Harvard Alum Letters on the Summers Resignation, Plus a Rant!
The Harvard campus paper is full of letters about the Larry Summers resignation. They're all worth a look, since they display thoughts that don't appear in the MSM reports. There are, of course, a few letters by opponents of Summers, but the ones written by supporters are very interesting.
This one is by a Harvard alumnus who graduated in 2001, and . . . . well, read it for yourself:
As an alumnus of Harvard College, I cannot help but feel that this is truly a sad event for Harvard. Lawrence Summers brought a vision to Harvard that put it in a position to continue to set the benchmark for American universities into the 21st century. Among Summers’ major accomplishments, he advocated the recruitment of disadvantaged, lower-income students, leading the Ivy League and other elite universities to slash expected parental contributions and make up the difference in scholarships and grants, an initiative I have seen succeed first-hand as an alumni interviewer for Harvard. Further, it was during Summers’ tenure that the expansive curricular review began, a much needed initiative to strengthen scientific literacy among undergraduates, simplify and update distribution requirements, and encourage study abroad, all initiatives that will continue to make Harvard a leader in undergraduate education. Finally, Summers guided Harvard through the delicate but crucial expansion into Allston that will allow Harvard to forge ahead in the biological and physical sciences and indeed all areas of knowledge and scholarship. Yet the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, but one faculty among many, precipitated Summers’ resignation on account of his demand for first-rate scholarship, his challenges of their assumptions, and his refusal to kowtow to their sense of self-importance. It is shameful that a group of cantankerous, shortsighted, prima donna academics have ended the tenure of a truly visionary president. Unlike what some of the faculty have suggested, it is not Summers who is unfit to lead, but the Faculty of Arts and Sciences that is incapable of being led. |
This other one is similar, also by a member of the Class of 2001 (and note the fabulous usage of the adjective "Lilliputian"!):
To me, Harvard’s greatness was reaffirmed in its decision to appoint Lawrence Summers, a brilliant, provocative, and intellectually honest man who could show American universities what a liberal education was all about. The triumph of his Lilliputian adversaries, however, confirms what I had always feared about Harvard, that it is a bubble of self-congratulation and small-mindedness. The ramifications of his ouster will be broad and destructive, as free-thinkers and censors at schools across the country recalculate their positions relative to one another. This is a shameful day for the University. |
An alumnus of the Class of 1964 has an idea that will probably get Harvard's attention more than any kind of appeal to reason or justice or fair play. This alum has decided to stop supporting his alma mater financially:
The resignation of Dr. Summers indicates to me that Harvard has become a place where vigorous debate, examination of unpopular ideas, and critical thinking are valued less than political correctness, where courageous leadership is not to be preferred over extreme caution to avoid offending anyone. So be it. Henceforth, when the alumni fund solicitors call, I shall not donate so much as a penny to this shallow institution. |
*Start of Rant*
As for me, I cannot even begin to express my dismay at what the Summers resignation will mean for the Ivy League, higher education in general, and the fast-diminishing ideal of an old-fashioned liberal education. The end of Summers is a bloody victory for the forces of hard-core campus radicals who are absolutely entrenched in their own self-aggrandizement, glorified by the secular fundamentalist religion of fanatical political correctness that stifles critical thinking.
(Yes, Summers offended a lot of people. SO WHAT? Ward Churchill and Nicholas De Genova offended a lot of people too . . . but apparently that's OK because they offended the right people, whereas Summers offended the wrong ones?)
Anyway, if anyone had any doubts about the radical nature of some members of the Ivy League faculties . . . Summers is NOT a conservative or a Republican. He's pretty much center-left. He was Secretary of the Treasury for Saint Bill Clinton, for goodness sake, the popular center-left Democrat President who is more or less adored by every left-leaning person I've ever met. (An Australian news headline even says, "Clinton man forced from Harvard helm.") But apparently reasonable center-left, when placed next to campus radicalism, looks a lot like far-right-wing insanity. This can't possibly be a good thing.
Thanks a lot, Harvard, for proving your critics right. It's all the more bitter because, well, even with all the criticism, I was hoping (in vain) that Harvard would come to its senses and act like a reasonable adult instead of a spoiled, selfish, petulant child.
On the other hand, there is an interesting split on perspectives on Summers. Arts and Sciences forced him out. But a significant majority of the students wanted him to stay (the linked article is rather hostile and dismissive of the students). So perhaps, for the present era, the radicals will reign. But the generational gap, so to speak, may indicate that the future may be rather different. I can only hope so, because the entire Summers business has been an absolute nightmare for the Ivy League, even if the temporary victors are too busy celebrating their win to think about consequences of their coup or how it has sullied the Ivy League.
In the meanwhile, I don't wonder why the nastiness of academia drives far too many decent people away into other fields and careers. Who is so much of a masochist that they want to choose this kind of crazy life? The only party being impoverished is the academic one.
*End of Rant*