About the Division of Social Science

Vision

To innovate and excel in creating and passing on social science knowledge, with the goal of enriching our understanding of human society and relationships and improving people’s lives.

Mission

Leveraging our distinctive faculty and other unparalleled assets to engage and powerfully respond to the challenges and opportunities of our times.

Values

We are dedicated to inclusive excellence, which derives from our strong commitment to:

• academic freedom and the pursuit of truth
• reliance on reason and evidence as the basis for knowledge and social action
• diversity in all its forms
• a culture of trust, transparency, equity, and kindness

Strategy

• Recruit the best scholars to Harvard and retain them by ensuring they have the resources and community they need to be productive and thrive.
• Enable transformative learning experiences for our undergraduate and graduate students.
• Ensure our academic departments, research centers, museums, institutes, and archives have the resources they need to realize their missions; encourage and facilitate cross-unit collaboration to enable cutting-edge scholarship and teaching.
• Promote multi-disciplinary initiatives designed to explore and respond to issues of broad societal import.
• Diversify our faculty and staff, and ensure an inclusive, respectful, adaptive, and healthy workplace culture that supports all individuals in developing their skills and performing their best work.