Alan Michael Garber (born May 7, 1955) is an American physician and health economist, currently serving as the 31st president of Harvard University since December 7, 2024. Previously, he served as provost of Harvard University from 2011 to March 2024.

Early life and education

Garber was born in Illinois in 1955, to Jean and Harry Garber. He is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. He grew up in Rock Island, Illinois. Garber received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

with a major in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

in 1976, a Master of Arts in economics in 1977, and a PhD in economics in 1982. While pursuing his PhD at Harvard, he enrolled simultaneously at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, where he received a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

degree in 1983. He completed his

residency Residency may refer to: * Artist-in-residence, a program to sponsor the residence and work of visual artists, writers, musicians, etc. * Concert residency, a series of concerts performed at one venue * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or m ...

training in

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

-affiliated

Brigham and Women's Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 1986.

Career

Garber succeeded Steven Hyman as the

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

of Harvard University on September 1, 2011. He served as provost until March 14, 2024, when

John F. Manning John Francis Manning (born April 11, 1961) is an American legal scholar who serves as the provost of Harvard University. He is the Dane Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS), where he is a scholar of administrative and constitutional law. ...

took on the position on an interim basis. Later, Manning was appointed provost permanently. Garber is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Health Care Policy at

, Professor of Economics in the

Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the largest of the ten faculties that constitute Harvard University. Headquartered principally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and centered in the historic Harvard Yard, FAS is the only faculty respo ...

, Professor of Public Policy at

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

, and Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school at Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. It was named after Hong Kong entrepreneur Chan Tseng-hsi in 2014 following a US$350 ...

. He succeeded

Claudine Gay Claudine Gay (born August 4, 1970) is an American political scientist who is the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government and of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University. Her research focuses on American political behavior, inc ...

as the president of Harvard University. Initially appointed as an interim president, on January 2, 2024. On August 2, the

Harvard Corporation The President and Fellows of Harvard College, also called the Harvard Corporation or just the Corporation, is the smaller and more powerful of Harvard University's two governing boards. It refers to itself as the oldest corporation in the Western ...

announced that Garber would be the permanent president of the university for a fixed term of three years ending at the conclusion of the 2026–2027 academic year. He was installed as the 31st president of Harvard University on December 7, 2024, in a private ceremony at Menschel Hall, one of the

Harvard Art Museums The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

. In 2025, he was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

Tenure and controversies

Opposition to graduate student unionization

In July 2016, the Harvard University Office of the Provost launched a web page in response to efforts to unionize its graduate students. On August 23, 2016, following the Columbia decision that restored union rights to teaching and research assistants, the provost office wrote in an email to students, "we continue to believe that the relationship between students and the University is primarily about education, and that unionization will disrupt academic programs and freedoms, mentoring, and research at Harvard." Following a decision by the regional director of the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...

that Harvard was in violation of the Excelsior rule, Garber defended the university appeal to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., writing that the university "believes that the November 2016 election results, which reflect the votes and voices of well-informed students, should stand, and has appealed the Regional Director's decision to the contrary".

Private corporation board memberships

In October 2019, ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...

'' reported that SEC filings record that since being appointed as Harvard's provost in 2011, Garber earned more than $2.7 million by serving on the boards of directors for two pharmaceutical companies, Exelixis and

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is an American biopharmaceutical company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was one of the first biotech firms to use an explicit strategy of rational drug design rather than combinatorial chemistry. It maint ...

. Garber responded that he had thoroughly disclosed his industry affiliations in conflict of interest forms for the university, and the companies indicated that his compensation was normal for board members.

2024 commencement

The Harvard administration drew criticism for preventing 13 undergraduates from collecting their diplomas at the May 2024 commencement ceremony as a consequence of their participation in pro-Palestinian protests. Nearly 500 Harvard faculty and students criticized the sanctions as disproportionate, unprecedented, and designed to stifle open discourse, while others identified the action as an example of an " Exception" to free speech. The decision was initially overturned by 115 faculty members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, but ultimately was reinstated by the

in May 2025.

Clash with the Trump administration

Harvard Alumni Day 2025 - Alan Garber 04

On April 11, 2025, the Trump administration sent a letter to Garber threatening to cut back billions in federal funding unless Harvard accepted government demands that included requirements to “audit” the viewpoints of student body, faculty, staff, and to “reduc the power” of certain students, faculty, and administrators targeted because of their political views. It also demanded several pro-Palestinian student organizations to be dismantled and banned. On April 14, Garber announced that it had informed the administration through its legal counsel that the university had refused the Trump administration's proposed agreement. Garber's decision was hailed by many left-leaning political activists, including

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

and

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

. In response, the Trump administration began a series of legal assaults against the university, including asking the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

to revoke the tax-exempt status of the university, freezing 2.2 billion dollars in federal funding to the university, and barring the university from enrolling international students. At the University's 2025 commencement, Garber received multiple standing ovations during his speech for his defiance of the Trump administration. He received similar applause at the annual Alumni Day celebration the following week.

Personal life

Garber and his wife Anne Yahanda have four children.

References

External links

C.V. Alan Garber

Alan M. Garber - Provost

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Alan M. Garber - Interim President

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garber, Alan 1955 births Living people Academic administrators American Conservative Jews American health economists Economists from Illinois Harvard College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Harvard Kennedy School faculty Harvard Medical School faculty Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health faculty Harvard University faculty Jewish American economists Jewish physicians Members of the National Academy of Medicine Members of the American Philosophical Society People from Rock Island, Illinois Physicians from Illinois Presidents of Harvard University Stanford University School of Medicine alumni 20th-century American economists 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American economists 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American physicians