Harvard Student Agencies

Founding

HSA was founded in 1957 on the ideal of financing education through student employment. With Harvard's tuition on the rise, members of the Financial Aid Office were concerned that the increased cost of higher education would adversely affect the social and economic make-up of those applying to Harvard. At the same time, some ambitious students were running small-scale businesses out of their dorm rooms. John Munro, Dean of Financial Aid, assigned Dustin M. Burke, Director of Student Employment, to investigate student businesses as a possible source of financial aid and to begin developing the idea that would become Harvard Student Agencies.

Later that spring, a meeting with student managers revealed considerable interest in the idea of a corporation, and more concrete plans began to emerge. With an initial capital investment of $7,000 and the acquisition of the rights to provide the weekly linen service traditionally offered by the university, HSA was equipped to carry its corporate overhead. The remaining pieces quickly fell into place. In August 1957, the papers authorizing a new company were filed. On September 10, the new corporation's first meeting was held. On December 13, 1957, the charter was signed recognizing the six original incorporators: John Munro, Dustin Burke, Greg Stone, John Giannetti, Theodore Elliot, and Harold Rosenwald.

Since then, the company has grown significantly over the past six decades. Let's Go publishing was the leading agency for much of the 1980s and 1990s, at one point publishing more than 50 titles annually. With the recent decline in publishing travel, however, The Harvard Shop has become the largest operation for the Harvard Student Agencies. With a robust e-commerce presence as well as four physical locations in the square, it aims to serve tourists, locals, and students alike. The company has also expanded organically and through acquiring startups that align with the company's mission.

In September 2021, HSA acquired Trademark Tours, the business known for its flagship “Hahvahd Tour.” Trademark Tours was founded in 2006 by then-Harvard-undergraduate Daniel Bodt, who owned and ran the business up to the acquisition.