Community Values, Rights, and Responsibilities

The MLK Way: Building on Black America's Main Street, Final Review, Fall 2015

Community Values Statement

Harvard University and the Graduate School of Design (GSD) advance the frontiers of knowledge, preparing individuals for life, work, and leadership. Achieving these aims depends on the efforts of thousands of faculty, students, and staff across the University. Some of us make our contribution by engaging directly in teaching, learning, and research, others of us, by supporting and enabling those core activities in essential ways. Whatever our individual roles, and wherever we work within Harvard, we owe it to one another to uphold certain basic values of the community.

• Conscientious pursuit of excellence in one’s work
• Respect for the rights, differences, and dignity of others
• Honesty and integrity in dealing with all members of the community
• Accountability for personal behavior

Achieving the mission of the School requires an environment of trust and mutual respect, free expression and inquiry, and a dedication to truth, excellence, and lifelong learning. Students, program participants, faculty, staff, and alumni accept and commit to these principles when joining the Harvard Graduate School of Design community. 

Rights and Responsibilities

Each member of the GSD community has rights and responsibilities related to upholding these collective values. The GSD is committed to ensuring these rights and responsibilities through the four key areas listed below. These areas contextualize the GSD’s commitment, which is put into practice through related policies and procedures accessible through the following pages: