{"id":321565,"date":"2021-02-26T10:55:26","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T15:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?p=321565"},"modified":"2023-11-08T20:07:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T01:07:21","slug":"ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<header\n\tclass=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-article-header alignfull article-header is-style-full-width-text-below centered-image\"\n\tstyle=\" \"\n>\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ruth Simmons in 2010.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">Ruth Simmons<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">AP Photo\/Stew Milne<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t<div class=\"article-header__content\">\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"article-header__category\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\tCampus &amp; Community\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t<h1 class=\"article-header__title wp-block-heading \">\n\t\tRuth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"article-header__meta\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2021-02-26\">\n\t\t\tFebruary 26, 2021\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t5 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tTransformational university leader will address virtual ceremony\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p>Ruth Simmons, Ph.D. \u201973, president of Prairie View A&amp;M University, president <em>emerita<\/em> of both Brown University and Smith College, and one of the nation\u2019s foremost leaders in higher education, will be the principal speaker at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 on Thursday, May 27.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am delighted to announce that Ruth Simmons will deliver our principal address,\u201d said Harvard President Larry Bacow in a message to the Harvard community today in which he announced the virtual celebration, calling her \u201camong America\u2019s foremost advocates for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving led a women\u2019s college, an Ivy League research university, and a historically Black university, she has a unique perspective on how very different types of institutions contribute to the fabric of our nation\u201d said Bacow. \u201cShe has also defended with great passion the possibility of improving our society by learning from our differences. I very much look forward to hearing her remarks later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A native of Grapeland, Texas, and the 12th child of sharecroppers, Simmons began her career in academia with a scholarship to Dillard University, where she graduated <em>summa cum laude <\/em>in 1967. She then continued on to Harvard, where she earned her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures in 1973.<\/p>\n<p>After several years teaching as a professor of French at the University of New Orleans, Simmons entered university administration, and went on to serve in various academic leadership and faculty roles at California State University, the University of Southern California, Princeton University, and Spelman College.<\/p>\n<p>In July 1995 she was chosen to be the ninth president of Smith College. During her groundbreaking tenure there, she focused on expanding access and breaking down academic barriers, perhaps most notably by establishing the first engineering program at a women\u2019s college in the U.S.<\/p>\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-dcec77d4-ff5c-4b9e-a545-29ef2cc7a751\">\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ruth Simmons.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/\">\n\t\t\tNation &amp; World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/09\/ruth-simmons-argues-for-diversity-in-education\/\">\u2018What\u2019s at stake is the future of the country\u2019<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-09-24\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 24, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Her six-year tenure at Smith ended in 2001, when she was appointed the 18th president of Brown University, and the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution. She was beloved by the Brown community, and her time there was marked by an expansion of need-blind undergraduate financial aid, faculty expansion, enhanced curricula, and new facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons also helped Brown begin to grapple with its historical connection to slavery and the slave trade, establishing the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. In her charge to the group, she asked that they \u201corganize academic events and activities that might help the nation and the Brown community think deeply, seriously, and rigorously about the questions raised,\u201d acknowledging also that the University\u2019s history has given it \u201ca special obligation and a special opportunity to provide thoughtful inquiry.\u201d Today, the committee\u2019s report continues to serve as a blueprint for other institutions reckoning with their own histories of injustice.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons left Brown in 2012 for what she thought was her retirement from leading institutions of higher education. That changed in 2018, when she accepted the presidency of Prairie View A&amp;M University in her native Texas. In taking the reins of the historically Black college, Simmons saw another opportunity to continue opening doors for a new generation, just as Dillard had done for her in 1963.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow could I turn away from doing for other young people what was done for me?\u201d she said during her inaugural address at Prairie View A&amp;M.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons\u2019 work toward equal educational opportunity also continues outside of the halls of Prairie View. In 2018, she testified on Harvard\u2019s behalf in a lawsuit challenging Harvard College\u2019s right to consider race as one among many factors in the admissions process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beauty of higher education in this country is that it\u2019s very differentiated. We have women\u2019s colleges. We have male colleges, very few, but we have some. We have African American institutions. We have religious institutions. And then we have great research universities like Harvard,\u201d she said in an interview with the Gazette about the lawsuit. \u201cPreserving the flexibility of institutions to create these classes, with very different students coming together, learning from each other, intensifying the environment for learning, both in and outside the classroom, preparing for leadership, is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over half a century of distinguished service in higher education, Simmons has received many honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship, the President\u2019s Award from the United Negro College Fund, a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Foreign Policy Association Medal, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 1997, she received the Centennial Medal from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and in 2002, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University. In 2013, she was named Chevalier in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration bestowed by the French government.