Latest news with #JohnHarvard
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Today
Harvard debate
This is referring to the ongoing debate on the relevance of Harvard. Harvard is not glamour. It is sheer hard work. I landed at Harvard Business School, with over 100 managers, directors, army leaders, bureaucrats, from 55 countries to school for eight weeks. First surprise: Clergyman John Harvard, whose name the University bears, bequeathed only £779 (50% of his estate), but also 400 books. Thus, the Harvard monogram proclaims, 'Books tell the truth.' Second surprise: Harvard is a monastery. Wake up at 5.30 am, exercise; breakfast at 7 am, classes from 8 am to 4/5 pm. Dinner at 6.30 pm. Then, living-group homework between 8-11 pm. Later, revise next day's case-studies. To sleep five hours, was a pure aspiration. Weekends involved incremental classes, meetings, working-dinners. We read cases during mealtimes, in taxis, even at the barbers. The Professors were brilliant. Professor Yoffie taught us to encompass the strategy of corporations, in one simple line. Nobel Prize laureate Robert Merton explicated causes leading to financial meltdowns. Prof. Vietor reduced country budgets to ordinary balance sheets. 'Identifying a consumer need is the seed of successful businesses,' opined Prof. Quelch. It was an intravenous injection of concentrated knowledge. Prof. Kotter lectured a whole day on leadership. Then counselled, even though we may learn 7,000 new ideas at the course, on return we should focus on just two. His ultimate warning was, 'If I meet you at some airport, five years hence, I will only ask you, 'What are you doing in your life?'' Rajendra Aneja, Mumbai, India
Newsweek
09-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Student Loan Update: Borrowers' Payments May Surge Hundreds of Dollars
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Millions of student loan borrowers in the United States are expected to see their monthly payments rise significantly following President Donald Trump's signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law, enacted on Friday, replaces income-driven repayment options from former President Joe Biden's administration with new plans projected to cost borrowers hundreds of dollars more each month. Economic analyses warn that the sweeping changes will impact college students, families and existing borrowers across the country. The typical borrower will see monthly student loan costs spike hundreds of dollars per month, or thousands of dollars per year, according to a memo sent to lawmakers by the Student Borrower Protection Center. Graduation students, faculty and family gather in front of the statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard on May 28, 2025, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Graduation students, faculty and family gather in front of the statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard on May 28, 2025, in Cambridge, It Matters The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill marks a major shift in federal loan policy. For years, the SAVE plan and a variety of income-driven repayment (IDR) options let borrowers manage payments based on income and qualify for expedited debt forgiveness. The new law eliminates those protections, replacing them with choices viewed as less equitable by many. With higher monthly payments going into effect, borrowers—especially those already facing financial strain—could see budget pressures worsen. The legislation arrives against a backdrop of rising delinquency rates. Nearly one in three Americans with federal student debt, or 5.8 million people, were reported delinquent on payments in 2025. What To Know The One Big Beautiful Bill Act wipes out federal income-driven repayment plans, such as the SAVE plan introduced under Biden and installs two new choices for borrowers: the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) and an updated Standard Repayment Plan. Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP): Under RAP, monthly payments are determined by income, from 1 percent to 10 percent, with a $10 minimum. However, RAP offers less aggressive debt relief than the prior SAVE plan, with loan forgiveness only after 30 years and stricter rules on deferment. Under RAP, monthly payments are determined by income, from 1 percent to 10 percent, with a $10 minimum. However, RAP offers less aggressive debt relief than the prior SAVE plan, with loan forgiveness only after 30 years and stricter rules on deferment. Standard Repayment Plan: This plan requires fixed payments for terms ranging from 10 to 25 years, depending on the original amount borrowed, and lacks the income-based adjustments that previously benefited lower-earning borrowers. The Student Borrower Protection Center calculated the new loan framework would raise annual loan payments by: $2,929 for typical degree-holding borrowers $1,761 for those with some college but no degree $2,808 for a family of four headed by a bachelor's degree holder Loan payments could "spike by hundreds of dollars per month, or thousands of dollars per year," the center reported to Senators Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, and Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent. The