at the end of the 15th century, after Columbus opened the Atlantic waterway from Europe to America, Europeans came to America across oceans in succession. In the early 17th century, the first batch of British immigrants arrived in North America, where they opened up their own "Garden of Eden"-New England. Among the immigrants, there are more than 1 Puritans who have received classical higher education at Oxford and Cambridge universities. In order to enable their descendants to receive this kind of education in their new homes, they established Harvard College, the first institution in American history, in 1636 on the Charles River in Massachusetts. In 178, the fourth year after the founding of the United States, Harvard College, which has a history of more than 14 years, was upgraded to Harvard University.
The founder of Harvard College transplanted the model of Cambridge University, and the college was originally named "Cambridge College". In 1639, in memory of John Harverd, the founder of the college and the main donor of the school-building expenses, the Massachusetts Parliament passed a resolution to rename the college "Harvard College".
The emblem of Harvard University, which has been used since Harvard College, has the words VERITAS written in Latin, meaning "truth". The original motto of Harvard University is also written in Latin, which means "take Plato as your friend, Aristotle as your friend, and more importantly, take truth as your friend". The words of the school emblem and motto all show the purpose of Harvard University-seeking truth and worshiping truth.
conant, a famous American educator who served as the president of Harvard University for 2 years (1933-1953), once said: "The honor of a university lies not in its buildings and numbers, but in its quality from generation to generation". It is precisely by adhering to high standards and high quality in selecting teachers and educating people that Harvard University can become a first-class famous institution with a large number of talents, which has had a great impact on the economy, politics, cultural science and higher education of American society and has great appeal to the learners all over the world.
Strive for the first place in the competition
In p>1693, William and Mary College, the second institution of higher learning in North America (now the first college of the University of Virginia) was born. In 171, Yale College (now the first college of Yale University) was established. The appearance of these two colleges makes Harvard College have partners and competitors. In the second half of the 18th century, nine colleges were established in North America. Although the newly-built colleges generally followed the model of the old British universities, after all, the times were different. Influenced by the European Enlightenment and the industrial revolution, mathematics and natural sciences were gradually squeezed into the teaching fields of these colleges. Harvard College, which is deeply influenced by the tradition of ancient British universities, is facing strong challenges. In 1727, Harvard College established a professor's lecture on mathematics and natural philosophy, which was a change in line with the times. At this time, the momentum of the industrial revolution in North America is rising, and the demand for applied science by emerging industries and businesses makes Harvard face a major choice: either stick to the rules, which will lose its leading position in North American institutions of higher learning; Either bring forth the old and bring forth the new, in order to continue to be in charge of North American universities. Harvard chose the latter path.
After the lectures on mathematics and natural philosophy were held, Harvard College also purchased a batch of scientific instruments and equipment. The professors taught students astronomy, physics and chemistry by experiments. In the field of mathematics, technical disciplines such as surveying and navigation have been established. In 178, the establishment of medical professors' lectures promoted the research of botany and chemistry. Professors carried out various scientific research and published the research results in academic journals in North America and Britain. Natural science finally established a solid position in Harvard and had an impact on other colleges.
from 1775 to 1783, the war of independence against British colonial rule broke out in 13 British colonies in North America. Harvard college conforms to the trend and stands on the side of sympathy and support for the just cause of the War of Independence. In Massachusetts, almost all famous revolutionaries are Harvard graduates, including john adams, one of the drafters of the American Declaration of Independence and the second president of the United States. On July 3, 1775, George Washington became the commander-in-chief of the North American Revolutionary War Army in Cambridge, where Harvard College was located, and his headquarters was once located in Cambridge. After the birth of the United States of America in 1776, Harvard College awarded honorary doctor of laws degrees to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (the main drafter of the Declaration of Independence, the third president of the United States), john jay (the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court) and alexander hamilton (the first treasury secretary of the United States federal government).
By 178, Harvard College had successively established professors' lectures on theology, mathematics, natural philosophy and medicine, and the college was upgraded to a university. According to the tradition of medieval universities in Europe, it is necessary to have a consortium of three colleges to be qualified as a university. At that time, the Massachusetts Parliament unexpectedly recognized Harvard College as a university, which was both a love and a spur. Harvard University continued to pay close attention to its own construction. In 1816, a theological seminary was established, and in 1817, a law school was established. Together with the original Harvard College, which mainly focuses on arts and sciences, there were three colleges, which became a veritable and justified university. In the first half of the 19th century, the influence of Harvard University has gone beyond Massachusetts and spread to the central and southern parts of the United States.