<\/p>\n\n<p>Bacow also announced today that the Harvard community once more would gather virtually in May to award degrees, due to public health and safety concerns related to the ongoing COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe delay of our Commencement Exercises for two years running is deeply disappointing, but public health and safety must continue to take precedence,\u201d wrote Bacow. \u201cThough circumstances may well improve by spring, it takes months of planning to prepare for our usual festivities, which draw to campus and to Cambridge thousands of people from around the world. Right now, the risk posed by that possibility is too great, but please know that one day we will welcome the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 back to campus for an unforgettable \u2014 and unforgettably joyous \u2014 Commencement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Past Commencement speakers have included Washington Post executive editor Martin \u201cMarty\u201d Baron, the late Civil Rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entrepreneur and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Simmons will be the sixth president of another university to deliver the address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prairie View A&#038;M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105622744,"featured_media":321570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gz_ga_pageviews":13,"gz_ga_lastupdated":"2022-03-31 09:23","document_color_palette":"crimson","author":"","affiliation":"","_category_override":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1364],"tags":[7426,38063,21187,44463,28099,30154],"gazette-formats":[],"series":[52971],"class_list":["post-321565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-celebration","tag-class-of-2021","tag-larry-bacow","tag-prairie-view-am-university","tag-principal-speaker","tag-ruth-simmons","series-honoring-the-class-of-2021"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.0 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 &#8212; Harvard Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Prairie View A&amp;M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prairie View A&amp;M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-26T15:55:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-09T01:07:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"harvardgazette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"harvardgazette\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b\"},\"headline\":\"Ruth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-26T15:55:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-09T01:07:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/\"},\"wordCount\":984,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"celebration\",\"Class of 2021\",\"Larry Bacow\",\"Prairie View A&amp;M University\",\"Principal Speaker\",\"Ruth Simmons\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Campus &amp; Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2021\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/\",\"name\":\"Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 &#8212; Harvard Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-26T15:55:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-09T01:07:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\",\"width\":2500,\"height\":1667,\"caption\":\"Brown University president Ruth Simmons attends ground breaking ceremony for the Warren Alpert Medical School in Providence, RI, Monday, April 26, 2010. (AP Photo\/Stew Milne)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/\",\"name\":\"Harvard Gazette\",\"description\":\"Official news from Harvard University covering innovation in teaching, learning, and research\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Harvard Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\",\"width\":164,\"height\":64,\"caption\":\"The Harvard Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b\",\"name\":\"harvardgazette\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 &#8212; Harvard Gazette","description":"Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021","og_description":"Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.","og_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/","og_site_name":"Harvard Gazette","article_published_time":"2021-02-26T15:55:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-09T01:07:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2500,"height":1667,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"harvardgazette","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/"},"author":{"name":"harvardgazette","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b"},"headline":"Ruth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021","datePublished":"2021-02-26T15:55:26+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-09T01:07:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/"},"wordCount":984,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg","keywords":["celebration","Class of 2021","Larry Bacow","Prairie View A&amp;M University","Principal Speaker","Ruth Simmons"],"articleSection":["Campus &amp; Community"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2021","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/","name":"Ruth Simmons to deliver address at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 &#8212; Harvard Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-26T15:55:26+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-09T01:07:21+00:00","description":"Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, will give the principal speech at the celebration for the Class of 2021.