Lawrence Summers assumed the mantle of Harvard president in 2000. His predecessor had been Neil Rudenstine, a man noted for kowtowing to the whims of his leftish faculty. Affirmative action admissions and hiring had been his forte anyway. Then, in came a man with a large broom of rectitude. In a New York Times Magazine article by James Traub (Aug. 24, 2003), the new president began the task of promoting truly educated students, "so that students focus less on ways of knowing and more on actual knowledge."
Lawrence's opposition came less from students than from a faculty that had gutted the term "excellence". The Afro-American studies program, deconstructionist courses, and women's studies were all put under the spotlight. Rather than being little fiefdoms, answerable only to their department heads, they were to be answerable to the President. This caused much gnashing of teeth amongst the professors. Some call him a "control freak", or worse.
In quick order, Lawrence demanded a stop to the creeping grade inflation, the anti-Semitic business approach of the investment board, and the leftish curriculum. He wanted the university to be an innovator in the areas of public health and education. Finally, he dragged the top professors out of their ivory towers and made them teach undergraduate seminars. Since Harvard is the benchmark for quality education, Lawrence's influence is enormous. We can only hope his enlightened views on education will be contagious.
