Harvard Attempts a Right Turn

The Wall Street Journal reported that Harvard is considering creating a center for conservative scholarship that would be modeled on Stanford’s Hoover Institution in an effort to appease the Trump administration, who has accused the school of being too liberal.

According to the Journal, the idea has been circulating for several years but gained steam after the pro-Hamas demonstrations became a flashpoint for charges of antisemitism in 2023. The Journal said that Harvard estimated the creating the center would cost between $500 million to $1 billion, which they would either have to either raise funds for or dip into their estimated $53.2 billion endowment. The size of their endowment has also become s subject of discussion as tuition continues to rise.

Conservatives are scant on campus, as a 2023 survey of the school newspaper found that just 3% of the Harvard faculty identified as politically conservative.

Harvard has been battling with the Trump administration over charges of antisemitism, autonomy and federal funding and has seen $2.2 million in research grants being frozen, forcing the school to reduce staffing until the matter is addressed in court.

While liberals will see this as Harvard trying to appease the Trump administration, there is no guarantee that if the school goes forward with the idea that it will achieve its goals to bring conservative thought to the campus that has been bereft of such ideas throughout its history.