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg","width":2500,"height":1667,"caption":"Brown University president Ruth Simmons attends ground breaking ceremony for the Warren Alpert Medical School in Providence, RI, Monday, April 26, 2010. (AP Photo\/Stew Milne)"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/","name":"Harvard Gazette","description":"Official news from Harvard University covering innovation in teaching, learning, and research","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization","name":"The Harvard Gazette","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg","width":164,"height":64,"caption":"The Harvard Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b","name":"harvardgazette"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Ruth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/02\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg?w=150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg"},"articleSection":"Campus &amp; Community","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"harvardgazette"}],"creator":["harvardgazette"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Harvard Gazette","logo":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg"},"keywords":["celebration","class of 2021","larry bacow","prairie view a&amp;m university","principal speaker","ruth simmons"],"dateCreated":"2021-02-26T15:55:26Z","datePublished":"2021-02-26T15:55:26Z","dateModified":"2023-11-09T01:07:21Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Ruth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/story\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/story\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/ruth-simmons-to-deliver-address-at-harvard-celebration-of-the-class-of-2021\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg?w=150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Campus &amp; Community\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"harvardgazette\"}],\"creator\":[\"harvardgazette\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Harvard Gazette\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\"},\"keywords\":[\"celebration\",\"class of 2021\",\"larry bacow\",\"prairie view a&amp;m university\",\"principal speaker\",\"ruth simmons\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2021-02-26T15:55:26Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-26T15:55:26Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-09T01:07:21Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/news.harvard.edu\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg","has_blocks":true,"block_data":{"0":{"blockName":"harvard-gazette\/article-header","attrs":{"blockColorPalette":"","coloredHeading":"","creditText":"AP Photo\/Stew Milne","displayDetails":"","displayTitle":"","categoryId":1364,"mediaAlt":"Ruth Simmons in 2010.","mediaCaption":"Ruth Simmons","mediaId":321570,"mediaSize":"full","mediaType":"image","mediaUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg","poster":"","title":"Ruth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021","subheading":"Transformational university leader will address virtual ceremony","centeredImage":true,"className":"is-style-full-width-text-below","mediaHeight":1667,"mediaWidth":2500,"backgroundFixed":false,"backgroundTone":"light","coloredBackground":false,"displayOverlay":true,"fadeInText":false,"isAmbient":false,"mediaLength":"","mediaPosition":"","posterText":"","titleAbove":false,"useUncroppedImage":false,"lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"Ruth Simmons in 2010.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">Ruth Simmons<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">AP Photo\/Stew Milne<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"Ruth Simmons in 2010.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">Ruth Simmons<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">AP Photo\/Stew Milne<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"<header\n\tclass=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-article-header alignfull article-header is-style-full-width-text-below centered-image\"\n\tstyle=\" \"\n>\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"Ruth Simmons in 2010.\" height=\"1667\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AP_100426024103_simmons_2500.jpg\" width=\"2500\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">Ruth Simmons<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">AP Photo\/Stew Milne<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t<div class=\"article-header__content\">\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"article-header__category\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\tCampus &amp; Community\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t<h1 class=\"article-header__title wp-block-heading \">\n\t\tRuth Simmons to deliver principal address at Harvard celebration for Class of 2021\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"article-header__meta\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2021-02-26\">\n\t\t\tFebruary 26, 2021\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t5 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tTransformational university leader will address virtual ceremony\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p>Ruth Simmons, Ph.D. \u201973, president of Prairie View A&amp;M University, president <em>emerita<\/em> of both Brown University and Smith College, and one of the nation\u2019s foremost leaders in higher education, will be the principal speaker at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 on Thursday, May 27.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am delighted to announce that Ruth Simmons will deliver our principal address,\u201d said Harvard President Larry Bacow in a message to the Harvard community today in which he announced the virtual celebration, calling her \u201camong America\u2019s foremost advocates for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving led a women\u2019s college, an Ivy League research university, and a historically Black university, she has a unique perspective on how very different types of institutions contribute to the fabric of our nation\u201d said Bacow. \u201cShe has also defended with great passion the possibility of improving our society by learning from our differences. I very much look forward to hearing her remarks later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A native of Grapeland, Texas, and the 12th child of sharecroppers, Simmons began her career in academia with a scholarship to Dillard University, where she graduated <em>summa cum laude <\/em>in 1967. She then continued on to Harvard, where she earned her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures in 1973.<\/p>\n<p>After several years teaching as a professor of French at the University of New Orleans, Simmons entered university administration, and went on to serve in various academic leadership and faculty roles at California State University, the University of Southern California, Princeton University, and Spelman College.<\/p>\n<p>In July 1995 she was chosen to be the ninth president of Smith College. During her groundbreaking tenure there, she focused on expanding access and breaking down academic barriers, perhaps most notably by establishing the first engineering program at a women\u2019s college in the U.S.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p>Ruth Simmons, Ph.D. \u201973, president of Prairie View A&amp;M University, president <em>emerita<\/em> of both Brown University and Smith College, and one of the nation\u2019s foremost leaders in higher education, will be the principal speaker at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 on Thursday, May 27.