Harvard Society of Fellows

The purpose of the Society is to give scholars at an early stage of their scholarly careers an opportunity to pursue their studies in any department of the University, free from formal requirements. They must be persons of exceptional ability, originality, and resourcefulness, and should be of the highest calibre of intellectual achievement, i.e. manifesting extraordinary creativity and shaping the future direction of their chosen field. These Junior Fellows are selected by the Senior Fellows, with whom the President and Provost of the University, and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, ex officio, administer the Society. Those elected receive three year fellowships.

The Society was organized in 1933 under the terms of a gift from A. Lawrence Lowell, then President Emeritus of Harvard. This gift was made in memory of Mr. Lowell's wife and is known as the Anna Parker Lowell Fund. Mr. Lowell was convinced of the value of informal discussions between scholars in different academic fields. Hence, from the time of its foundation, the Senior and Junior Fellows have met for dinner every Monday night during term-time and they are frequently joined by visiting scholars. Junior Fellows also lunch together twice a week.