The dean of the faculty of arts and sciences at Harvard has offered assistance to its students in Louisiana, and also offered 50 visiting studentships (tuition-free) for the fall semester to students from colleges and universities tthat will closed because of Katrina.
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
The devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina have stunned us all. The loss of life, destruction of property, and unimaginably severe conditions that remain in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are profoundly saddening. Our thoughts, prayers, and sympathies are with all those who have suffered from the storm and its aftermath.
How can we as a university help? Let me outline several ways.
First, we are contacting our undergraduate and graduate students who live in the region to offer any assistance we can in helping them arrive safely for the fall term. We also stand ready to lend support to any member of the Faculty or staff who has family members displaced by the storm. Any faculty or staff in need of such support should contact my office at 617-495-1566.
Second, Harvard College will admit 25 additional students from colleges and universities that will not reopen this term due to the storm into our Visiting Undergraduate Student Program for the Fall Semester. Applications will be processed on an expedited basis. No tuition will be charged. On-campus housing will be provided on a space-available basis and priority will be given to students rendered homeless by the storm. Students interested in being considered for the Visiting Undergraduate Program should contact Marlene Vergara Rotner in the Office of Admissions at 617-495-9707 or vus@fas.harvard.edu.
Third, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will admit into the Special Student Program for the Fall Semester, 25 additional students from colleges and universities that will not reopen this term due to the storm. As in the case of Visiting Undergraduates, applications will be processed rapidly, and no tuition will be charged. Students interested in being considered by the Special Student Program should contact Sue Wood at 617-495-5392 or swood@fas.harvard.edu.
Fourth, the Harvard Extension School, which has led Harvard’s outreach efforts for more than a century, will allow enrollment in up to four of its fall courses to those students living within commuting distance who would normally be attending college in the flooded areas. For those students who are not within commuting distance of the campus, HES will make available enrollment in any of its 36 fall online courses. In either case, HES will waive the tuition for these students and require only the $50 registration fee. Scholarships for online courses are limited. Further, high school students from the flooded region who can come to the Boston area and live with relatives may enroll in Extension School courses that meet AP requirements, such as Introduction to Calculus, introductory science course, and introductory language courses. Students interested in these opportunities should contact Christine Santos at 617-495-5850 or santos@hudce.harvard.edu.
President Summers is posting on the University website a letter in which he will outline efforts across Harvard, including the establishment of a fund to assist victims of the hurricane. Let me suggest a further way you can help. If you are in a position to house a visiting student for the fall semester, you would do that student, and this Faculty, a great service. If you can assist in this way, please contact Anna-Lisa Plant in the Harvard College Dean’s Office at 617-496-0265 or aplant@fas.harvard.edu.
Finally, please help to spread the word about these opportunities to colleagues and friends in the affected colleges and universities. Given that our classes do not begin until Monday, September 19, there is still time. But we must move quickly. Now is the moment to show solidarity with our sister institutions who are in such need. With all best wishes,
Sincerely,
William C. Kirby
Edith and Benjamin Geisinger Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Kirby's Letter to Louisiana Students
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
The devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina have stunned us all. The loss of life, destruction of property, and unimaginably severe conditions that remain in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are profoundly saddening. Our thoughts, prayers, and sympathies are with all those who have suffered from the storm and its aftermath.
How can we as a university help? Let me outline several ways.
First, we are contacting our undergraduate and graduate students who live in the region to offer any assistance we can in helping them arrive safely for the fall term. We also stand ready to lend support to any member of the Faculty or staff who has family members displaced by the storm. Any faculty or staff in need of such support should contact my office at 617-495-1566.
Second, Harvard College will admit 25 additional students from colleges and universities that will not reopen this term due to the storm into our Visiting Undergraduate Student Program for the Fall Semester. Applications will be processed on an expedited basis. No tuition will be charged. On-campus housing will be provided on a space-available basis and priority will be given to students rendered homeless by the storm. Students interested in being considered for the Visiting Undergraduate Program should contact Marlene Vergara Rotner in the Office of Admissions at 617-495-9707 or vus@fas.harvard.edu.
Third, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will admit into the Special Student Program for the Fall Semester, 25 additional students from colleges and universities that will not reopen this term due to the storm. As in the case of Visiting Undergraduates, applications will be processed rapidly, and no tuition will be charged. Students interested in being considered by the Special Student Program should contact Sue Wood at 617-495-5392 or swood@fas.harvard.edu.
Fourth, the Harvard Extension School, which has led Harvard’s outreach efforts for more than a century, will allow enrollment in up to four of its fall courses to those students living within commuting distance who would normally be attending college in the flooded areas. For those students who are not within commuting distance of the campus, HES will make available enrollment in any of its 36 fall online courses. In either case, HES will waive the tuition for these students and require only the $50 registration fee. Scholarships for online courses are limited. Further, high school students from the flooded region who can come to the Boston area and live with relatives may enroll in Extension School courses that meet AP requirements, such as Introduction to Calculus, introductory science course, and introductory language courses. Students interested in these opportunities should contact Christine Santos at 617-495-5850 or santos@hudce.harvard.edu.
President Summers is posting on the University website a letter in which he will outline efforts across Harvard, including the establishment of a fund to assist victims of the hurricane. Let me suggest a further way you can help. If you are in a position to house a visiting student for the fall semester, you would do that student, and this Faculty, a great service. If you can assist in this way, please contact Anna-Lisa Plant in the Harvard College Dean’s Office at 617-496-0265 or aplant@fas.harvard.edu.
Finally, please help to spread the word about these opportunities to colleagues and friends in the affected colleges and universities. Given that our classes do not begin until Monday, September 19, there is still time. But we must move quickly. Now is the moment to show solidarity with our sister institutions who are in such need. With all best wishes,
Sincerely,
William C. Kirby
Edith and Benjamin Geisinger Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Kirby's Letter to Louisiana Students
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