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am delighted to announce that Ruth Simmons will deliver our principal address,\u201d said Harvard President Larry Bacow in a message to the Harvard community today in which he announced the virtual celebration, calling her \u201camong America\u2019s foremost advocates for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving led a women\u2019s college, an Ivy League research university, and a historically Black university, she has a unique perspective on how very different types of institutions contribute to the fabric of our nation\u201d said Bacow. \u201cShe has also defended with great passion the possibility of improving our society by learning from our differences. I very much look forward to hearing her remarks later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A native of Grapeland, Texas, and the 12th child of sharecroppers, Simmons began her career in academia with a scholarship to Dillard University, where she graduated <em>summa cum laude <\/em>in 1967. She then continued on to Harvard, where she earned her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures in 1973.<\/p>\n<p>After several years teaching as a professor of French at the University of New Orleans, Simmons entered university administration, and went on to serve in various academic leadership and faculty roles at California State University, the University of Southern California, Princeton University, and Spelman College.<\/p>\n<p>In July 1995 she was chosen to be the ninth president of Smith College. During her groundbreaking tenure there, she focused on expanding access and breaking down academic barriers, perhaps most notably by establishing the first engineering program at a women\u2019s college in the U.S.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p>Ruth Simmons, Ph.D. \u201973, president of Prairie View A&amp;M University, president <em>emerita<\/em> of both Brown University and Smith College, and one of the nation\u2019s foremost leaders in higher education, will be the principal speaker at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 on Thursday, May 27.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am delighted to announce that Ruth Simmons will deliver our principal address,\u201d said Harvard President Larry Bacow in a message to the Harvard community today in which he announced the virtual celebration, calling her \u201camong America\u2019s foremost advocates for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving led a women\u2019s college, an Ivy League research university, and a historically Black university, she has a unique perspective on how very different types of institutions contribute to the fabric of our nation\u201d said Bacow. \u201cShe has also defended with great passion the possibility of improving our society by learning from our differences. I very much look forward to hearing her remarks later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A native of Grapeland, Texas, and the 12th child of sharecroppers, Simmons began her career in academia with a scholarship to Dillard University, where she graduated <em>summa cum laude <\/em>in 1967. She then continued on to Harvard, where she earned her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures in 1973.<\/p>\n<p>After several years teaching as a professor of French at the University of New Orleans, Simmons entered university administration, and went on to serve in various academic leadership and faculty roles at California State University, the University of Southern California, Princeton University, and Spelman College.<\/p>\n<p>In July 1995 she was chosen to be the ninth president of Smith College. During her groundbreaking tenure there, she focused on expanding access and breaking down academic barriers, perhaps most notably by establishing the first engineering program at a women\u2019s college in the U.S.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"harvard-gazette\/supporting-content","attrs":{"id":"dcec77d4-ff5c-4b9e-a545-29ef2cc7a751","align":"left","allowedBlocks":[],"style":[],"lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"harvard-gazette\/featured-articles","attrs":{"autoGenerate":false,"className":"is-style-grid-list","inPostContent":true,"numberOfPosts":1,"postIds":[312273],"showExcerpt":false,"title":"More like this","category":"","carouselOnDesktop":false,"isEditor":false,"linkText":"See all book reviews","passPostIds":false,"postOverrides":[],"postTypeOverride":"post","receivePostIds":false,"series":"","showCategory":true,"showDate":true,"gridColumns":2,"showDropShadow":false,"showFormat":true,"showImage":true,"showImageZoom":false,"showSeries":true,"showReadMore":true,"showReadTime":true,"tags":[],"useCurrentTerm":false,"lock":[],"metadata":[],"align":"","style":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[],"rendered":"\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ruth Simmons.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/\">\n\t\t\tNation &amp; World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/09\/ruth-simmons-argues-for-diversity-in-education\/\">\u2018What\u2019s at stake is the future of the country\u2019<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-09-24\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 24, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t"}],"innerHTML":"<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-dcec77d4-ff5c-4b9e-a545-29ef2cc7a751\"><\/div>","innerContent":["<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-dcec77d4-ff5c-4b9e-a545-29ef2cc7a751\">","<\/div>"],"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-dcec77d4-ff5c-4b9e-a545-29ef2cc7a751\">\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ruth Simmons.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/\">\n\t\t\tNation &amp; World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/09\/ruth-simmons-argues-for-diversity-in-education\/\">\u2018What\u2019s at stake is the future of the country\u2019<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-09-24\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 24, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>"},{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\r\n<p>Her six-year tenure at Smith ended in 2001, when she was appointed the 18th president of Brown University, and the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution. She was beloved by the Brown community, and her time there was marked by an expansion of need-blind undergraduate financial aid, faculty expansion, enhanced curricula, and new facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons also helped Brown begin to grapple with its historical connection to slavery and the slave trade, establishing the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. In her charge to the group, she asked that they \u201corganize academic events and activities that might help the nation and the Brown community think deeply, seriously, and rigorously about the questions raised,\u201d acknowledging also that the University\u2019s history has given it \u201ca special obligation and a special opportunity to provide thoughtful inquiry.\u201d Today, the committee\u2019s report continues to serve as a blueprint for other institutions reckoning with their own histories of injustice.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons left Brown in 2012 for what she thought was her retirement from leading institutions of higher education. That changed in 2018, when she accepted the presidency of Prairie View A&amp;M University in her native Texas. In taking the reins of the historically Black college, Simmons saw another opportunity to continue opening doors for a new generation, just as Dillard had done for her in 1963.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow could I turn away from doing for other young people what was done for me?\u201d she said during her inaugural address at Prairie View A&amp;M.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons\u2019 work toward equal educational opportunity also continues outside of the halls of Prairie View. In 2018, she testified on Harvard\u2019s behalf in a lawsuit challenging Harvard College\u2019s right to consider race as one among many factors in the admissions process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beauty of higher education in this country is that it\u2019s very differentiated. We have women\u2019s colleges. We have male colleges, very few, but we have some. We have African American institutions. We have religious institutions. And then we have great research universities like Harvard,\u201d she said in an interview with the Gazette about the lawsuit. \u201cPreserving the flexibility of institutions to create these classes, with very different students coming together, learning from each other, intensifying the environment for learning, both in and outside the classroom, preparing for leadership, is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over half a century of distinguished service in higher education, Simmons has received many honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship, the President\u2019s Award from the United Negro College Fund, a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Foreign Policy Association Medal, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 1997, she received the Centennial Medal from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and in 2002, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University. In 2013, she was named Chevalier in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration bestowed by the French government.<\/p>\n\n<p>Bacow also announced today that the Harvard community once more would gather virtually in May to award degrees, due to public health and safety concerns related to the ongoing COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe delay of our Commencement Exercises for two years running is deeply disappointing, but public health and safety must continue to take precedence,\u201d wrote Bacow. \u201cThough circumstances may well improve by spring, it takes months of planning to prepare for our usual festivities, which draw to campus and to Cambridge thousands of people from around the world. Right now, the risk posed by that possibility is too great, but please know that one day we will welcome the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 back to campus for an unforgettable \u2014 and unforgettably joyous \u2014 Commencement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Past Commencement speakers have included Washington Post executive editor Martin \u201cMarty\u201d Baron, the late Civil Rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entrepreneur and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Simmons will be the sixth president of another university to deliver the address.<\/p>\n\n","innerContent":["\r\n<p>Her six-year tenure at Smith ended in 2001, when she was appointed the 18th president of Brown University, and the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution. She was beloved by the Brown community, and her time there was marked by an expansion of need-blind undergraduate financial aid, faculty expansion, enhanced curricula, and new facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons also helped Brown begin to grapple with its historical connection to slavery and the slave trade, establishing the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. In her charge to the group, she asked that they \u201corganize academic events and activities that might help the nation and the Brown community think deeply, seriously, and rigorously about the questions raised,\u201d acknowledging also that the University\u2019s history has given it \u201ca special obligation and a special opportunity to provide thoughtful inquiry.\u201d Today, the committee\u2019s report continues to serve as a blueprint for other institutions reckoning with their own histories of injustice.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons left Brown in 2012 for what she thought was her retirement from leading institutions of higher education. That changed in 2018, when she accepted the presidency of Prairie View A&amp;M University in her native Texas. In taking the reins of the historically Black college, Simmons saw another opportunity to continue opening doors for a new generation, just as Dillard had done for her in 1963.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow could I turn away from doing for other young people what was done for me?\u201d she said during her inaugural address at Prairie View A&amp;M.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons\u2019 work toward equal educational opportunity also continues outside of the halls of Prairie View. In 2018, she testified on Harvard\u2019s behalf in a lawsuit challenging Harvard College\u2019s right to consider race as one among many factors in the admissions process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beauty of higher education in this country is that it\u2019s very differentiated. We have women\u2019s colleges. We have male colleges, very few, but we have some. We have African American institutions. We have religious institutions. And then we have great research universities like Harvard,\u201d she said in an interview with the Gazette about the lawsuit. \u201cPreserving the flexibility of institutions to create these classes, with very different students coming together, learning from each other, intensifying the environment for learning, both in and outside the classroom, preparing for leadership, is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over half a century of distinguished service in higher education, Simmons has received many honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship, the President\u2019s Award from the United Negro College Fund, a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Foreign Policy Association Medal, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 1997, she received the Centennial Medal from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and in 2002, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University. In 2013, she was named Chevalier in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration bestowed by the French government.