Dear Harvard College Admitted Student,
Congratulations again on your acceptance to Harvard College!
As Dean of Harvard College, one of my highest priorities is to advance our mission of educating citizens and citizen-leaders for our society. At Harvard, we aspire to create a culture where every student is civically engaged in a meaningful way. While there are many ways that you can make a positive impact in your community and beyond, I want to draw your attention today to an exciting program which I hope you will take advantage of this summer.
SPARK is an internship program for incoming first-year students that enables them to participate in civic engagement in their hometowns during the six weeks prior to the start of the fall semester. Now in its third year, the SPARK program gives students the opportunity to apply their ideas and energy to public service projects at home while receiving ongoing support from Harvard’s faculty and public service staff. I encourage you to click on the link above to learn more about this program, and I hope you will consider becoming a Harvard College Service Fellow.
When you arrive on campus in the fall, you will find many opportunities to contribute to communities around Harvard through the programs we offer at the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship. You will have the chance to learn more about those communities at the Global Day of Service, which you will hear more about in the weeks ahead.
We hope your experiences at Harvard both in the classroom and in the community will become the foundation for lifelong engagement in your community. I look forward to seeing you in the fall.
Semper Veritas,
Rakesh Khurana
Danoff Dean of Harvard College