How they do it at Harvard - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Mar 15, 2005

How they do it at Harvard

Date: Mar 15, 2005

“Let me just say that I have done my best these last two months to hear what has been said, to think hard about what has been said, and to make the appropriate adjustments, to learn from what has been said and what’s been done. And I will continue to do that,” Summers said. . . . Professor of Economics Edward L. Glaeser said that Summers is prepared to change his leadership style to accommodate the Faculty.“I have every confidence that the president has heard the Faculty and that he takes this very seriously,” Glaeser said.

It's impossible to imagine Shelby acting this way. If he had said anything remotely like this last year, USM might not be in the fix it is now in. One difference between Summers and Shelby is that whereas Summers may think that some women scientists are inferior, Shelby seems to think that every other human being is inferior to SFT.

Date: Mar 15, 2005

From the account in the New York Times:

The corporation reaffirmed its support for Dr. Summers in a statement released after the meeting by James R. Houghton, senior fellow of the corporation. "The members of the Corporation fully support President Summers in his ongoing efforts to listen thoughtfully to the range of views being expressed by members of the university's faculties, and to work collegially and constructively with them to address the important academic matters facing Harvard," Mr. Houghton said in the statement.

If only the IHL would issue this kind of statement of "support" for Shelby, it would be a sign of some preogress.