Offices and Affiliates

The Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning seeks to shape the future of education by discovering new ways to build the competence, curiosity, and confidence of learners on our campuses and around the world. We create engaging and scalable learning experiences, cultivate inspiring ideas, and connect a global community of learners—while developing tools, technologies, platforms, and policies to reduce friction throughout the learning lifecycle.

For full staff listings, see VPAL Team.

The Office for Community Support, Non-Discrimination, Rights and Responsibilities (CSNDR) works with the Harvard community to foster an environment free from discrimination, interpersonal violence, and the impacts of such harm.

The Office for Dispute Resolution (“ODR”) is a neutral body that impartially investigates – under the procedures pursuant to the University’s policies ­– complaints of sexual harassment and/or other sexual misconduct against students, staff, and, with most Schools, faculty. ODR investigations are handled by professional, trained investigators working with the involved Schools and units. Any member of the Harvard community may reach out to ODR to request information or advice, including assistance in filing a formal complaint or in seeking informal resolution after a complaint has been filed.

The Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty serves as Harvard’s central faculty affairs office, coordinating efforts to recruit and retain outstanding scholars, advance their research and teaching, and support their work-life balance.

The Office of the President and Provost Finance and Administration (OPP F&A) supports the President, Provost, and Executive Vice President in pursuing OPP’s finance, administration, and academic planning objectives.

OPP F&A’s portfolio of clients includes the units in the offices of the President, Provost, and the Executive Vice President (20+ units), the Allieds and Affiliates (8 institutions), central interfaculty and OPP Initiatives (12 organizations), school-based interfaculty initiatives (20+ organizations), and flow-through agencies (3 agencies).  OPP F&A directs the financial and strategic planning related to the annual budget development, multi-year plan, reporting, quarterly and year-end closes, accounting, compliance, and stewardship.  OPP F&A also provides administrative oversight related to organizational reviews and approval of FTEs (1200 FTEs), rationalization/organization of allocation and distribution of discretionary funds, and local implementation of new enterprise systems across OPP departments, affiliates, and initiatives.

The office oversees operations for buildings and spaces occupied by OPP constituents, including coordination and oversight of the Massachusetts Hall reception area which is the initial point of entrance for guests of the President, Provost, EVP, and University senior leadership.

Through the collection, analysis, and presentation of key data, the Office of Institutional Research and Analytics supports decision making in the Office of the Provost, the Office of the President, and across the University. OIRA also serves as the primary University-level office for internal and external data reporting, including mandatory federal collections.

Harvard’s vast international engagement is led by its faculty and students. The Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs promotes such engagement, coordinates international activities that cross Harvard schools, and oversees major new and existing international initiatives. The Vice Provost for International Affairs (VPIA) advises the Provost on international proposals and policies, consults with Deans and faculty members on international academic activities, and works with administrators across the University to implement international initiatives effectively.

Harvard Library champions curiosity for the betterment of the world. It engages our communities in the creation and sharing of new knowledge, connecting them with vast collections that we curate and steward. Harvard Library advances the learning, research, and pursuit of truth that are at the heart of Harvard.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research (VPR) has broad responsibility and oversight for the review, development, and implementation of policies related to the organization and execution of academic research, especially in the sciences, and to aspects of the University's relations with industry. The VPR works with the provost, the deans, the executive vice president, and others to identify and ease practical impediments to interdisciplinary research, as Harvard increasingly pursues academic ventures involving multiple schools, departments, and affiliated institutions whose policies and practices may vary in ways that can constrain opportunities for collaborative work.

The Office of Technology Development (OTD) advances research toward societal impact through corporate partnerships, translational funding, intellectual property (IP) management, technology commercialization, and startup formation.

To enhance early-stage research and advance Harvard’s vision to create impactful solutions, OTD facilitates corporate partnerships through industry sponsorship and university-wide strategic research alliances. Additionally, the three accelerator funds managed by OTD—the Balvatnik Biomedical Accelerator (BBA) for life sciences, the Harvard Grid Accelerator for tough tech, and the Climate and Sustainability Translational Fund for climate technologies—play a crucial role in moving research projects closer to real-world implementation. OTD also oversees an expanding IP portfolio developed by Harvard researchers and creates effective strategies to commercialize Harvard innovations by forming startups or licensing to established companies. 

In support of Harvard’s educational mission, OTD offers a range of programs, including educational workshops, mentoring, and events that showcase Harvard innovations and startups to the investment community. OTD and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) launched the Harvard Grid to catalyze startup formation in engineering and the physical sciences across the University. The Grid offers translational funding, workspace, mentorship, and advisors to promote entrepreneurship and startup formation.

The Harvard Trademark Program was established by the President and Fellows of Harvard College in order to register and protect Harvard’s trademarks worldwide; to regulate the use of the trademarks on products sold under license from the University; and, after covering its operational expenses, to help support Harvard’s student-aid initiatives with royalties received from the sale of licensed products. The Trademark Program also administers the University’s Use-of-Name policies and guidelines which govern the manner in which Harvard schools, departments, units, and its members may use the Harvard name and insignia, and assists members of the Harvard community with a variety of licensing, use-of-name, and trademark-related questions and issues.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University is a leading force in the American theater, producing groundbreaking work that is driven by risk-taking and passionate inquiry. A.R.T. was founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, who served as Artistic Director until 2002, when he was succeeded by Robert Woodruff. Diane Paulus began her tenure as Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director in 2008 and co-leads the theater in partnership with Executive Director Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., who began his tenure in June 2022.

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University discovers and disseminates knowledge of the plant kingdom to foster greater understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of Earth’s botanical diversity and its essential value to humankind.

Ever since their founding, the Harvard Art Museums—the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Arthur M. Sackler Museum—have been dedicated to advancing and supporting learning at Harvard University, in the local community, and around the world. The museums have played a leading role in the development of art history, conservation, and conservation science, and in the evolution of the art museum as an institution. Through research, teaching, professional training, and public education, the museums strive to advance the understanding and appreciation of art. Programs encourage close looking at original works of art, collaboration with campus and community partners, and the production of new scholarship.

Founded in 1913, Harvard University Press is the publisher of such classic works as John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice, E. O. Wilson’s On Human Nature, and Helen Vendler’s Dickinson. The Press continues to be a leading publisher of convergent works in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences, while also taking bold steps in exciting new directions, from innovative partnerships, to a diverse translation program, to an expanded commitment to facilitating scholarly conversation around the globe.

Established in 1938, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard administers the oldest fellowship program for journalists in the world. More than 1,500 journalists from nearly 100 countries and territories have received Nieman Fellowships and benefited from a year of study and exploration at Harvard University.

Since the first Fellows arrived in 1961, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies at Villa I Tatti has become the foremost research institution in the world for Italian Renaissance art, history, literature, and music. Harvard University inherited Villa I Tatti and its estate outside Florence from the distinguished art historian Bernard Berenson, together with his vast collection of books, photographs, and works of art.