Tempest on the Charles
The conflict at Harvard has become a national issue, not just because of Harvard's position as America's leading university but also because of how rare it is for university presidents to involve themselves in such hot-button issues--a tricky business with professors who enjoy lifetime tenure and are, shall we say, possessed of amply developed egos, especially among a faculty as distinguished as that of Harvard.
Even after Summers apologized repeatedly, many in the faculty are clearly unwilling to forgive or forget, as last week's no-confidence vote indicates. Many Harvard professors don't want Summers to just take off his hat; they want to take off his head. This is a pity. In the future, Summers might do well to speak more in his role as university president and less as a brilliant academic. But it would be a great loss if this dispute is allowed to suppress honest debate and set back the pace of academic reform.
advertisement
