Summers' letter to the Harvard community -- guess what's missing?

If you have an FAS email account, you've received a message from Harvard's president Lawrence H. Summers to read his "Letter to the Harvard Community."

It's an interesting document, and touches upon some of the accomplishments and developments at Harvard in the past year or so, and plans for the future. Here's a summary of the University-related issues discussed in the letter:

* attracting the strongest students to all parts of Harvard;
* strengthening our faculty and its diversity at all levels;
* providing the best educational experience for students;
* expanding our efforts in the sciences;
* enhancing our support for the humanities and the arts;
* extending the University's international role;
* advancing Allston planning;
* identifying resource needs; and
* completing important leadership transitions.

It takes more than 8,500 words to detail all of these developments, or the equivalent of 19 single-spaced pages.

Yet even though so much effort is spent describing all of the accomplishments at various tubs, and plans for the future, guess which school at Harvard isn't even mentioned in the 8,500-word letter? That's right, the Harvard Extension School!

FAS is mentioned numerous times, as well as the other big tubs -- Business, Law, Medical. We hear about curriculum changes at the Education School and Kennedy School, and even plans for Divinity and Dental.

But the Extension School and Division of Continuing Education are not mentioned a single time. There are thousands of Extension students from the United States and other countries in undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The school is an important community resource. There are Extension programs that address the initiatives listed above, such as the push in sciences and technology. Yet the school doesn't even get a ten-word bullet point, or acknowledgement?

I am disappointed in President Summers' lapse -- it not only reflects a lack of concern for what happens at the Extension School, but also how the school fits into the Harvard community and can help the University achieve its goals.

If you'd like to email President Summers about this letter, his office has set up a special email account: community_letter@harvard.edu