<\/p>\n\n<p>Bacow also announced today that the Harvard community once more would gather virtually in May to award degrees, due to public health and safety concerns related to the ongoing COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe delay of our Commencement Exercises for two years running is deeply disappointing, but public health and safety must continue to take precedence,\u201d wrote Bacow. \u201cThough circumstances may well improve by spring, it takes months of planning to prepare for our usual festivities, which draw to campus and to Cambridge thousands of people from around the world. Right now, the risk posed by that possibility is too great, but please know that one day we will welcome the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 back to campus for an unforgettable \u2014 and unforgettably joyous \u2014 Commencement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Past Commencement speakers have included Washington Post executive editor Martin \u201cMarty\u201d Baron, the late Civil Rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entrepreneur and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Simmons will be the sixth president of another university to deliver the address.<\/p>\n\n"],"rendered":"\r\n<p>Her six-year tenure at Smith ended in 2001, when she was appointed the 18th president of Brown University, and the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution. She was beloved by the Brown community, and her time there was marked by an expansion of need-blind undergraduate financial aid, faculty expansion, enhanced curricula, and new facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons also helped Brown begin to grapple with its historical connection to slavery and the slave trade, establishing the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. In her charge to the group, she asked that they \u201corganize academic events and activities that might help the nation and the Brown community think deeply, seriously, and rigorously about the questions raised,\u201d acknowledging also that the University\u2019s history has given it \u201ca special obligation and a special opportunity to provide thoughtful inquiry.\u201d Today, the committee\u2019s report continues to serve as a blueprint for other institutions reckoning with their own histories of injustice.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons left Brown in 2012 for what she thought was her retirement from leading institutions of higher education. That changed in 2018, when she accepted the presidency of Prairie View A&amp;M University in her native Texas. In taking the reins of the historically Black college, Simmons saw another opportunity to continue opening doors for a new generation, just as Dillard had done for her in 1963.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow could I turn away from doing for other young people what was done for me?\u201d she said during her inaugural address at Prairie View A&amp;M.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons\u2019 work toward equal educational opportunity also continues outside of the halls of Prairie View. In 2018, she testified on Harvard\u2019s behalf in a lawsuit challenging Harvard College\u2019s right to consider race as one among many factors in the admissions process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beauty of higher education in this country is that it\u2019s very differentiated. We have women\u2019s colleges. We have male colleges, very few, but we have some. We have African American institutions. We have religious institutions. And then we have great research universities like Harvard,\u201d she said in an interview with the Gazette about the lawsuit. \u201cPreserving the flexibility of institutions to create these classes, with very different students coming together, learning from each other, intensifying the environment for learning, both in and outside the classroom, preparing for leadership, is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over half a century of distinguished service in higher education, Simmons has received many honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship, the President\u2019s Award from the United Negro College Fund, a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Foreign Policy Association Medal, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 1997, she received the Centennial Medal from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and in 2002, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University. In 2013, she was named Chevalier in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration bestowed by the French government.<\/p>\n\n<p>Bacow also announced today that the Harvard community once more would gather virtually in May to award degrees, due to public health and safety concerns related to the ongoing COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe delay of our Commencement Exercises for two years running is deeply disappointing, but public health and safety must continue to take precedence,\u201d wrote Bacow. \u201cThough circumstances may well improve by spring, it takes months of planning to prepare for our usual festivities, which draw to campus and to Cambridge thousands of people from around the world. Right now, the risk posed by that possibility is too great, but please know that one day we will welcome the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 back to campus for an unforgettable \u2014 and unforgettably joyous \u2014 Commencement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Past Commencement speakers have included Washington Post executive editor Martin \u201cMarty\u201d Baron, the late Civil Rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entrepreneur and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Simmons will be the sixth president of another university to deliver the address.<\/p>\n\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\r\n\r\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\r\n","\r\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p>Ruth Simmons, Ph.D. \u201973, president of Prairie View A&amp;M University, president <em>emerita<\/em> of both Brown University and Smith College, and one of the nation\u2019s foremost leaders in higher education, will be the principal speaker at Harvard\u2019s celebration of the Class of 2021 on Thursday, May 27.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am delighted to announce that Ruth Simmons will deliver our principal address,\u201d said Harvard President Larry Bacow in a message to the Harvard community today in which he announced the virtual celebration, calling her \u201camong America\u2019s foremost advocates for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving led a women\u2019s college, an Ivy League research university, and a historically Black university, she has a unique perspective on how very different types of institutions contribute to the fabric of our nation\u201d said Bacow. \u201cShe has also defended with great passion the possibility of improving our society by learning from our differences. I very much look forward to hearing her remarks later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A native of Grapeland, Texas, and the 12th child of sharecroppers, Simmons began her career in academia with a scholarship to Dillard University, where she graduated <em>summa cum laude <\/em>in 1967. She then continued on to Harvard, where she earned her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures in 1973.