You present a stirring vision that I wish would move more students, professors, and even administrators.
Writing during a time of war and existential pessimism, C.S. Lewis eloquently evoked the ancient spirit of Albion that would slumber and decline but never disappear. Albion would however ever rise in the heart and soul of Englishmen when called to duty.
You have visited the ghosts and conjured Harvard's Albion. Let us hope that Harvard men and women waken to the call.
My daughter and husband attended Harvard (on 'merit' - trust me, they are both 'grinds' - LOL). So it pains me to say this...there is 'no 'Harvard Man or Woman' today to extoll. It's mind boggling to witness the immoral miscreants and badly educated people that Harvard is pumping out. First a personal anecdote: During her stay at Harvard, my daughter was taking a summer course and briefly roomed with a newly-graduated Theology major / Afro-American minor gal. My daughter was stunned to learn that this woman had never 'met a Jew' at Harvard (my daughter is Jewish) and more astoundingly did not know much of anything about Judaism, one of the world's major religions, even though she was a Theology major. However, she got points for being curious enough to ask my daughter all sorts of questions to back-fill her post-Harvard education. It certainly opened my daughter's eyes. And on a more global scale, Harvard has pumped out Senator Adam Schiff of California who purposefully lied that he had evidence of 'Russia Collusion' during Trump's first term which was totally false; Schiff produced nothing and funny enough, was re-elected to boot. Then there's recently-booted-from-MSNBC, Joy Reid who spent years insanely spewing racial hatred over the airways. I don't know what she majored in at Harvard but it certainly wasn't Ethics. There are dozens and dozens more who permeate politics, the media and Hollywood who have no moral scruples at all. Of course, there are many people who are upright, moral and making contributions as well. But, I cringe when too many immoral types are revealed to be Harvard graduates - it's just a reminder that perhaps Harvard isn't creating a special 'Harvard Wo/Man' at all. I am guessing 'moral formation' occurs before one attends Harvard and going to Harvard is just a golden ticket to get punched.
John Lonergan, HBS '76: The article passionately invokes the ideal of the "Harvard Man," but it glosses over a fundamental flaw in Harvard's admissions process that hinders its ability to shape a cohesive undergraduate student body. With roughly 54,000 applications for the Class of 2028 and only 40 admissions officers, each application receives a mere 20 minutes of total review time (10 minutes per officer, with two readers). This fleeting evaluation is woefully inadequate to grasp an applicant’s character, values, or potential to embody the institution’s storied traditions. It’s akin to taking a woman out on a first date and proposing marriage after just 20 minutes—an absurdly rushed judgment for such a significant commitment. In today’s era of social media, Harvard and applicants have the opportunity to engage with one another over years, not minutes. Platforms like X allow prospective students to showcase their personalities, ideas, and growth over time, while Harvard could use these tools to better understand applicants beyond polished resumes. Yet, the current process relies heavily on metrics and cursory holistic reviews, which prioritize efficiency over depth. This superficial approach risks selecting students who excel on paper but may not align with the university’s formative ideals, undermining Harvard’s ability to intentionally craft a student body that lives up to the legacy of independence, moral mission, and greatness celebrated in the article. Without a more thorough, longitudinal evaluation, the vision of shaping "citizen-leaders" remains more aspiration than reality.
You present a stirring vision that I wish would move more students, professors, and even administrators.
Writing during a time of war and existential pessimism, C.S. Lewis eloquently evoked the ancient spirit of Albion that would slumber and decline but never disappear. Albion would however ever rise in the heart and soul of Englishmen when called to duty.
You have visited the ghosts and conjured Harvard's Albion. Let us hope that Harvard men and women waken to the call.
My daughter and husband attended Harvard (on 'merit' - trust me, they are both 'grinds' - LOL). So it pains me to say this...there is 'no 'Harvard Man or Woman' today to extoll. It's mind boggling to witness the immoral miscreants and badly educated people that Harvard is pumping out. First a personal anecdote: During her stay at Harvard, my daughter was taking a summer course and briefly roomed with a newly-graduated Theology major / Afro-American minor gal. My daughter was stunned to learn that this woman had never 'met a Jew' at Harvard (my daughter is Jewish) and more astoundingly did not know much of anything about Judaism, one of the world's major religions, even though she was a Theology major. However, she got points for being curious enough to ask my daughter all sorts of questions to back-fill her post-Harvard education. It certainly opened my daughter's eyes. And on a more global scale, Harvard has pumped out Senator Adam Schiff of California who purposefully lied that he had evidence of 'Russia Collusion' during Trump's first term which was totally false; Schiff produced nothing and funny enough, was re-elected to boot. Then there's recently-booted-from-MSNBC, Joy Reid who spent years insanely spewing racial hatred over the airways. I don't know what she majored in at Harvard but it certainly wasn't Ethics. There are dozens and dozens more who permeate politics, the media and Hollywood who have no moral scruples at all. Of course, there are many people who are upright, moral and making contributions as well. But, I cringe when too many immoral types are revealed to be Harvard graduates - it's just a reminder that perhaps Harvard isn't creating a special 'Harvard Wo/Man' at all. I am guessing 'moral formation' occurs before one attends Harvard and going to Harvard is just a golden ticket to get punched.
John Lonergan, HBS '76: The article passionately invokes the ideal of the "Harvard Man," but it glosses over a fundamental flaw in Harvard's admissions process that hinders its ability to shape a cohesive undergraduate student body. With roughly 54,000 applications for the Class of 2028 and only 40 admissions officers, each application receives a mere 20 minutes of total review time (10 minutes per officer, with two readers). This fleeting evaluation is woefully inadequate to grasp an applicant’s character, values, or potential to embody the institution’s storied traditions. It’s akin to taking a woman out on a first date and proposing marriage after just 20 minutes—an absurdly rushed judgment for such a significant commitment. In today’s era of social media, Harvard and applicants have the opportunity to engage with one another over years, not minutes. Platforms like X allow prospective students to showcase their personalities, ideas, and growth over time, while Harvard could use these tools to better understand applicants beyond polished resumes. Yet, the current process relies heavily on metrics and cursory holistic reviews, which prioritize efficiency over depth. This superficial approach risks selecting students who excel on paper but may not align with the university’s formative ideals, undermining Harvard’s ability to intentionally craft a student body that lives up to the legacy of independence, moral mission, and greatness celebrated in the article. Without a more thorough, longitudinal evaluation, the vision of shaping "citizen-leaders" remains more aspiration than reality.
So Jim, would you take a woman out on a first date for dinner and then ask her to marry you after 40 minutes rather than 20?
Minor point perhaps, but it's Soldier Field.