Alan Garber: The Man Tasked with Defending Harvard’s Legacy
Harvard's interim president is experienced, but whether he can meet the moment remains to be seen.
Shortly after Claudine Gay’s resignation from Harvard’s presidency, the Harvard Corporation announced that Dr. Alan Garber, long-time provost of the university, would assume the post of interim president until a more permanent successor could be found.
Garber’s appointment was met with strong support by various members of the Harvard community, who highlighted his kindness, collaborative spirit, and leadership experience as timely characteristics. Former Harvard president Larry Summers, for instance, tweeted after the announcement that Garber “is universally liked, admired, and respected” and is a “superb choice as Interim President.” Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi, president of Harvard Chabad, also tweeted that “President Alan Garber is an admired friend, and a man of great integrity and high moral character.”
No stranger to the campus, Garber has spent much of his academic career at Harvard, where he obtained a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate in economics, the last of which he earned concurrently with a medical degree from Stanford. He was ultimately appointed provost of the university in 2011, a post he held for 13 years.
As provost, Garber served as Harvard’s chief academic officer, reporting directly to the president on university-wide academic policies and activities. Key responsibilities included “fostering interfaculty collaboration” and “improving Harvard’s performance in building a diverse pipeline of scholars,” according to the Office of the Provost’s website. During his term, Garber supervised multiple university departments while also playing a key role in discussions with student union groups.
Garber has no shortage of interdisciplinary experience to apply to the challenges he inherits. With a staggering 32-page CV, his illustrious career has covered economics, medicine, and public health with roles as varied as physician, professor, administrator, editor, and government advisor. For over a decade, he led Stanford’s Center for Health Policy and Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
But Garber faces complex challenges arising both from inside the campus and outside of it. Prominent among these are tensions on campus surrounding the conflict in Israel and Palestine. Garber, who is Jewish, has conveyed disappointment with Harvard’s handling of the issue, stating that he had regrets about the first statement Gay made following the October 7th massacre.
Nevertheless, his more than a decade-long tenure as a top university administrator invites questions as to how his vision for Harvard differs from that of his predecessor. In the wake of fierce criticism that Gay was appointed president not by dint of her qualifications but because of her identity, one wonders if Garber will abandon the far-left philosophies that have soured the public’s perception of Harvard.
Although he serves only as interim president, it likely will be months before a more permanent replacement is found. If Garber fails to take decisive action in support of meritocracy and intellectual freedom during this period, Harvard’s legacy may suffer irreparable damage. Garber’s mandate to return the once universally esteemed university to the earnest pursuit of truth is strong. But it will take courage to lead with conviction through a period rife with controversy and division.