<\/p>\n<p>After several years teaching as a professor of French at the University of New Orleans, Simmons entered university administration, and went on to serve in various academic leadership and faculty roles at California State University, the University of Southern California, Princeton University, and Spelman College.<\/p>\n<p>In July 1995 she was chosen to be the ninth president of Smith College. During her groundbreaking tenure there, she focused on expanding access and breaking down academic barriers, perhaps most notably by establishing the first engineering program at a women\u2019s college in the U.S.<\/p>\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-supporting-content alignleft supporting-content\" id=\"supporting-content-dcec77d4-ff5c-4b9e-a545-29ef2cc7a751\">\n\t<div class=\"featured-articles is-post-type-post is-style-grid-list\"  style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"featured-articles__title wp-block-heading\">More like this<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"featured-articles__list \">\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"featured-article \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-article__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200%2C750\" class=\"attachment-large-landscape-desktop size-large-landscape-desktop\" alt=\"Ruth Simmons.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=608,380 608w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=784,490 784w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1200,750 1200w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1488,930 1488w, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/050207_Ivies_330_g1.jpg?resize=1680,1050 1680w\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"featured-article__category\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/\">\n\t\t\tNation &amp; World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"featured-article__title wp-block-heading \"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/09\/ruth-simmons-argues-for-diversity-in-education\/\">\u2018What\u2019s at stake is the future of the country\u2019<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-article__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"featured-article__date\" datetime=\"2020-09-24\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 24, 2020\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"featured-article__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlong read\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Her six-year tenure at Smith ended in 2001, when she was appointed the 18th president of Brown University, and the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution. She was beloved by the Brown community, and her time there was marked by an expansion of need-blind undergraduate financial aid, faculty expansion, enhanced curricula, and new facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons also helped Brown begin to grapple with its historical connection to slavery and the slave trade, establishing the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. In her charge to the group, she asked that they \u201corganize academic events and activities that might help the nation and the Brown community think deeply, seriously, and rigorously about the questions raised,\u201d acknowledging also that the University\u2019s history has given it \u201ca special obligation and a special opportunity to provide thoughtful inquiry.\u201d Today, the committee\u2019s report continues to serve as a blueprint for other institutions reckoning with their own histories of injustice.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons left Brown in 2012 for what she thought was her retirement from leading institutions of higher education. That changed in 2018, when she accepted the presidency of Prairie View A&amp;M University in her native Texas. In taking the reins of the historically Black college, Simmons saw another opportunity to continue opening doors for a new generation, just as Dillard had done for her in 1963.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow could I turn away from doing for other young people what was done for me?\u201d she said during her inaugural address at Prairie View A&amp;M.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons\u2019 work toward equal educational opportunity also continues outside of the halls of Prairie View. In 2018, she testified on Harvard\u2019s behalf in a lawsuit challenging Harvard College\u2019s right to consider race as one among many factors in the admissions process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beauty of higher education in this country is that it\u2019s very differentiated. We have women\u2019s colleges. We have male colleges, very few, but we have some. We have African American institutions. We have religious institutions. And then we have great research universities like Harvard,\u201d she said in an interview with the Gazette about the lawsuit. \u201cPreserving the flexibility of institutions to create these classes, with very different students coming together, learning from each other, intensifying the environment for learning, both in and outside the classroom, preparing for leadership, is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over half a century of distinguished service in higher education, Simmons has received many honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship, the President\u2019s Award from the United Negro College Fund, a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Foreign Policy Association Medal, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 1997, she received the Centennial Medal from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and in 2002, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University. In 2013, she was named Chevalier in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration bestowed by the French government.<\/p>\n\n<p>Bacow also announced today that the Harvard community once more would gather virtually in May to award degrees, due to public health and safety concerns related to the ongoing COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe delay of our Commencement Exercises for two years running is deeply disappointing, but public health and safety must continue to take precedence,\u201d wrote Bacow. \u201cThough circumstances may well improve by spring, it takes months of planning to prepare for our usual festivities, which draw to campus and to Cambridge thousands of people from around the world. Right now, the risk posed by that possibility is too great, but please know that one day we will welcome the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 back to campus for an unforgettable \u2014 and unforgettably joyous \u2014 Commencement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Past Commencement speakers have included Washington Post executive editor Martin \u201cMarty\u201d Baron, the late Civil Rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entrepreneur and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Simmons will be the sixth president of another university to deliver the address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":354575,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2023\/02\/larry-bacow-praises-ruth-simmons-during-announcement-at-prairie-view\/","url_meta":{"origin":321565,"position":0},"title":"Bacow praises Ruth Simmons as towering figure in higher education","author":"harvardgazette","date":"February 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Prairie View A&M President Ruth Simmons, who formerly led Smith, Brown, to help carry out key recommendation of Harvard & Legacy of Slavery report.