FAS (Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences)

FAS (Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences)
Name	Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Caption	Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences headquarters, Cambridge
Established	1780s
Type	Faculty and administrative unit
Parent	Harvard University
City	Cambridge
State	Massachusetts
Country	United States

FAS (Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences) is the principal academic division of Harvard University responsible for undergraduate, graduate, and professional instruction across the liberal arts and natural sciences. It administers a broad portfolio of departments, centers, and institutes that connect to major research initiatives, public policy debates, and cultural institutions in the United States and internationally. The faculty shapes curricula and research priorities that intersect with prominent figures, museums, laboratories, and philanthropic foundations.

History

The origins of the faculty trace to the expansion of Harvard College in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, influenced by figures such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and administrators who sought to modernize classical curricula. Nineteenth-century developments involved leaders like Charles W. Eliot and James Walker, whose reforms paralleled transformations at Yale University and Princeton University. Twentieth-century milestones included collaborations with scientists such as James B. Sumner, E. O. Wilson, and administrators who engaged with federal programs during the New Deal and the Manhattan Project era. Postwar growth saw ties to institutions including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation as faculty expanded in fields connected to global events like the Cold War and the Vietnam War.

Organization and Administration

FAS operates under leadership structures that include a dean, associate deans, and administrative officers who coordinate with central Harvard University governance such as the President of Harvard University and the Harvard Corporation. Its administration liaises with entities like the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Committee, and external funders including the Gates Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Budgeting and appointments engage with peer-review processes influenced by organizations such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and accreditation considerations connected to professional bodies like the American Chemical Society.

Academic Divisions and Departments

FAS encompasses divisions historically categorized as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences's Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences divisions with departments including Department of Economics (Harvard), Department of History (Harvard), Department of Physics (Harvard), Department of Biology (Harvard), Department of Psychology (Harvard), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Harvard), and Department of Mathematics (Harvard). Interdisciplinary centers link to the Harvard Kennedy School, the Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Medical School, while specialized programs intersect with institutes like the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. The faculty also manages museums and libraries including the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Fogg Museum, and the Harvard Library system.

Degree Programs and Education

FAS administers undergraduate degrees through Harvard College with concentrations tied to departments such as African and African American Studies (Harvard), Classics (Harvard), and Computer Science (Harvard University). Graduate education is delivered through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offering Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts, and professional postdoctoral appointments often co-supervised by centers affiliated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology collaborations and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics ethos. Cross-registration arrangements connect students with programs at institutions including the Boston University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for practicum and curatorial training.

Faculty and Research

FAS faculty include Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, and members of learned societies such as the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Royal Society. Renowned scholars and scientists associated with the faculty have included Noam Chomsky, Amartya Sen, Sonia Sotomayor (as an alumna of affiliated programs), Robert Solow, Joseph Brodsky, and Harold Varmus among others. Research spans molecular biology, computational science, historical inquiry, and artistic practice with laboratories and centers funded by agencies like DARPA, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and private donors such as John D. Rockefeller beneficiaries. The faculty participates in major collaborations with institutes including the Smithsonian Institution and international partners like the Max Planck Society.

Campus and Facilities

FAS occupies central Cambridge facilities around Harvard Yard and the Science Center, with classrooms, laboratories, theaters, and galleries housed in buildings named for benefactors such as Widener Library and the Semitic Museum. Research infrastructure includes high-performance computing clusters supported by partnerships with entities like NVIDIA and core facilities for microscopy and genomics. Cultural venues affiliated with FAS encompass the American Repertory Theater, the Radcliffe Quadrangle, and concert spaces that have hosted performers connected to institutions such as Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera.

Notable Alumni and Impact

Alumni of programs run by the faculty have played prominent roles as heads of state, judges, scholars, and cultural leaders including John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Henry Kissinger, T.S. Eliot, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Bill Gates (through courses and affiliations). Graduates have influenced legal precedent at the Supreme Court of the United States, economic policy at the Federal Reserve System, and scientific breakthroughs at institutions like Bell Labs and NASA. The faculty’s alumni network intersects with global philanthropy, major corporations including Goldman Sachs and Google, and cultural institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and The New York Times newsroom.

Category:Harvard University