<p>Summers Faces "Crisis" of Faculty Confidence
Professors assail president's leadership at full Faculty of Arts and Sciences meeting today </p>
<p>University President Lawrence H. Summers faced the biggest challenge to his leadership of his three-and-a-half year tenure this afternoon, as faculty members assailed him for intimidating professors and tarnishing the Harvard name.
The criticism came at the first full meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences since Summers controversial Jan. 14 remarks suggesting that innate differences may help explain the scarcity of female scientists at top universities. </p>
<p>Todays meeting, which lasted nearly 90 minutes, ended with a unanimous vote to hold an emergency meeting of the Faculty next Tuesday so that professors can further discuss their discontent with and lack of confidence in Summers leadership. </p>
<p>While many of Summers most outspoken critics led todays charge, they were cheered on by large sections of the approximately 250 professors in attendance. Monthly faculty meetings typically draw less than half that number, but at this meeting, professors found themselves sitting on the floor, standing in doorways, and spilling out into the halls to watch the anticipated showdown with Summers. </p>
<p>Anyone who has had any real life experience knows what Summers said was true (and yes, I have read it). But as they say, "you can't speak truth to power!" Not in this PC world anyway.</p>
<p>Was it not Summers who told 2 undergraduates that if they wanted contact with their professors they should have applied to Williams or Swarthmore. (yes it was!). So much for Harvard's Undergraduate focus!</p>
<p>Would I want a daughter interested in science to be under this man's guidance? Are you kidding?</p>
<p>He obviously says what he believes. That's the problem.</p>
<p>wyogal, do you know where Summer's remarks are published? I was under the impression that they were not recorded anywhere. If they are, I would like to read them.</p>
<p>Your statement above shows a sad lack of understanding of the research that Larry Summers misapplied and apparently misunderstood. I suggest you take a bit of time to read some of Julian Stanley's (and his associates) work before you jump to conclusions in defense of someone you don't know where you only have a small part of the story.</p>
<p>Here's a quote from the Boston Globe article refering to Summers suggestion to a Harvard undergrad looking for more contact with professors:</p>
<p>
[quote=Boston Globe, Dec 16, 2004]
Here is my favorite (indirect) quote, reported to Bradley by a student who met with Summers during office hours. The student told Summers "he was disappointed by how little contact he'd had with most of his professors." In reply, Summers "basically said that at Harvard, we choose to go only for the best scholars, and that if you wanted somewhere that focused on undergraduate teaching, you should go to a place like Amherst or Swarthmore." High school seniors, direct your applications accordingly.
<p>Interesteddad, that comment is very harsh. Thank god I'm not at Harvard. At least some profesors at Top 20 non-Ivy universities care for their students and don't mind if they stop by office hours occassionally.</p>
<p>Hmmm, President Summers' comment is somewhat ironic. He PERSONALLY seems to have a great deal more contact with undergraduates than I did with the president at the excellent small liberal arts college I attended.</p>
<p>The Crimson is full of articles about how he has "study breaks" with the students, hanging out with them, "hip-hop" dancing with them, autographing dollar bills for them, etc. He is currently co-teaching the second most popular class in the college, with hundreds of students enrolled, but last year he taught a small freshman seminar. He also shows up at student government meetings and seems forthright and eager to answer any and all student questions about his policies and decisions. His manner seems disarmingly informal. </p>
<p>By contrast, the president of the small liberal arts college I attended had very little contact with the students, other than to show up on ceremonial occasions appropriately gowned and making suitable platitudinous remarks. The same is true of many other liberal arts college presidents. They are so busy out beating the bushes to raise money for the institution that they have very little time to interact with the students.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I suggest you take a bit of time to read some of Julian Stanley's (and his associates) work.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I have read much of Julian Stanley's published work, and have also been in email correspondence with him to follow up on some of what he has written. Could you kindly provide me with citations to articles by Julian Stanley on the issue at controversy in connection to Larry Summers's reputed remarks?</p>
<p>The NYTimes carried an article about the faculty meeting too. The Crimson is the only newspaper allowed to attend the faculty meetings, according to that article. The faculty, according to the NY Times, portrayed the current controversy as not the most important issue they had with Summers, focusing instead on his leadership style vis a vis the faculty. It is hard to see how he can recover from all of this and become an effective leader. </p>
<p>It's funny because a year or so ago he was profiled in the Sunday magazine and seemed to be more like a breath of fresh air for Harvard. So I am of two minds about this: is he being criticized by the faculty because he is perhaps brash, outspoken, and refreshingly honest, or because he is an ineffective and intimidating leader? This faculty that is criticizing him now is the same faculty that is criticized as being aloof and remote from undergraduates.....anyone with any inside information on what the real issues are?</p>
<p>It's not clear that the remark attributed to Summers about undergraduate teaching at Harvard (according to some student, who I think is still anonymous to any reputable news organization) was actually said, and if he did say it, so what?</p>
<p>When your endowment is $17 Billion you don't have to beat the bushes for money the way you would if you were say the president of Brown, All that slaving money and they never saved any tsk tsk.</p>
<p>The faculty is hired help. Summer's is only in trouble if he ticks the trustees or the alumni off - which he may or may not have done. Time will tell.</p>
<p>I don't think he's a goner by any means. As far as I've heard, he's not in trouble with alumni. It doesn't sound as if he's in trouble with the whole faculty either, though he got a much deserved chastening by some of them. I'm still hoping that what will come out of this is more women faculty.</p>
<p>Patient, I've heard that one of the big issues is that he's trying to diminish the famous autonomy of the various different schools at Harvard. There are many people who support this, even though they may object to his abrasive personal style.</p>
<p>He is widely despised in Cambridge. He's stepped on a lot of toes trying to break up some well entrenched fiefdoms, including the African American studies department. Some of what he has attempted to do is probably long overdue, but it doesn't sit well on the banks of the Charles.</p>
<p>The way I see it, he could survive being despised, but he had no margin for error. Making PC faux pas in the capital of PC-dom is exactly the kind mistep that he could not afford to make. The women in science remarks are not his only gaffe. Apparently, Condy Rice was recently suggested to him as a commencement speaker and he replied by saying that he didn't want "an affirmative action speaker" at commencement.</p>
<p>There is no way to survive repeated PC gaffes in Cambridge. I'm sure that the Board of Trustees loves waking up and reading article in the New York Times trashing Harvard's president for being insensitive on issues of gender and race.</p>
<p>To me, the only question is whether he resigns immediately or handles it in a more low-key fashion by announcing his intention to return to the private sector at the end of the year.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Interesteddad, that comment is very harsh.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I didn't find Summers comment about undergrad teaching harsh. I think it was simply a frank statement about the institutional mission of large research universities. It's kind of a self-evident truth.</p>
<p>The accuracy of his statement could be easily verified by reviewing the university guidelines for tenure decisions. I am quite sure that "scholarship, research, and publishing" are weighted more heavily in tenure decisions than personal interaction with undergrads at Harvard. </p>
<p>That is not to say that Harvard doesn't have many excellent teachers who make time for their undergrad students.</p>
<p>Calling Condy an affirmative action hire in Cambridge is hardly unPC. Any minority who dares to stray off the reservation is quickly rounded-up by the liberal PC police and reminded they owe anything they have to the benignancy and enlightenment of their betters.</p>
<p>Anyway I doubt if he is gone over this. If they took his scalp now they would have to replace him with a woman and they probably don't want to limit their selection pool to half the gene pool. Also I don't think there is anybody left with a connection to the U of Michigan affirmative action case who hasn't already taken a job as an Ivy League president.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If they took his scalp now they would have to replace him with a woman
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I agree. In fact, when my wife and I were talking about Larry Summer over dinner, I mentioned to her that Harvard would be forced to hire a woman as his replacement.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also I don't think there is anybody left with a connection to the U of Michigan affirmative action case who hasn't already taken a job as an Ivy League president.