Harvard Alumni for Social Action - Home Page


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HASA QUOTES

"Folks, what a great idea! And it strikes me that this benefits not only Africans but also Harvard itself. A firmer Africa connection and more African graduate students will help round out Harvard and make it a more diverse and stimulating place." --Nicholas Kristof '82

"Splendid idea -- why didn't one of us think of it sooner?"--George Scialabba '69

"Indeed, [Harvard] should basically put you out of business by targeting 50% of alumni donations for Harvard-led programs to benefit the 3rd world or the poor in the US. You would think that an economist like Larry Summers would have understood that by shifting the indifference curve, more giving would result."--Elliot Royce '83

"Great Op-Ed by Carroll Bogert in today's NYT! As a member of PBH's Project Tanganyika in 1962-63, I'm pleased to find a way to direct my (albeit meager) annual contribution where it may have a marginally greater effect. Asante sana."--John R. Brown '62

"Thanks for letting me know about this. I was an member of the Endowment for Divestiture and am so glad to hear that good work is ongoing."--Lisa Mihaly '83

"I have lived and worked in West Africa for several years since graduation. This project is a wonderful idea and much needed."--Thomas Kelley '83

"The op-ed article in the 5/25 NY Times was absolutely persuasive. I'm sending it to all of my classmates."--Frederick Levy '67

"For various reasons I have been reluctant to give to Harvard over the years, but I feel comfortable giving to HASA."--Paula Lerner '83

"HASA...is a really great idea...I'm writing from a provincial town in Burkina Faso, where I'm doing field work this month with a team of 12 Burkinabe researchers. The challenge of supporting higher education in Africa is enormous and I hope that HASA will be able to pressure Harvard to take the next step and form a partnership with one or more African universities..." Read full post >>
--Jethro Pettit '82

"If Jethro, Carroll, and Nicholas are in--so am I. Let's hope that Pres. Faust extends her conversations with alumni to this worthy movement. Open the doors wide to the marketplace of ideas, out of compassion, morality, and a desire for a strong world community."--Catherine Brown '83

HASA NEWS

June 23 , 2008: The N.Y. Times -- What Do Graduates Owe the World? -- letter to the editor by Sarah Stookey '82

June 3 , 2008: The N.Y. Times -- Alumni Group Tries to Elicit Social Action From Harvard by Stephanie Strom

May 25, 2008: The N.Y. Times Op Ed-- Enjoy the Reunion. Skip the Check by Carroll Bogert '83

June 7, 2007: Harvard Magazine -- Kennedy School Commencement Address by Nicholas Kristof '82

May 20, 2007: The N.Y. Times -- Africa's Storied Colleges, Jammed and Crumbling by Lydia Polgreen & Elizabeth Dickenson
And related letter to editor: May 27, 2007: The N.Y. Times -- The Big Picture in African Colleges by Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of NY

November 10, 2006: The Chronicle of Higher Education -- Alumni Gifts to Harvard -- Letter to the Editor

June 1, 2006: Inside Higher Ed -- Billions to Spare by David Epstein

April 18, 2006: The Harvard Crimson --Alumni Fund to Aid African Grad Students by Benjamin L. Weintraub, Crimson Staff Writer

April 12, 2006: HASA Press Release -- Harvard 25th Reunion Class Forms Organization to Support African Higher Education

J.K. Rowling's 2008 Harvard Commencement Address (excerpt):"If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."
Read full address >>

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's 2008 Kennedy School Commencement Address (excerpt):"I urge you to seize the opportunity to become true leaders. Motivate and inspire others to join you in your efforts. Exercise the character that sets you apart as role models for others to emulate. Think big. Let your dreams soar...Go for your ambition. Achieve your full potential. The time that you have spent at the Kennedy School says that you deserved it. Now go out and use it and change the world." Link to full article by Doug Gavel from Kennedy School website >>

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HASA-SASA Copyright 2007

Our Mission

Harvard Alumni for Social Action (HASA) is an independent organization open to all Harvard alumni who seek to encourage the University to use donations for social good. HASA members believe that Harvard's prominence and wealth make it uniquely able to support educational and research institutions in developing countries. HASA therefore works to fund scholarships for African graduate students at Harvard and also to fund infrastructure improvements at needy African universities.

To date, HASA has focused on increasing the number of African graduate students at Harvard and strengthening universities in sub-Saharan Africa through the establishment of two funds: the African Grad Student Fund and the African University Fund. HASA was founded by members of the Class of 1981 on the occasion of their 25th reunion and raised nearly $425,000 in its first year.

So far, over 600 Harvard and Radcliffe alumni have pledged their support for HASA (see member list). We invite all alums to pledge their support and be part of this new and exciting initiative. To add your support sign up for our Mailing List. Let us know if you can help us introduce HASA to your Harvard/Radcliffe classmates. We are already planning activities and coordinating outreach for next year's reunions.

Learn more! Click on HASA FACT SHEET and HASA FLYER to download the PDF versions.

Support HASA! Click on Donate Now to give to the two funds.