375th Anniversary
In 2011, Harvard celebrated the 375th anniversary of the 1636 founding of Harvard College. To mark this milestone, the University launched a year-long series of programs and activities, beginning with a celebration in Harvard Yard. The anniversary year also included a full program of events that characterized the lively intellectual exchanges that flourish at Harvard. These included academic events, lectures, symposia, and exhibits. Read more about Harvard at 375 in the Harvard Gazette.
Experience Harvard's 375th anniversary celebration through this video of the momentous occasion.
Initiatives
Harvard launched a series of initiatives to recognize the University’s enduring legacy. These included:
- Harvard Stories project
- Mobile tour of Harvard Yard
- Explore Harvard: The Yard and Beyond, a book of Harvard photography
John Harvard Book Celebration
As part of Harvard’s 375th anniversary and in celebration of its close ties to the Boston and Cambridge communities, the University developed a lecture series that brought some of Harvard’s most renowned thinkers to speak at neighborhood libraries. Download the poster [PDF]
History of Harvard University
Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College's first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library and half his estate to the institution. Read more about Harvard's history or view a historical timeline.
You can also listen to Harvard Voices, a collection of excerpts from famous speeches given at Harvard University over the past 100 years.