Eight current Overseers share their unique stories
The Harvard Board of Overseers is one of the University’s two governing boards, working alongside the President and Fellows (also known as the Corporation), Harvard’s principal fiduciary board. Formally created in 1642, the Board of Overseers has for decades included 30 members elected annually by Harvard degree holders to staggered six-year terms. The Board directs the visiting committee process, Harvard’s principal means for external academic review of its wide range of Schools and departments. The Overseers also counsel the University’s leadership on a range of priorities and plans, and they have the power to consent to certain actions such as the appointment of new Corporation members. Starting July 1, Harvard degree holders will have the opportunity to vote either online or by paper ballot for new members of the Board of Overseers, as well as elected directors of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA). The roster of candidates was announced earlier this year, before...