Dear Members of the HMS Quad Community:

Over the last several years, Harvard Medical School’s administrative and financial leaders have put in substantial work to eliminate recurring deficits, balance our budget, and begin to build reserves. However, we are once again facing considerable financial headwinds.

Recent uncertainty around the future of federal research funding, coupled with ongoing cost inflation, increased labor costs, and reduced funding for programs and activities, has prompted the need for preemptive measures to ensure the continuation of our education and research mission and core values, and to support and safeguard our most important asset: our people.

In solidarity with the guidance issued earlier today by Harvard University leadership and given our School’s substantial reliance on NIH funding, HMS is implementing a temporary pause on the following, effective today:

• All hiring, including academic and administrative positions
  
• New non-sponsored billing agreements for workers in lieu of employment (does not apply to teaching contracts and a limited set of pre-approved contracts necessary to meet existing program obligations)
  
• New School-funded travel, not already scheduled
  
• New renovation projects and improvement requests that are not critical to sustain programmatic needs

Additional details will be provided soon to unit leaders in each area. If you have specific questions about positions necessary to meet existing gift- or grant-funded program obligations, or any other inquiries about this directive, please reach out to your unit’s designated finance and human resources business partners. The continuation of this pause will be reevaluated as we approach the end of this fiscal year and as there is more clarity on federal budgetary decisions.

We know these interruptions are not easy, but they are necessary to ensure our long-term progress and institutional health. Notably, work has been underway for some time by school and department leadership teams to consider and prioritize additional opportunities for cost savings, to restrain spending, and to increase revenues where possible. And our Research Sustainability Task Force, which includes faculty and administrators, is making progress toward developing a set of principles to help ensure that our critical research can continue during periods of financial constraint.

Please know that we are committed to making decisions that are in the best interest of our people and our collective work. Thank you in advance for contributing to this effort in any way you can, and for the work you do every day to enrich our community and advance our vital mission.

In Solidarity,

George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University

Lisa M. Muto
Executive Dean for Administration
Harvard Medical School