Our name, like the zip code, is merely our point of origin. The collective consciousness we aim to tap stretches across not just zip codes but continents. As Harvard graduates, we share cultural DNA; we are connected not only by our interest in our alma mater but by our interest in each other: classmates, friends, colleagues, competitors. Our mission at 02138 is to track the Harvard tribe and to look at the world through the lens of Harvard—with intellectual rigor and a critical eye. We don’t aim to sell you on the university, indulge in nostalgia, or increase the endowment (not that we object to any of those things). 02138 will deliver independent, provocative, and irreverent journalism that challenges and entertains.

We will not hesitate to name names. For starters, 100 of them make up our first list of the most influential living Harvard alumni, in all fields from investment banking to neurobiology. We fully expect you to take issue with some of our choices (and not just the delicate matter of whether you appear on the list). Given the number of Harvard players on the world stage there were two or three deserving candidate for every name we included.

Although curiosity may have drawn you to the list, we hope that some of what you read there will leave you inspired or reflective. Other features in this issue take you inside the secretive Corporation that governs Harvard, out to the border between California and Mexico, and into a treatment facility for young women suffering from eating disorders. And Harvard’s willingness to open its arms to our offspring is of enduring interest, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Daniel Golden explores in detail how the admissions process increasingly favors the biggest donors.

“Good luck with your new magazine,” John Updike wrote to us a few months ago. “You may have to struggle with all the people who will address you at the zip code number 02138.” He was referring to the reality that our offices are not located in our eponymous zip code. But then neither are most of you. 02138 aims to go where you are—which is pretty much everywhere—to chronicle your exploits and explore your passions and interests. 02138 is just our mutual starting point.