Support for Summers
BOLSTERED BY a statement of support from the university's governing board, Lawrence H. Summers will remain president of Harvard. Now he needs to show by his actions, not his words, that he intends to improve opportunities for women there.
Words got him into trouble last month when he suggested that women are not represented more significantly in the sciences in part because of intrinsic intellectual differences from men. He was speaking informally, at an academic conference, but he should understand that every time the president of Harvard opens his mouth about a controversial subject, it is a major event.
Some faculty members believe he should be forced out. They will resume a meeting to discuss his conduct Tuesday. A reading of the transcript, released at last by Summers's office this week, shows that his remarks do not constitute a firing offense. They were hedged with qualifications, and he made it clear that he wanted to initiate a discussion, not preclude other views. When he realized he had ignited a firestorm, he issued an apology and denied that he believes women lack the ability to succeed in science. He established two task forces to reduce barriers to women in academia.
Still, the proof will be in what Summers does after the task forces make their proposals. By his ill-considered remarks, Summers has made the advancement of women in the university -- and in the sciences in particular -- an issue that will define his presidency.
The Harvard Corporation, a board currently composed of six men and one woman, is the ultimate authority within the university. James R. Houghton, its senior member, affirmed its confidence in Summers this week.
The corporation selected Summers because he was an assertive academic not afraid to offend power centers within the university in pursuit of his and the corporation's agenda. This includes improving undergraduate education, enhancing the role of the life sciences, and moving a substantial portion of the university's academic activities to Allston.
Since he took office in 2001, Summers has been involved in squabbles over the university's African-American studies department, divestment and Israel, and the role of ROTC on campus. It is fine for university presidents to be provocative -- we wish more were. But the corporation needs to educate Summers to pick his fights and his words more carefully.
The Allston move, still in its early stage, is going well. Establishment of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute last year demonstrates a new commitment to the life sciences. These achievements -- and those in the future, including the advancement of women -- should not be tarnished or thwarted by unpresidential forays into controversy. 