new framework extends the mandatory payment period for loan forgiveness under RAP to 30 years and eliminates the option to pause payments because of economic hardship or unemployment. Borrowers will also see their ability to use short-term forbearance (a pause in payments) reduced, increasing the risk of default for those facing financial challenges. The Act caps total borrowing for graduate students at $100,000, for law/medical students at $200,000, and for parents at $65,000 per student. The Graduate PLUS loan program is also phased out for new participants, and fewer students now qualify for federal Pell Grants due to tighter eligibility rules. "I don't know about you, but when I heard that medical school can cost over $300,000 at private universities, that $200,000 cap started looking Like trying to buy a house with a mortgage that only covers half the price," Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of told Newsweek. That's likely to cause increased strain on borrowers: Up to 1.8 million could default by July 2025, with millions more expected to follow by the fall. Loan rehabilitation opportunities have been expanded under the Act, but experts warn that more Americans will face aggressive collection tactics as defaults rise. With stricter federal limits, some students may consider private loans. However, analysts strongly cautioned against this, noting that private student loans generally come with higher interest rates, fewer repayment options and less borrower protection than federal loans. "Without federal loans, students will have to turn to private lenders. And trust me, that's not the same thing at all. Private loans don't qualify for those public service forgiveness programs," Ryan said. "The ones that help doctors who choose to work in underserved communities actually pay off their debt. Plus, private loans are way less flexible. No income-driven repayment plans, fewer options if you hit a rough patch financially." What People Are Saying Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of told Newsweek: "The whole thing feels like it's creating this weird two-tier system where only kids from wealthy families can afford to become doctors, lawyers or dentists. Which is ironic, right? Because the bill is supposedly trying to address how unlimited borrowing has driven up education costs. But their solution is the private market handle it?" Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: "The issue for many borrowers who qualified for SAVE or other payment assistance programs is the lack of these options will equate to their monthly payments rising. Technically the borrower is not paying more over the duration of the loan; the same borrowed amount stands. However, monthly payments will rise for most due to a lack of assistance plans." What Happens Next Full implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill will occur over a multiyear period. Borrowers currently enrolled in the SAVE plan may have at least one year—between July 2026 and July 2028—to choose a new repayment arrangement. "The long-term damage here is clear: a growing wealth divide that pushes more people to the margins. Many will fall into default—not because they don't want to pay, but because they simply can't," Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. "And when that happens, it's more than just a financial mark. These loans become a permanent lien on people's lives—blocking access to homeownership, delaying family formation and cutting people off from participating fully in society."
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Harvard and the revolution: What role did this Ivy League campus play in America's independence?
FILE -- People take photos with the John Harvard Statue at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. on May 30, 2025. (Sophie Park/The New York Times) In the global imagination, Harvard University looms like a secular temple of intellect—home to Nobel laureates, Supreme Court justices, and ambitious teenagers with a dream. But long before it became a brand stamped on fleece hoodies and LinkedIn bios, Harvard stood at the bloody crossroads of revolution and nationhood. In the summer of 1775, its manicured grounds were anything but serene. For a brief, combustible moment, Harvard was not just an Ivy League college—it was the beating heart of America's rebellion. The General in the Yellow House On July 3, 1775, George Washington arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to take command of the fledgling Continental Army. His chosen headquarters? A colonial yellow-frame house tucked inside Harvard Yard, known as Wadsworth House. At the time, it was the residence of the Harvard president. Washington wasted no time in turning it into a military nerve centre. For nearly two weeks, he held councils of war behind its modest façade, huddled with his generals to map out what would become the Siege of Boston—the first major campaign of the Revolutionary War. This was no ceremonial visit. Washington was walking into a powder keg. British forces controlled Boston; colonial militias were disorganised; and the idea of a united rebellion was still more dream than doctrine. