This page contains content from the 2008–09 academic year. For current information, visit the Harvard Extension School website at www.extension.harvard.edu.
Dean’s Welcome
A Tradition for 100 Years
In welcoming you to the Harvard Extension School, I do so on behalf of a hallowed Harvard tradition, one which has served the Greater Boston community for nearly a century. In January 1910, the newly elected president of Harvard, A. Lawrence Lowell, created University Extension as a bold experiment in what he termed “systematic popular education.” His educational vision extended beyond the gates of Harvard Yard, and he affirmed that “it would seem to be the duty of every institution of learning in this country to use its resources for the benefit of the surrounding community.” He called for Harvard to serve “the many people in our community who have not been to college but who have the desire and the aptitude to profit by as much of a college education as, amid the work of earning their living, they are able to obtain.”
In the subsequent 99 years, the Harvard Extension School has fulfilled this vision by serving as a distinctive academic resource to a growing local, national, and international community of adult learners. To date, more than 400,000 women and men have enrolled in our courses, and 12,500 have been awarded degrees and graduate certificates. Each year we enroll 13,000 students of all ages and diverse backgrounds for our more than 600 courses, including thousands of Harvard staff members eligible for the Tuition Assistance Plan of the University. Our students represent well over 100 countries, with the internationalization of the student body increasing rapidly as our distance education offerings.
Our dedicated teaching faculty represents most Harvard schools, especially the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, as well as leading educational institutions in Greater Boston. They value the opportunity to teach the motivated, mature, and well-educated students who come to the Harvard Extension School (75 percent of our students have bachelor’s degrees, 23 percent have graduate degrees). Similarly, the students appreciate the excellence of the faculty by assigning them top marks in their course evaluations. The tradition established by President Lowell very much applies today, as faculty are “substantially repeating for the benefit of the public courses given to students in college, under conditions which require the same amount of work and the same examinations.” In this sense, Harvard Extension School is very much a Harvard academic program.
As we look ahead to celebrating our centennial year in 2009–10, we invite all students who feel they can benefit from our courses and programs to participate in this historic Harvard academic program. The scope of the Harvard Extension School has changed significantly over the years, but the aims articulated by President Lowell have remained the same. On behalf of Harvard, we stand ready to serve the community, be it local or global. On behalf of the Harvard Extension School faculty and staff, I extend a warm invitation to have you continue your studies with us this year.
With all good wishes,
Michael Shinagel, PhD
Dean of Continuing Education, Senior Lecturer on English Harvard University