Harvard (pronunciation)

The stress on the proper noun Harvard falls on the first syllable - 'HAR-verd', IPA: /'hɑː^r və^rd/.

You will risk ridicule in academic circles if you stress the second syllable: 'har-VAARD', /hɑːr 'vɑːrd/.
 So don't do it!

Harvard is most commonly used as the name of one of the best (and richest) universities in the world, and various collateral names, such as Harvard College, and the mis-named Harvard system of referencing. It was named after its first great benefactor, John Harvard (1607-1638), a dissenting minister who had emigrated to America. (Although the 'Harvard House' is shown in Stratford-upon-Avon, it was the birthplace of his mother, née Katherine Rogers, and built by his grandfather Thomas Rogers. John Harvard was actually born in Southwark, in London.)