Updated: July 17, 2026
Is Harvard is going broke? The growing chorus declaring just how badly Harvard’s own actions have harmed its most treasured asset–the Almighty Harvard Brand–has been growing louder, as you’ve seen in the news.
By extension, this has affected the money it rakes in annually from donors and alumni–leading to a ripple effect on campus operations.
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Even before this, and other recent and unsettling revelations in the news–which have only cost Harvard even more in reputational cachet and donations–an article by the Harvard Crimson, from November 2024, was already announcing that the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences–which is part of the largest division of the University–is straight-up broke.
Bear in mind: the Graduate School of Arts of Sciences at Harvard had–with much pomp and circumstance–had announced the outright renaming of the largest school at the University, in perpetuity, after Kenneth C. Griffin ’89 just a few months prior, in April 2023, because of his extraordinarily large donation to the University. We even all got the “big news” in our e-mail inboxes.
But, in a shocking turn-around, Griffin’s withdrew his deep pockets over Harvard’s internal politics–through its well-known M.O. of playing both sides of the coin, and hiding behind bureaucratic vagueness. To make matters worse, Griffin was only one of a phalanx of wealthy donors making their exodus from association with Harvard University and its coffers.
Setting larger politics aside–which, as I emphasize throughout my posts and videos, are not part of the discussion in this project (see: our Site Policies)–Harvard President Alan Garber has had this on his mind (with good reason) for a while.
(Fair Disclosure: Garber is an old personal/academic acquaintance, who helped “recruit” me to Harvard in the first place; when he was still serving as University Provost and I was then only an admitted, but not yet committed, candidate.)
This is only a portion of the financial and public-relations problems plaguing the University over the past months. In some ways, it should come as no surprise, given Harvard’s pattern of blindly prioritizing its image–at any and all cost–with often-inadequate consideration of all factors involved. In fact, none other than the United States Department of Education has opened an official investigation into Harvard–ostensibly over one issue but, no doubt, over a long list of misconduct with federal funds.
The latter is a subject better left for future articles and/or video content.
In short, this kinda-sorta explains–but certainly doesn’t excuse–some of the misconduct targeted at me directly. For instance: sudden “new [and selective] policies” from the Financial Aid Office at Harvard (that only applied to me), as well as the innumerable actions (emanating from different offices and personnel at the University, but coordinated through unnamed top-level University leadership) aimed at ruining near-every aspect of my life.
But no before saddling me with hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars in federal loans, to pay for Harvard’s own mistakes).
For legal reasons, I can only detail these in part in this project–though I do so as best I can to reveal the true nature of what happens behind the scenes on this University campus.
In the end, it comes down to this: Harvard’s financial problems are quite serious–and nothing to celebrate. But it’s hard to point the finger at any one but the party responsible for these problems: Harvard itself.
