The president of Harvard University, Alan Garber, has acknowledged that the scarcity of conservative voices and the hesitation to express “unpopular” opinions on campus are challenges that the Ivy League institution must confront.
Garber discussed these concerns in an extensive interview with NPR on Tuesday, where he was questioned about the Trump administration’s decision to halt billions in federal funding, partly due to antisemitism on campuses.
“In my opinion, the federal government is insisting that we need to tackle antisemitism specifically, but it has also brought up other matters, including the accusation that we lack diversity in viewpoints,” Garber stated.
He went on to say the elite school has been “very clear” of late that they do believe they have issues â particularly surrounding free speech.
“We think it’s a real problem if â particularly a research university’s â students don’t feel free to speak their minds, when faculty feel that they have to think twice before they talk about the subjects that they’re teaching. That’s a real problem that we need to address,” he said.
“And it’s particularly concerning when people have views that they think are unpopular. And the administration and others have said conservatives are too few on campus and their views are not welcome. In so far as that’s true, that’s a problem we really need to address.”
