Description

The Harvard name comes from the first donor to the college, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown. Upon his death in 1638, he left his library and half of his possessions to the foundation established in 1636 by a vote of the Grand Court and the General Colony of Massachusetts Bay.

Harvard University (which includes undergraduate, postgraduate, other academic, research and affiliate institutions) does not have a formal mission statement.

The mission of Harvard College is to educate citizens and civic leaders of our society. We do this through our commitment to transformational force to teach liberal arts and sciences.

The Harvard campaign was designed to embrace the future and ensure leadership of Harvard University as it approaches the fifth century of education and investigate the pursuit of permanent truth.

These figures come from many sources, including the Harvard Factbook, the annual financial report to the Harvard School of Experts, and the Harvard Public Affairs and Communications reports and publications.