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Yet there he was, pacing in a borrowed house on an elite campus, attempting to rally a people who hadn't yet declared themselves a nation. That declaration, incidentally, would come almost exactly one year later—on July 4, 1776. Ivy and iron: Harvard goes to war As Washington plotted indoors, war arrived on campus. Massachusetts Hall and Hollis Hall, two of Harvard's oldest dormitories, were transformed into barracks. Over 1,000 patriot soldiers were crammed into rooms once meant for quiet study and theological debate. The College, overwhelmed, decided to move its academic operations to Concord for safety. But Harvard's contributions weren't limited to logistics and lodging. According to local accounts, the College melted down its own roof lead to supply musket balls to the Continental Army. Yes—Harvard bled for the cause, quite literally. Even the president of Harvard surrendered his residence—Wadsworth House—to General Washington, choosing duty over decorum. The great tea smackdown In 1775, tea was more than a beverage; it was a symbol of colonial submission. And Harvard students, predictably, weren't having it. In an incident that reads like a cross between a food fight and a political protest, two undergraduates smuggled British tea into the dining commons just months after the Boston Tea Party. Their classmates exploded in fury, smashing dishes and condemning the act as treasonous. The college administration responded by banning tea entirely from campus dining—a subtle but powerful gesture of solidarity with the revolutionary cause. This was not the sanitized student activism of modern campuses. This was civil disobedience with consequences, performed under the shadow of real muskets and nearby military engagements. The students may have been young, but their anger was not performative—it was part of a broader defiance that rippled through New England's intellectual strongholds. Ink and independence Harvard's revolutionary legacy wasn't just military or symbolic—it was archival. After the Declaration of Independence was adopted in July 1776, John Hancock, a proud Harvard alumnus and the first signatory of the Declaration, sent a printed broadside of the document to Massachusetts leaders. That very copy is now preserved in Harvard's Houghton Library, one of the rare surviving originals. The words that would birth a nation—the most famous breakup letter in history—rest in the vaults of the very college that once served as Washington's war room. Three years later, in 1780, the state of Massachusetts enshrined Harvard's place in the new republic. The Massachusetts Constitution formally recognised Harvard as a university, bestowing it with the intellectual legitimacy it had long commanded in practice. It was a quiet seal of approval for a college that had helped shape the war from within its own walls. The past beneath the Ivy Today, when a freshman walks through Harvard Yard, earbuds in and coffee in hand, she might pause near Wadsworth House for a selfie—or maybe not. Few realise the gravel beneath their feet once carried Washington's boots. Fewer still know that the library houses the paper that gave America its name, or that their dorm rooms once echoed with the snores of unwashed soldiers and not the hum of laptops. But that's the thing about Harvard. For all its elite modernity, its past isn't embalmed in a museum—it's embedded in the soil, the stones, the very names etched on brass plaques. Before it was the epitome of American excellence, it was the quiet crucible of American independence. The rebellion didn't just pass through Harvard. For one fateful summer, it lived there. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Boston Globe
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
As Harvard notches a legal win over White House, Trump says ‘HISTORIC' deal is close
Trump's post did not elaborate on the claimed negotiations, of which there has been no public acknowledgment by either side since Harvard in April rejected White House demands to overhaul its governance, amend its admissions and hiring practices, and change its disciplinary procedures — all in response to what the Trump administration alleges is a longstanding culture of antisemitism, racial discrimination, and political bias at the school. Harvard has vowed to fight back and has sued the administration both for But, Trump said, an agreement ending all that could be near. Advertisement 'They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be 'mindbogglingly' HISTORIC, and very good for our Country.' Advertisement Spokespeople for the White House, the Department of Education, and Harvard did not respond to requests for comment on Friday afternoon regarding Trump's post. The John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard. Heather Diehl for the Boston Globe While it was not clear if the two developments are related, the post came shortly after Harvard notched a legal win in the international students lawsuit: an order from US District Judge Allison Burroughs allowing Harvard to host foreign students until its lawsuit against the administration is decided, giving the students a green light to return this fall, at least for now. 