Harvard President Gets Standing Ovation Amid Trump Student Visa Fight/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Harvard President Alan Garber received a minute-long standing ovation at commencement, a show of support as the university battles Trump administration efforts to revoke international student access. Students and faculty spoke emotionally about the political tension hanging over graduation day. The ceremony also honored distinguished figures in civil rights, science, and education.
Harvard Commencement 2025: Quick Looks
- Garber’s Ovation: Alan Garber welcomed applause after referencing Harvard’s global student body.
- Standing Firm: Garber emphasized intellectual openness, saying students must “stay comfortable being uncomfortable.”
- Legal Backdrop: Harvard remains locked in a court fight with the Trump administration over student visas.
- Pinker Speaks Out: Professor Steven Pinker condemned the policy as anti-knowledge and harmful to science.
- Student Voice: Senior Thor Reimann called Harvard “at the center of a national battle over higher ed.”
- Global Impact: Reimann highlighted alumni contributions to medicine and science during national crises.
- Hong Kong’s Invitation: International tension prompted Hong Kong universities to welcome displaced students.
- Honorary Degrees: Harvard honored Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rita Moreno, and Dr. Abraham Verghese among others.
- Political Symbolism: Honorees praised Harvard’s defiance, turning commencement into a statement of values.
- Message of Resilience: Faculty and students emphasized commitment to truth, inclusion, and global learning.
Deep Look: A Graduation Day Framed by Global Politics and Academic Defiance
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University’s 2025 commencement unfolded as more than just a celebration of achievement — it became a poignant moment of unity and resistance. University President Alan Garber received a sustained, minute-long standing ovation Thursday as he kicked off the ceremony with an assertive welcome, signaling defiance against President Donald Trump’s efforts to restrict international students from attending U.S. institutions.
“Members of the Class of 2025, from down the street, across the country and around the world … just as it should be,” Garber told the audience, receiving a second round of applause for what many saw as a subtle yet bold nod to Harvard’s ongoing legal fight.
The Biden-era parole programs and the Trump administration’s reversal efforts loom large, with Harvard becoming a symbol of resistance in a national battle over higher education access.
A Campus Under Siege, A Community Unshaken
Harvard’s Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, Steven Pinker, called it a “day of mixed emotions,” telling CNN the moment was tinged with the irony that “the American government seems to be at war with its most famous university.”
“Knowledge has no boundaries,” Pinker said. “Sometimes the best science is done in another country.”
Commencement speaker and graduating senior Thor Reimann echoed that sentiment, saying:
“We leave a much different campus than the one we entered… but I am proud to stand alongside our faculty and president with the shared conviction that this ongoing project of ‘Veritas’ is one worth defending.”
Global Solidarity and Symbolism
The ceremony honored six prominent figures who have each championed diversity, justice, and global understanding — a carefully curated list that included:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who praised Harvard’s stand against racial injustice and federal pressure.
- Rita Moreno, a Latina entertainment icon and civil rights activist.
- Dr. Abraham Verghese, physician and author, who emphasized empathy in medicine as this year’s keynote speaker.
- Esther Duflo and Richard Alley, Nobel laureates committed to tackling poverty and climate change.
- Elaine Kim, a pioneer of ethnic studies and Asian American representation in academia.
Their presence reinforced the university’s message: excellence and inclusion go hand in hand.
Fallout, Opportunity, and Forward Motion
With thousands of international students unsure whether they’ll be allowed to return in the fall, Harvard remains a flashpoint. In response, Hong Kong’s universities — including HKUST and City University — have begun recruiting displaced students, turning the geopolitical battle into a global education reshuffle.
The Harvard ceremony didn’t just celebrate degrees — it reaffirmed values under siege. As Garber said, the true aim is to “expand our thinking and change our minds in the process.”
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