the activities of the University as a whole, especially its long-term planning.^[1]

Current Fellows

There are currently thirteen members of the Corporation. Their names, positions, and degrees that each received from a school of Harvard University are also shown below.

Name	Degree	Year appointed	Occupation
Drew Gilpin Faust	A.M. 2001 (honorary)	2007	President of Harvard University[2]
Lawrence S. Bacow	J.D. 1976, M.P.P. 1976, Ph.D. 1978	2011[3]	former President of Tufts University
James W. Breyer	M.B.A. 1987	2013[4]	founder and CEO of Breyer Capital
Kenneth I. Chenault	J.D. 1976	2014[5]	Chairman and CEO of American Express
Paul J. Finnegan, Treasurer	A.B. 1975, M.B.A. 1982	2012[6]	co-CEO of Madison Dearborn Partners
Susan L. Graham	A.B. 1964	2011[7]	professor, University of California, Berkeley
Nannerl O. Keohane	LL.D. 1993 (honorary)	2005	professor, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
William F. Lee, Senior Fellow	A.B. 1972	2010	co-managing partner, WilmerHale
Jessica Tuchman Mathews	A.B. 1967	2013[8]	former President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Karen Gordon Mills	A.B. 1975, M.B.A. 1977	2014[9]	former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
Joseph J. O’Donnell	A.B. 1967, M.B.A. 1971	2011[10]	Chairman of the Board of Centerplate, Inc.
James F. Rothenberg	A.B. 1968, M.B.A. 1970	2004	president and director, Capital Research and Management Company
Theodore V. Wells, Jr.	J.D. 1976, M.B.A. 1976	2013[11]	partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

References

1. "Governance Review Culminates in Changes to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
2. Rimer, Sara (12 February 2007). "A ‘Rebellious Daughter’ to Lead Harvard". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
3. "Three to join Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
4. "Breyer elected to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
5. "Kenneth Chenault and Karen Gordon Mills to join Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
6. "Finnegan elected to Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
7. "Three to join Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
8. "Mathews and Wells elected to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
9. "Kenneth Chenault and Karen Gordon Mills to join Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
10. "Three to join Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
11. "Mathews and Wells elected to Harvard Corporation". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2015.

External Links

President and Fellows of Harvard College