'The Court order allows Harvard to continue enrolling international students and scholars while the case moves forward,' Harvard spokesperson Sarah Kennedy O'Reilly said in a statement. 'Harvard will continue to defend its rights — and the rights of its students and scholars.' A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on Friday afternoon. Harvard sued the Trump administration in May, after Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that the university had lost the right to enroll students and that existing international students would have to leave or transfer. She The university, meanwhile, argued the move was unlawful, and Trump was using his position to pursue Friday's court order prevents the Trump administration from making any effort to block Harvard from hosting international students. Burroughs also ordered the administration to prepare guidance for federal staff to restore visa holders and applicants to their positions prior to its May announcement. Advertisement The injunction follows In a Banning international students would have a significant impact on Harvard's student body, which includes nearly 7,000 foreign students, roughly a quarter of its total student population. The move would disproportionately impact schools such as the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where international students account for Harvard Kennedy School of Government is one part of the university that would be especially hard-hit by a ban on foreign students. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff The Trump administration is likely to appeal the order next week, said David Super, a Georgetown University law professor who focuses on constitutional and administrative law. 'We will likely have some indication from, certainly the First Circuit, but most likely the Supreme Court, as to how they feel about this case,' Super said. 'That may well make the outcome of a trial more or less a foregone conclusion.' And, indeed, given the uncertainty and heightened scrutiny around student visas generally, some students may simply decide to pursue their studies elsewhere, denting Harvard's international population even if the school prevails in court. Current and incoming Harvard students Friday said they were pleased by the news, even if they are still concerned about the future. Advertisement 'I feel anxious, but I stay hopeful,' Enos said he has been planning to pursue a master's degree in education leadership at Harvard and is scheduled to fly to Boston from Nairobi early next month. 'Policies change fast, and that's unsettling,' he said. 'My future and sense of belonging are on the line. Still, I am grateful for Harvard's support. I know I matter here. I focus on my studies and keep moving forward. I believe international students like me make Harvard stronger.' Karl Molden, a rising Harvard junior from Austria, was in Athens, Greece, for a summer internship when he learned about the order. 'It's been like a roller coaster for feelings and emotions, and in this case more like an up,' said Molden, 21, who's studying government and classics. 'But I think it's also going to go down again. We're not going to celebrate too much because it's just temporary.' Education Secretary Linda McMahon. JOHNNY MILANO/NYT Aside from Trump's Truth Social post Friday afternoon, there has been little outward sign that Harvard and his administration are anywhere near resolving their conflict. Earlier this week, in an McMahon said she 'had a good sit down with the chancellor [of Vanderbilt University],' adding that she feels 'good about a lot of the steps that they have taken.' She added that she has met with presidents from MIT, Dartmouth, and Northwestern. Advertisement 'I think universities are taking a look at their own practices and looking at things like right to assemble, and where and when,' McMahon said. By contrast, she said, 'Harvard is the only one that has not only threatened, but did file a lawsuit.' (In April, MIT joined other universities in a Previously, Aidan Ryan can be reached at
New York Post
02-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Harvard yearbook erases Oct 7 massacre but includes pic of John Harvard statue in Palestinian keffiyeh: ‘Whitewashing terrorism'
Harvard needs a history lesson, according to students outraged over its 2025 yearbook ignoring the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel. The book instead depicts only Israel's aggression in Gaza, with its October 2023 entry including a photo of the famous John Harvard statue draped in a keffiyeh with a caption reading 'War breaks out in Gaza.' The official Harvard yearbook, the 520–page book aimed to capture the 'Harvard experience' and described as 'Harvard. Immortalized,' shocked graduating seniors when they flipped through the pages recapping every month since their freshman year. 10 The incendiary page in the Harvard 2025 yearbook which states '2023 October war breaks out in Gaza' in front of a picture of university founder John Harvard's statue with a keffiyeh around his shoulders and a sign reading Eyes on Gaza in front. The next page marks the end of the Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP) encampment after 20 days. Harvard Chabad/ X 10 A student protester in a Palestinian keffiyeh stands in front of the statue of John Harvard which has been draped in the Palestinian flag in April 2024. AP 'It's deeply offensive,' newly minted graduate Alex Bernat, who has seen the page firsthand, told The Post. He added he was 'shocked' by the complete whitewashing of the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust that left 1,200 murdered, thousands injured and saw 251 abducted into Gaza and held hostage – 58 of whom have yet to be returned. 