Mission
The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies is dedicated to increasing our knowledge of the culture, history, and institutions of the world’s major regions and countries.
The Harvard Academy was founded in 1986 on the initiative of then Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Henry Rosovsky, who served as its Chairman until 1996 when Samuel P. Huntington succeeded him, followed by Jorge I. Domínguez in 2004, and then by Melani Cammett in 2018. Timothy J. Colton became the fifth Harvard Academy Chair in July 2021.
The Harvard Academy is housed at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and responds to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
It is based on the premise that the scholarly world needs individuals who combine thorough disciplinary and area specializations. The Academy Scholars Program was established to facilitate this goal.
The Harvard Academy identifies and supports outstanding scholars at the start of their academic careers whose works combines excellence in a social science discipline with a command of the language and knowledge or expertise of countries or regions outside of the US or Canada. Academy Scholars are supported by The Harvard Academy to undertake research and writing for two years at Harvard University. Each year The Harvard Academy receives over 500 applications for scholarships and selects five or six scholars for two years in residence as Academy Scholars. They receive substantial stipends and support for their research and writing at Harvard. The Harvard Academy also organizes seminars and conferences, and supports Harvard University faculty research and publications.