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Campus &amp; Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Campus &amp; Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Harvard President Larry Bacow and Prairie View A&M President","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Tighter-CropBacowSimmons.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Tighter-CropBacowSimmons.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Tighter-CropBacowSimmons.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Tighter-CropBacowSimmons.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":354522,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2023\/02\/ruth-simmons-named-to-senior-post-advising-on-hbcu-partnerships\/","url_meta":{"origin":321565,"position":1},"title":"Ruth Simmons named to senior post advising on HBCU partnerships","author":"harvardgazette","date":"February 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Ruth Simmons has been appointed senior adviser to the president of Harvard University, advising on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery efforts to create meaningful and enduring partnerships with historically Black schools.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Campus &amp; Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Campus &amp; Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ruth Simmons.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ruth-Simmons.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ruth-Simmons.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ruth-Simmons.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ruth-Simmons.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":327675,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/05\/ruth-simmons-urges-graduates-to-fight-for-equality-and-inclusion\/","url_meta":{"origin":321565,"position":2},"title":"Finishing the work left undone in America","author":"harvardgazette","date":"May 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Ruth Simmons, one of the nation\u2019s top higher education leaders and president of Prairie View A&M University, called on Harvard and its graduating Class of 2021 to fight to close the chasm of inequality that recent years have illustrated still exists in America.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Campus &amp; Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Campus &amp; Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ruth Simmons.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/052521_COMVirtual_0066.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/052521_COMVirtual_0066.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/052521_COMVirtual_0066.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/052521_COMVirtual_0066.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":324179,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/05\/harvards-2021-graduation-ceremonies-will-begin-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":321565,"position":3},"title":"Some pomp for the circumstance","author":"gazettebeckycoleman","date":"May 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Harvard will kick off this year\u2019s graduation ceremonies on May 23 with a range of virtual events to honor and recognize the Class of 2021.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Campus &amp; Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Campus &amp; Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Walking through Harvard Yard.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Harvard-Yard1200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Harvard-Yard1200.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Harvard-Yard1200.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Harvard-Yard1200.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":340143,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2022\/03\/merrick-garland-to-speak-at-commencement-for-classes-of-2020-and-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":321565,"position":4},"title":"Merrick Garland to speak at Commencement for Classes of 2020 and 2021","author":"harvardgazette","date":"March 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will be the principal speaker for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 Commencement ceremony at Harvard on May 29.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Campus &amp; Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Campus &amp; Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Merrick Garland.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/APGarland.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/APGarland.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/APGarland.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/APGarland.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":338603,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2022\/02\/jacinda-ardern-named-class-of-2022-commencement-speaker\/","url_meta":{"origin":321565,"position":5},"title":"Jacinda Ardern named Class of 2022 Commencement speaker","author":"gazettebeckycoleman","date":"February 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Harvard President Larry Bacow cites the New Zealand prime minister\u2019s \u201ccompassionate leadership.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Campus &amp; Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Campus &amp; Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jacinda Ardern.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220214_JA_AP_21284203431050.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220214_JA_AP_21284203431050.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220214_JA_AP_21284203431050.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/20220214_JA_AP_21284203431050.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105622744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321565"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":321942,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321565\/revisions\/321942"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321565"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=321565"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=321565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}