'They totally mischaracterized in a very irresponsible way the beginnings of everything on October 7, the actual thing that prompted the war on Gaza.' The treasured yearbook that's meant to 'reflect on your time in college' turned into a 'completely biased representation of the events of October 2023,' blasted the Jewish grad, adding there is no excuse for yearbook editors – a group of 20 students listed on the site – to gloss over the atrocities that precipitated the war. 'They know exactly how the events of October 7 transpired … It's such an easy thing to get right – and the fact that they didn't is really concerning,' the 23-year-old Chicago native said. Although school is out for summer at the embattled Ivy League institution, it's still under fire for being a hotbed of hate. 10 Palestine supporters, many from Harvard, rallying in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October 2023. AFP via Getty Images 10 Jewish students and supporters gathered at a Menorah lighting ceremony on Harvard's campus after the Israel-Hamas war had started. Then-president Claudine Gay was in attendance (pictured center left). David McGlynn 10 Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned from the University in January 2024 amid plagiarism accusations and a weak response to antisemitism on campus. AP President Donald Trump has pulled over $3bn in funding from the University, and the White House has instructed federal agencies to review approximately $100m in contracts the government has with Harvard and find alternatives where possible. Last week Trump said: 'Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they're doing is getting in deeper and deeper and deeper.' The state department has also stopped issuing new student visas nationwide, while a new vetting process is put in place. Harvard's handling of Hamas' terror attack and massacre has caused problems from the start. Hours after the atrocities, a now-infamous screed signed by 31 Harvard student groups blamed the Jewish state, holding 'the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence' – prompting outraged Harvard alums like hedge fund honcho Bill Ackman to call for the entire board of Harvard University to resign. 10 Harvard Divinity School gradujate Shabbos Kestenbaum has slammed the college's yearbook editors for 'not being able to comprehend' that Hamas started the war in Gaza. Getty Images 10 One of the buildings at Harvard University with three red banners displaying the university's crest. MG – 10 The offensive yearbook, branded 'not only factually dishonest — it's historical revisionism,' by Brooke Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. Harvard Chabad/ X Watchdog groups have also ripped the poisoned Ivy, which saw former president Claudine Gay wither on the vine after her gutless congressional testimony, for letting willful hate fester. 'Harvard's official yearbook description of the October 7 massacre as merely 'war breaking out in Gaza' is not only factually dishonest — it's historical revisionism. By erasing the brutal, premeditated slaughter of over 1,200 Israelis, Harvard is whitewashing terrorism and contributing to the narratives that justify the ongoing genocide against the Jewish people,' Brooke Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project, told The Post. 'This isn't just a failure of language — it's a moral failure. Harvard has become a symbol of elite radicalization. This is an American problem, not just a Jewish one.' The galling omission is tantamount to 'Holocaust-like denial,' railed Harvard Chabad, the Jewish movement that supports students on campus. 10 A protester at Harvard with a sign reading 'END THE OCCUPATION NOW!' REUTERS 10 A sign reading Harvard at the university's campus in Boston, Massachusetts AFP via Getty Images Francesca Albanese, the controversial UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, who's been accused of spewing antisemitism, appeared at Harvard last year in an event described as 'exploring how certain concepts from international law, such as 'occupation,' 'apartheid,' and 'genocide,' applied to the situation in and around Gaza.' 'This is what they're being taught,' Harvard Chabad Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi claimed of the one-sided exposure to students. 'They're being told to be skeptical about what Israel says happened on October 7 and to believe everything from Hamas. 'It's an absolute disgrace.' Harvard Divinity School grad, Shabbos Kestenbaum, who settled an antisemitism lawsuit last month against his alma mater, attacked his former school. 'The murder of 45 American citizens as well as the abduction of 12 Americans on October 7th was a horrific terrorist attack,' the 2024 grad told The Post. 'Harvard students not being able to comprehend that basic fact is deeply disturbing.'