In the early years of the North American War of Independence, the fund of Harvard College, including the rent of real estate, was less than 1,7 pounds. In 1793 after the war, Harvard's fund had exceeded $182,. In the 19th century, due to the sponsorship of alumni, the fund of Harvard University rose steadily, reaching $242, in 18 and $2.25 million in 1869.
During this period, the curriculum of Harvard University has changed greatly. In 179, Harvard University offered Latin, Greek, mathematics (including astronomy), English writing, philosophy (including metaphysics, morality and politics)
, theology, natural science, Hebrew and French, and students could choose one of them. The change of Harvard university curriculum is largely due to the influence of German higher education reform. During this period, wilhelm humboldt, a famous German educator, put forward three famous principles about the reform of university education: independence; The principle of unity of freedom and cooperation; The principle of unity of education and research and the principle of scientific unity. Humboldt not only put forward the ideal of university reform, but also put it into practice in the Berlin University he advocated, advocating academic freedom and combining education with scientific research. Berlin University became an example of a new type of university in Germany. Some young professors who teach at Harvard University once studied in Germany and were influenced by German universities. They demanded that the model of British universities should be changed, and they should take Germany as their teacher and follow the system of German universities. In 1825, four young professors jointly put forward four reform suggestions: reducing the proportion of classical literature courses; Attach importance to the study of modern foreign literature; Establish a degree system for graduate students; Teaching in different classes according to students' abilities. These four opinions were not adopted at that time.
in p>1829, J.Quincy became the president of Harvard University. He took drastic measures to reverse the direction of Harvard University and strongly advocated attaching importance to the teaching of science. He served for 16 years (1829-1845), established a school of science at Harvard University and established an observatory. In the 18th and 19th centuries, with the development of Harvard University, the scope of the curriculum was expanded and the emphasis was changed, and natural science was paid great attention.
from 1869 to 199, Charles.William Eliot, a chemist, served as the president of Harvard University. He served for 4 years and built Harvard University into a large-scale modern university. He gave new vitality to law schools and medical schools, and built new schools of business management, dentistry and arts. The number of registered students increased from 1, to 3,, the number of teaching staff increased from 49 to 278, and the school fund increased from 23 million US dollars to 225 million US dollars.
from 199 to 1933, Abbott Lwrence Lowell was the president of Harvard university. He redesigned the undergraduate course plan and implemented the system of combining the concentration and distribution of courses, so that students could receive a good basic education. Lowell's tutorial system is still used by Harvard University. Lowell's most outstanding contribution is to implement the accommodation system in Harvard University. The implementation of this system makes undergraduates in large comprehensive universities have a small college environment. Freshmen live in dormitories on or near Harvard campus in the first year after entering school. A year later, students live in 12 dormitories, and a 13th dormitory is set up for a few day students. Each dormitory building has a resident teacher and a tutor group to guide students' study and life. In addition, each dormitory also has a restaurant and a library. In the dormitory area, various interesting sports, social and cultural activities are often carried out.
In recent years, several presidents, such as conant, Nathan Marsh Pusey, Derek Bok and current president Lu Dengting, have made great efforts in the construction of Harvard University. On the one hand, they try their best to improve the education quality of undergraduates and postgraduates, and at the same time, they try their best to play the outstanding role of Harvard University as a research institution.
from 1919 to 1953, conant served as a professor, dean and president of the Department of Chemistry of Harvard University. He implemented an off-campus special committee system at Harvard University, which was used to evaluate the qualifications and tenure of school teachers. He also created a general education program, which offered all undergraduates a wide range of fields of study in addition to major courses.
from 1953 to 1971, Puxi was the president. Under his auspices, Harvard University conducted the largest fund-raising activity in the history of American higher education, raising 825 million dollars for Harvard. This activity raised the salaries of Harvard University teachers, expanded the financial aid for students, established new professorships and enriched teaching equipment.
Since p>1971, Bok has been the president. He has carefully dealt with some major issues in higher education, including administrative management, educational opportunities for ethnic minorities and women, and technological transformation between academia and industry. President Bok has also reorganized the management institutions of Harvard University and introduced modern management methods and procedures to various graduate schools and departments of Harvard University.
In p>1991, Lu Dengting became the 26th president. As a part of better coordinating the relationship between colleges and teachers, he initiated a centralized school-wide academic plan, aiming at identifying the most important and priority parts of Harvard. In addition, Lu Dengting also emphasized the responsibility of universities: excellent undergraduate education, the doors of universities are always open to people of different economic classes, and how research universities can adapt to the era of rapid information growth and severe financial constraints and meet challenges in a freely expressed society.
The continuous reform and renewal of the curriculum
The history of Harvard University for more than 36 years is a history in which development and change advance each other.
Harvard College, which was founded a century and a half ago, has always been based on two universities in Britain, Oxford and Cambridge, aiming at training priests, lawyers and officials, and paying attention to humanities, so students can't choose courses freely. At the beginning of 19th century, the horn of higher education curriculum reform sounded in Harvard, advocating "academic freedom" and "freedom of giving lectures".
The old stereotypes of "fixed academic year" and "fixed courses" have been impacted, and the system of free elective courses has gradually emerged. Some people in Harvard College also advocated the implementation of elective courses. This innovative demand was opposed by traditional conservative forces, and the initiative was not realized in Harvard.
However, the call for higher education to meet the needs of social development and students' personality is growing. In 1839, Harvard University launched the curriculum reform again. In 1841, Harvard officially implemented the elective system, but it quickly regressed under the opposition of conservative forces.
in the 196s, the American civil war broke out. The Civil War paved the way for the development of American capitalism. The productive forces advanced by leaps and bounds, and the status of scientific and technical workers gradually improved. Engineers, natural scientists and industrial technicians were able to keep pace with lawyers and officials. The change of the situation is very beneficial to the curriculum reform in colleges and universities, and the elective system has risen again, and Harvard has once again taken the lead in the reform.
In p>1869, Eliot, who was only 35 years old, became the president of Harvard University. Since then, he has been the president for 4 years, and he is the chief commander of the elective system. Under his leadership and promotion, Harvard University has fully implemented the elective system. By 1895, only English and modern foreign languages were still compulsory courses, and others were elective courses. Many colleges and universities in the United States have followed the footsteps of Harvard University, reducing or abolishing compulsory courses and increasing elective courses.
according to the requirements of the free elective system, students can study for a degree, and there are 16 courses for them to choose. As long as they meet the requirements, they can get the corresponding degree. This method breaks the fixed four-year academic system, and those with excellent grades can get the corresponding degree within three years, which can be called "eclectic talent reduction". With Eliot's efforts, Harvard University recruited celebrities and scholars to teach, and offered more elective courses than other universities, which expanded students' knowledge and brought their learning potential into full play. Eliot's educational thought and curriculum reform have a far-reaching impact on the development of American higher education. He emphasized that colleges and universities should give students three magic weapons: first, give students the freedom to choose in their studies; The second is to give students the opportunity to display their talents in the subjects they are good at; The third is to change students' learning from passive behavior to independent behavior, and to liberate students from dependence and subordination on teachers.
In p>199, Lowell became the principal. On the premise of retaining the advantages of free course selection system, he put forward a new teaching reform plan. Since 1914, the "concentration and distribution" system has been implemented. The so-called "concentration" means that out of 16 optional courses, six specialized courses of the department must be taken to ensure the key points; The so-called "distribution" means that the other six courses choose two from three different knowledge fields to ensure that students have a wider range of knowledge. The rest of the class is free for students to choose. This system can not only ensure the depth of specialized courses, but also broaden students' horizons, and also leave appropriate room for students' personal hobbies.
In p>1933, conant, a chemist, served as the principal. He made great efforts to govern. In 194, he set up a special committee to study the curriculum reform. After five years of repeated research, a special report was put forward, which advocated strengthening general education. According to the recommendations of the special report, Harvard University conducted experiments for another five years, and formally implemented the "general education" system in 1951. According to the provisions of the general education system, students in the first, first and second grades should take six specialized courses from their own departments, and then choose one general education course from humanities, society and nature, with three courses, and at least three courses from other departments; Second, there are also general education classes in grades three and four. Those who have not studied general education classes in grades one and two are not allowed to take general education classes in grades three and four. Third, students studying for master's and doctoral degrees can take part in the third and fourth grades.