College Chaos, Part 1
I don't think Harvard President Lawrence Summers's downfall "proves" that college presidents have lost their clout as stated in "Leadership Lessons"[March 6]. It's a false dichotomy.Larry Summers's failure was a failure of vision. He didn't see Harvard as a university of common interests. On another note, it is unfair to say there are no longer many--if any--college presidents who are national leaders. History, as much as any other force, deemed [legendary college presidents] James Conant, Robert Maynard Hutchins, and Clark Kerr as leaders.?
ED KELLY
Braintree, Mass.
The goals that Summers outlined were exactly what Harvard and other schools need to pursue: critical thinking, willingness to show courage, challenging political correctness, and insisting that teachers teach more classes and grade fairly. His plans will fail now because faculty members want to thwart needed changes and protect their jobs.
RICHARD FRIEDMAN
Tucson, Ariz.
College Chaos, Part 2
In the interview "Fixing Undergrad Education" [March 6], Harvard Interim President Derek Bok stresses that colleges poorly educate their charges, citing in particular the inadequate teaching of writing and quantitative skills. Yet, when asked what he had done to improve the education of Harvard students, he emphasized moral development, civic responsibilities, and community service. Teachers teach. Promoting a social orientation, publishing research, winning grants, obtaining tenure, defending campus political power, and building reputation are not teaching.
THOMAS W. SCHOENE
La Jolla, Calif.
During my 28 years as an academic, not once did any of the university presidents speak directly to the faculty about problems and their possible solutions. Their standard style was to pass this and other matters off to subordinates who had no more fire in their bellies than the presidents did. At all levels of education, the gulf between the teachers and the administrators is wider than a canyon.
RAY SINCAIN
Hazelhurst, Ill.
Corrections
Graphics illustrating "Turf Wars in the Delta" and "Keeping the Waters at Bay"[February 27] should have attributed some flooding to the Intracoastal, not Intercoastal, Waterway.
Because of an agency labeling error, the photo accompanying "Decades Later, a Bill Comes Due" [February 27] depicts soil sampling, not repackaging plutonium as reported.
Because of an agency labeling error, the photo accompanying "Decades Later, a Bill Comes Due" [February 27] depicts soil sampling, not repackaging plutonium as reported.
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