From the Harvard Crimson: Jeff W. Lichtman walked into a Monday morning meeting as Dean of Science expecting to talk through faculty hiring. He left without his job. At the Jan. 12 meeting, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra surprised the biology professor by handing him a letter informing him that he would no longer serve as Dean of Science, according to two people familiar with the matter. Four people familiar with the situation said Lichtman was fired.
The removal came after months of friction between Lichtman and Hoekstra over how sharply to cut graduate student admissions in the Sciences division — reductions Hoekstra said were necessary after the Trump administration cut off nearly $3 billion in federal funding. As federal grants were frozen and the FAS prepared for a looming budget deficit, Hoekstra pushed for deep cuts to science Ph.D. admissions. Lichtman advocated for smaller reductions and broader faculty consultation in decisions, two of the people said.
...Before Lichtman entered the meeting, his interim replacement had already been selected. Earth and Planetary Sciences professor David T. Johnston — one of three faculty who worked in Lichtman’s executive office — had agreed to serve as interim dean before Lichtman was informed of his removal. Two days later, in a Jan. 14 email to Division of Science faculty, Hoekstra announced that Lichtman had “stepped down.” She offered no explanation for his departure and has continued to characterize it that way without elaboration...
Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/2/17/jeff-lichtman-pushed-out/.
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