On its Cambridge campus and in a Boston courtroom, Harvard touted its international students as vital contributors to its makeup.

Traditionally giving speakers and students opportunities for unscripted moments, graduation events this week unfold as the university tries to thread a needle with the White House between resistance and accommodation.

For the crowd at Harvard’s 374th Commencement, the day was shaped by a legal fight over the fate of Harvard’s international students that played out simultaneously with the ceremony — and by Harvard’s historic,

Harvard University's commencement capped a tumultuous time for an institution that has come under sustained attack from the Trump administration.

"In this tender and pivotal moment, we must stand boldly for the freedoms and principles that define this and other great universities," Eisgruber told the graduating class.

Politics, protests, and an uncertain job market cast a shadow at the graduation ceremonies at top universities.