Larry Bacow

Larry Bacow
Name	Larry Bacow
Birth date	1954
Birth place	Boston, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Williams College, Harvard University, MIT
Occupation	Academic administrator, professor, lawyer
Known for	Presidency of Tufts University, Presidency of Harvard University

Larry Bacow

Larry Bacow is an American academic, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the president of Tufts University and later as the 29th president of Harvard University. His career spans scholarship in environmental policy and public policy, leadership in higher education, and participation in national advisory bodies and boards. He is noted for fostering institutional fundraising, campus diversity initiatives, and responses to public crises.

Early life and education

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1954, Bacow grew up in the Greater Boston area and attended local public schools before matriculating at Williams College, where he studied economics and graduated magna cum laude. He pursued graduate studies at Harvard University and earned a Master of Arts in public policy before completing a Doctor of Education and a Juris Doctor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Law School, respectively. His academic formation connected him with scholars and administrators across Ivy League campuses and New England institutions, shaping interests that bridged law and policy.

Academic and legal career

Bacow began his professional life in legal practice and academia, clerking and working at law firms and later serving on the faculty of MIT as a professor of public policy and environmental studies. He taught and published on topics that brought him into intellectual conversation with specialists from Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Columbia University. His administrative roles at MIT included leadership in student affairs and faculty governance, aligning him with national organizations such as the American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities. He also served on boards and committees connected to United States Department of Education initiatives, liaising with figures from The White House and federal agencies.

Presidency at Tufts University

In 2001, Bacow joined the senior administration of Tufts University, eventually becoming chancellor in 2001 and then president in 2001–2011, overseeing expansions in academic programs and campus facilities. During his tenure he prioritized fundraising campaigns that engaged philanthropists associated with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and regional foundations, and he strengthened partnerships with institutions including Boston University, Brandeis University, and Northeastern University. Bacow emphasized interdisciplinary initiatives linking Tufts schools such as the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the School of Engineering, and the School of Medicine, and he advanced research collaborations with entities like Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Presidency of Harvard University

Elected in 2018, Bacow became president of Harvard University, succeeding a line of leaders connected to the Harvard Corporation and the Harvard Board of Overseers. His tenure involved navigating complex issues including campus free speech debates that resonated with scholars from Yale Law School, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Georgetown University, as well as managing institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in coordination with public health partners such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and World Health Organization guidelines. He led major fundraising initiatives engaging donors like alumni from Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School, while overseeing expansion projects that involved municipal authorities in Cambridge, Massachusetts and collaborations with industry partners including Biogen and Pfizer for research translation. His administration addressed controversies and governance reforms involving trustees, faculty senates, and student groups connected to national debates in Congress, the United States Supreme Court, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Public engagement, policy and leadership roles

Beyond university leadership, Bacow has served on national and international advisory boards and task forces, including appointments that connected him to The White House, the National Science Foundation, and the United Nations advisory mechanisms. He has been involved with nonprofit organizations and cultural institutions such as the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and has participated in policy discussions with think tanks including the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Aspen Institute. Bacow has chaired or contributed to committees on higher education financing that engaged with the U.S. Department of Treasury, state education agencies, and philanthropic leaders from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Personal life and honors

Bacow is married and has family ties to the Greater Boston region; his personal life has intersected with civic service and philanthropy involving local institutions such as Boston College alumni networks and community organizations in Cambridge. He has received honorary degrees and awards from institutions including Williams College, Brandeis University, and international universities that have placed him in the company of laureates recognized by organizations like the National Academies and recipients of fellowships from the Fulbright Program and the MacArthur Foundation. His leadership has been acknowledged in profiles by major media outlets and in honors presented at convocations attended by representatives from state governments, foreign embassies, and educational consortia.

Category:American university and college presidents Category:1954 births Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts