HCF Speakers Series event with Rick Hunt, Former Harvard University Marshal

Rick Hunt, Ph.D, Former University Marshal, Harvard University

on

"Harvard on the World Stage"

How Did It Get There? How Long Can It Stay There? Which University (if any) Will Succeed Harvard?

 Tuesday, May 25^th, 2010, 7:00-9:00 pm
France Amériques9, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt
75008 Paris

The talk will be in English and followed by a cocktail reception.

For nearly 375 years, Harvard has risen to a position of unsurpassed academic excellence and world-wide celebrity. Most surveys still rank Harvard as the number-one institution of higher learning in the world. How did it happen? What advantages did Harvard possess? Why did Harvard pull ahead of all other universities in the last half of the 20th century?

An old saying: "Nothing lasts forever." How long can Harvard maintain its position of eminence? Given the recent economic recession, what will be the future of Harvard University? Which universities are the possible successors to Harvard's current position at the top of the academic world?

These are some questions to ponder for everyone interested in the future of the nation's oldest college.

Richard M. Hunt was a Harvard faculty member in social studies for 42 years and Harvard's University marshal for 20 years. An expert on modern European history, particularly the rise of National Socialism in Germany, Hunt has co-taught with such renowned Harvard scholars as Erik Erikson and David Riesman.

As University marshal, Hunt presided over Commencement and oversaw the Harvard International Office. He also greeted international visitors in the name of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, arranged for University delegates to attend installation ceremonies at other colleges and universities worldwide, and advised members of the University on matters of protocol.

During his tenure at Harvard, Hunt also served as director of the Mellon Faculty Fellowship Program, and as assistant dean (1960-1969) and associate dean (1970-1977) of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Hunt was also chairman of the Faculty Committee on Religion, a member of the Social Studies Committee, and an affiliate of the Center for European Studies.

He is co-author (with John Bethell, former editor of Harvard Magazine, and the late Robert Shenton, former secretary of Harvard's governing boards) of "Harvard A to Z," recently published by Harvard University Press.