Lawrence Bacow
Lawrence Seldon Bacow (/ˈbækaʊ/; born August 24, 1951) is an American economist and retired university administrator. Bacow served as the 12th president of Tufts University from 2001 to 2011 and as the 29th president of Harvard University from 2018 to 2023.[1] Before that, he was the Hauser leader-in-residence at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School.
Lawrence Bacow
Paul E. Gray (1980)
Adele Fleet
2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tufts University
Harvard University
Bacow began his academic career in 1977 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a professor of environmental studies in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning[2] before becoming the department's chair and ultimately the university's chancellor. After serving as president of Tufts, he joined the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was a member of one of Harvard University's governing boards, the President and Fellows of Harvard College.
On June 8, 2022, Bacow announced he would be leaving the presidency of Harvard in June 2023 after five years in office.[3] In December 2022, the Harvard Corporation announced that Claudine Gay would succeed him as Harvard's 30th president.
Early life and education[edit]
Bacow was born on August 24, 1951, in Detroit, Michigan, to Jewish parents. His mother emigrated from Europe at age 19 after World War II and was the only member of her family to survive Auschwitz. His father was brought to the United States from Belarus as a child to escape pogroms.[4] Bacow grew up in Pontiac, Michigan, where he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and became an Eagle Scout. The organization recognized him with its Distinguished Eagle Scout Award later in life.[5][6]
Bacow attended Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[7] He then received his S.B. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the Jewish fraternity Zeta Beta Tau. He received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, a M.P.P. from Harvard Kennedy School, and his Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.[8][9]
Career[edit]
Massachusetts Institute of Technology[edit]
Bacow began his academic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he served as a professor for 24 years, ultimately being appointed department chair and chancellor. Upon completion of graduate school in 1977, he returned to MIT to teach in the department of urban studies and planning, becoming the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies. He co-founded and was the first director of MIT's Center for Real Estate. As chancellor, he oversaw undergraduate and graduate education, student life, admissions, financial aid, athletics, campus planning, and MIT's industrial and international partnerships.[10] He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.[11]
Tufts University[edit]
On September 1, 2001, Bacow was elected the 12th president of Tufts University.[12]
At Tufts, Bacow opposed graduate students' and technical and clerical employees' unionization efforts, which led to a student protest culminating in a student-led takeover of an administration building.[13][14] On February 8, 2010, in an email to Tufts' student body, Bacow announced he would step down as president in June 2011. On March 1, 2010, then U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Bacow to the board of advisors for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.[15] Bacow received $2,182,717 in compensation in 2011.[16]
Harvard University[edit]
On May 25, 2011, Bacow was named a member of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, one of the boards charged with guiding Harvard University's endeavors and initiatives.[17] For about a month, until his resignation from Tufts, he had governance responsibilities at both Tufts and Harvard.
In 2006, Bacow was mentioned in The Chronicle of Higher Education as a possible candidate to succeed Lawrence Summers as president of Harvard University; Tufts' public relations director issued a statement asserting that Bacow was happy at Tufts and came there with the expectation that it "would be his last position and that's still his expectation".[18]
Bacow was initially a member of the Presidential Search Committee assembled to find Harvard's next president soon after Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard's 28th president, announced her retirement. On February 11, 2018, Bacow was selected from 700 candidates as Harvard's 29th president effective July 1, 2018.[19][20][12]
Bacow was inaugurated in a Harvard Yard ceremony on October 5, 2018, three months after officially taking on presidential duties.[21] The ceremony was attended by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and MIT President Leo Rafael Reif. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman composed and recited a poem, "Making Mountains as We Run", for the event. In his inaugural address, Bacow said: