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<p>How will this situation affect incoming 2010, 2011 students? Instability can't be good.</p>
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<p>I think it takes a lot more than a change of leadership to create actual instability at Harvard. The massive Harvard of today has so much institutional inertia, trying to change its direction is like trying to steer continental drift. Only seismic events can wreak much change on the shape of a continent. Imagine upheaval on the scale of the social revolution that occurred nationwide in the late 60's and early 70's -- THAT changed Harvard a lot. Honestly, even the most ambitious plans that have been floated -- doubling the size of the campus with land in Allston, tremendous growth in engineering -- are pretty minor when you compare them to the scale of everything that's continuing in the same direction as before.</p>