The Globe has a story today about Conrad Harper resigning from the Harvard Corporation. For those readers not in the know, the Corporation is the University's most powerful body, and controls the appointment of Harvard's president. Over the last few years, old-guard members have been retiring, and replaced with supporters of President Summers. Some of the retirees have gone willingly and with no hard feelings, but Harper claims he was frustrated with Summers' style.
This trend on the Corporation mirrors what's been happening with Harvard's professional school deans. Although some have moved on for normal reasons -- e.g., they've been deans for a long time, or have been offered better positions elsewhere -- it's no secret that those who have resisted or opposed Summers have been forced out. Summers is big on authority, centralized power, and loyalty, and those who don't follow the party line are shown the door.
This disappoints me. I was an undergraduate at Boston University during John Silber's tyrannical reign. Under Silber's tenure there were some improvements to the campus infrastructure, and BU's academic reputation improved, but Silber also oversaw some terrible management blunders -- WBUR's Jane Christo, the Dean Maitre fiasco and the aborted Presidential search featuring Dan Goldin spring to mind.
At least at Harvard, there is a strong and vocal faculty organization which is willing to stand up to Summers.
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