Despite his academic contributions, Lowell’s presidency is often remembered for championing institutional discrimination.
: In 1933, he donated $1 million to establish the Harvard Society of Fellows , a program designed to support elite post-graduate scholarship without the constraints of traditional degree requirements. Controversies and Exclusionary Policies abbott lawrence lowell
: He oversaw the segregation of Freshmen Halls , specifically barring African American students from living in the dormitories he had championed as essential to "collegiate life". Despite his academic contributions
Lowell is credited with shifting Harvard from a loose collection of academic departments into a cohesive residential university. abbott lawrence lowell