<p>"Harvard mea culpa by rich, white males
Plain Talk By Al Neuharth
USA TODAY Founder</p>
<p>Harvard University President Lawrence Summers quit his job this week. The real losers in the yearlong controversy over his leadership were rich, powerful white males who have dominated the university's governing board....</p>
<p>In the interim since Summers' first faux pas, the only black member of the Harvard Corp., Manhattan lawyer Conrad Harper, resigned. That left these bosses for Summers:</p>
<p>Four white males with Wall Street and/or Washington backgrounds.</p>
<p>One white female, former Duke University and Wellesley College president Nannerl Overholser Keohane.</p>
<p>Since Harvard was founded way back in 1636, it has been a haven for students from rich and/or famous, mostly Northeastern, white families.</p>
<p>You just want to really ruffle Byerly's feathers with this post...
you KNOW he's going to jump all over it with his
"conservative as victim" schtick any second now...
5... 4... 3... 2... 1...</p>
<p>Hmmm.... It seems NSM forgot a little thing called Affirmative Action that makes it worse to be a white male, which has been around long before this Summers thing happened.</p>
<p>Hardly an occasion to play the race card, IMHO. </p>
<p>Who is Conrad Harper? A "rich Manhattan lawyer with a Wall Street background".... who "happens to be black" as they say.</p>
<p>Big Al of USA Today and Gannett has had a love/hate (and mostly hate) thing for those he perceives, in cartoon fashion, as "the elite" ever since he went to South Dakota - which has since benefitted from his largess and where buildings are, in consequence, named after him.</p>
<p>Actually it was University of South Dakota. But yes, Neuharth tends to think of himself as a man of the people, ignoring the fact that he is also a "rich, powerful white male." The column reminded me a bit of the ad that's been running during the Olympic television coverage, where the corner office white male exec extols the virtues of the cell phone plan that allows him to talk when and where he wants, observing that it's his way of "sticking it to the man". Exec's assistant: "but you are the man." Exec: "yes." Exec's assistant: "so you're sticking it to yourself." Exec (with look of consternation): "maybe."</p>
<p>No reason to criticize NSM - I'm finding all of the press coverage that's been linked here interesting. Perhaps what I find most interesting is the sheer volume of press on just about anything Harvard does.</p>
<p>Yes, but it has ever been thus. Arguably, of course, this is the most significant academic event in the last 5o years.</p>
<p>It will be ironic indeed if, in the aftermath, applications to Harvard jump next year.</p>
<p>For two weeks, no other college has been able to get its name in the paper!</p>
<hr>
<p>And note: I'm not criticizing NSM, just surprised at her perspective given her "no nonsense" persona; who coiuld have guessed she was holding it in all this time.</p>
<p>"Hmmm.... It seems NSM forgot a little thing called Affirmative Action that makes it worse to be a white male, which has been around long before this Summers thing happened."</p>
<p>Not sure how this is relevant to a discussion of the university's governing board, especially considering that the article is addressing a complete lack of racial heterogeneity.</p>
<p>As much as it pains me to say so, it will be many years before Harvard recovers from this act of monstrous selfishness by the FAS turf-protectors.</p>
<p>"Hmmm.... It seems NSM forgot a little thing called Affirmative Action that makes it worse to be a white male"</p>
<p>True. And as a result, for instance, Harvard isn't just 25% female as it was in my day when it was far harder for women to gain admission than it was for men even though women had higher stats.</p>
<p>And, gosh, as a result of AA, I've seen such a big difference in terms of URMs and women taking over things like the majority of corporate presidencies, Cabinet positions, US Senate and House seats, Harvard professorships and even the positions on the Harvard Board of Overseers.</p>
<p>Really, things have gotten so very tough for white males. So very sad....</p>