Harvard University

Harvard University is famous as the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The university was founded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. Although founded in a Puritan colony, Harvard has no religious affiliation. The school’s famous alumni include quite a few U.S. presidents, including John Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Because of its age, the Harvard campus offers wonderful examples of Colonial architecture. Brick buildings, iron-tipped gates, and well-manicured greenbelts characterize the campus. Campus tours are popular with visiting tourists as well as incoming freshmen. The oldest buildings on campus pre-date the Revolutionary War.

The Impressive Achievements of Harvard University Faculty

Harvard University is made up of 12 different colleges, including the Business School, Design School, Divinity School, and the School of Public Health. Faculty members in each school are renowned within their fields; past and present faculty members have racked up an impressive 46 Pulitzer Prizes. Recent winners include Geraldine Brooks, winner of the 2006 prize for literature.

Harvard’s research facilities have made impressive breakthroughs in the world of science and medicine. In 1993, Harvard University researchers identified the gene for Huntington’s Disease. In 2000, a Harvard team created a new cancer drug being tested in patients for whom chemotherapy is either not an option or has not been successful. With dozens of affiliated research institutes, Harvard is well positioned for another remarkable century of discovery.