Resources for Current Scholars & Fellows

A Harvard ID number will be assigned to you. It activates on the first day of your appointment. You will receive an ID card.

ID card pickup for Visiting Scholars: Before going to pick up your ID, please confirm with Francesca that your ID number has been activated. After that you may proceed to the Smith Campus Center, 1350 Massachusetts Ave. ID cards will be issued on the 1st floor from the “Ticket Box Office”. The hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (Monday-Friday). Bring your passport and HYI Invitation Letter with you.

ID card pickup for Visiting Fellows: Visiting Fellows should follow the instructions on the VF info sheet to get your HUID number and pick up your ID card.

Harvard Key is your password which connects you electronically to resources at Harvard including full access to the Harvard University Library System and its collections. Obtain your Harvard Key at https://key.harvard.edu/.

Visiting Scholars: If you would like to have an “@fas.harvard.edu” email address, please email ithelp@harvard.edu and tell them you are a Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholar, provide them with your HUID number, and explain that you would like to open a FAS account.

Visiting Fellows: You will automatically receive a “g.harvard.edu” email address after registering your HUID.

OR: The Harvard Key process should direct you to the website you need to access the activation of a Harvard e-mail account for you. If you are not presented with this option right away when you sign up for your Harvard Key, you should be able to select an option on the https://key.harvard.edu page that allows you to activate your Harvard e-mail account.

You are in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) division at Harvard.
Your email extension will read @fas.harvarad.edu
You may also set up a Harvard gmail account with extension @g.harvard.edu

Set up a device that you have access to remotely for two-step verification. Search for “backup devices for two-step verification” on https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp.

Activate two-step verification

After August 30, each HYI staff member will be in the office twice a week. It is best to reach staff via email first, and we can make arrangements for an in-person appointment based on the office schedule for that week.

• HYI – Harvard-Yenching Institute
• HIO – Harvard International Office
• HUID – Harvard University ID
• HUIT – Harvard University Information Technology
• FAS – Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• RSEA – Regional Studies – East Asia
• HUHS – Harvard University Health Services (or just UHS)
• CGIS – Center for Government and International Studies
• EAS – East Asian Studies
• EALC – East Asian Languages & Civilizations
• GSAS – Graduate School or Arts and Sciences
• RSVP – “répondez s’il vous plaît” (French for “please respond” – in context, this is a request to confirm if you plan to attend an event or not.)
• ASAP – as soon as possible

If you need help, contact the HUIT (Harvard University Information Technology) Service Desk or visit the IT Help Portal:

HUIT Service Desk (617.495.7777 or ithelp@harvard.edu

Hours (EST): Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m; Sunday: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m

Tools and resources for remote work

Local IT Help Desks (select FAS)

IT Help Portal

If you are a Visiting Scholar you must apply for a social security number (SSN). Currently, the Cambridge office is closed to the public. Here are the instructions from the Harvard International Office:  

In order to apply for SSN you will need to mail copies of all required documents along with the SSN application form to the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office near your place or at  

10 Causeway St, Boston, MA 02222 (or 10 Fawcett St, Cambridge, MA 02138) 

They will then call you to schedule an appointment. Then you bring the original documents to the appointment in the government office. The actual SSN card  will arrive in the mail in 2-3 weeks after you visit the SSA office. 

Below are the documents you need to mail to SSA:

1. Copy of passport
2. Copy of DS-2019
3. Copy of I-94
4. Copy of the offer letter
5. SSN Application Formhttps://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf

If you had a social security card from your previous stay in the US, please bring the original card with you. If you no longer have the original card, you will need to apply for a duplicate. Even if you know your number, you must have an original card to present to Harvard’s Tax Office. 

Within thirty days of your appointment start date, you should receive an email from the Harvard Tax Office (support@online-tax.net) requesting that you complete a tax classification survey. You will need to complete this survey and then submit to the Harvard University Tax Office your I-94, DS-2019, passport and social security card (not a photocopy.) If you haven’t received this email, please inform Susan. 

Visiting Fellows should begin taking steps to receive a Social Security Number or an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN). This is necessary for United States tax purposes because you will be receiving financial support from the Harvard-Yenching Institute while you are in the United States. 

The Harvard International Office is a valuable resource for questions related to acquiring a Social Security Number or ITIN. We encourage you to explore their website to learn more about this process. Because you will be an F-1 visa holder and not planning to work on campus, you might need to apply for an ITIN instead. To learn more about the ITIN application process you should visit the following page on the HIO website (https://hio.harvard.edu/individual-tax-payer-identification-number-itin). 

Any questions you have related to the above materials may be directed to the HIO. 

 

You may sit in classes as an auditor with the course instructor’s permission. If there is a specific course that you are very interested in auditing, please directly get in contact with the course instructor/faculty. It is advisable to get in touch with the instructor one week to 10 days prior to the first meeting of the class, and ask them for permission. It will be very helpful to send a brief message to the instructor to introduce yourself and share your research interests and the reasons why you would like to take the course.

A publicly accessible Harvard course catalog is available.

After you have received your Harvard Key, you can visit my.harvard.edu to view the catalog.

Please see the other question for information about auditing (sitting in on) classes.

During the normal course of business, we offer shared office spaces to all our affiliates at the start of the academic year. This year, however, due to Covid restrictions, office assignments will be made in mid- to late-September. Please contact Francesca or James should you have questions and concerns about office space.

A printer, scanner, and photocopy machine are available at HYI’s Vanserg Office during regular office hours, Monday – Friday from 8:30 am – 5:30 pm. Please ask a staff member for help finding the room.