The Dummies at Harvard

Last year, I ranted my politically incorrect thoughts about the problems now-outgoing Harvard President Larry Summers was having. The elevator pitch was that Summers had been unfairly excoriated for suggesting the reason women are underrepresented in scientific circles is because there may be genetic differences between men and women. The PC Mafia seized upon this statement to force an unnecessary apology from Summers, and the arts and science faculty (a very small minority at Harvard, given the plethora of colleges, students, alumni and staff) issued a non-binding no confidence vote.

Now that this saga has come to a regrettable conclusion, the PC Mafia is glowing in their successful revolution, completely ignorant to how this situation has tarnished the reputation of the university they think they run. If Summers is guilty of anything besides a brusque manner and some ill-advised public commentary (which is backed up by scientific fact), it is acquiescing to the wishes of a minority that has somehow dictated the behavioral rules and political attitudes that are acceptable in ZIP Code 02138.

It was irrelevant to this group that Summers was an extremely smart, financially astute and well-connected Democrat who was Clinton’s Treasury Secretary. It is unimportant that he was committed to growing Harvard’s already-elephantine endowment, making the university a center for stem cell research, expanding operations across the Charles River into Allston and reinvigorating the science department, which has seen prestigious professors leave for other institutions during the last 10 years. All that mattered to this group was that Summers had made public comments that did not adhere to their ultra-liberal views on religion, race, sex and the government.

Summers’ problems actually started in 2002. This same group of faculty, along with a similar minority of students, was repeatedly calling on Harvard to divest from Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians. I have long felt an undercurrent of anti-Semitism from liberals who call for such action, and Summers, who is Jewish, said such talk was “Anti-Semitic in its effect, if not its intent.” You can decide for yourself if that is accurate, but to the PC Mafia it was a call to arms, and the war began.

Another problem arose with Cornell West, one of Harvard’s noted African Studies professors. I read West’s excellent book Race Matters just after college, and it should be required reading for anyone studying social sciences. But that was over a decade ago, and West was getting more recent notoriety for appearing on hip hop albums, acting in The Matrix Reloaded and publicly supporting vapid charlatan Al Sharpton’s presidential campaign. Summers said that West should put more effort into academic endeavors instead of rapping and acting. But the bogus racism cries began and West left for Princeton in a huff. And the subsequent talk of gender in scientific studies and the problems installing a new Arts and Science Dean have been well documented.

It would be one thing if Summers had misappropriated funds or Harvard had begun a slide toward mediocrity in one or more of its schools. It also would be noteworthy if more than one college of Harvard’s faculty expressed no confidence in Summers, or alumni spending was drying up due to his actions, or applications were going down because of the struggle. But none of these were true. The entire situation emanated because Summers had offended the PC Mafia’s sensibilities and it’s ultra-liberal ideology – and woe to the Democrat who does not completely toe the ultra-liberal line in 02138.

The original concept of a university is not just a place of higher learning – it is supposed to be an open exchange of ideas, inquiry and debate. Sadly, this is not always the case in many corners of academia. Diversity cannot be limited to matters like race and gender; it must also include ideology and freedom of expression. Ralph Waldo Emerson expressed this at Harvard in “The American Scholar” in 1837, and Emerson would surely shudder at the lack of academic speech and freedom at the university today. If a university allows a single, radical group from any ideology mandate the terms of debate it will undermine the very tenets it requires to be an independent center of higher learning.

So while the PC Mafia chortles, it can dwell on the following: Harvard has a vacancy at the presidency. It also has deans who are leaving or have left from the business, education and engineering schools – some of these were announced before Summers’ resignation and some have been recent announcements; we may never know if they left as a result of the fiasco. Harvard’s CFO has also given notice, and a member of the university’s governing board left shortly after Summers gave notice. Pretend you are looking for a deanship or higher position in academia, bring great leadership and fundraising skills to the table, but your political views are not 100% in line with the contingent that ousted Summers. Would you apply there?

More information:

A Defense of Larry Summers by Former Boston University President John Silber: If you haven’t heard of John Silber, he is basically the Rudy Guiliani of academia. On one hand, he took a mediocre university awash in red ink in 1971 and turned it into a powerful and esteemed institution that now has several excellent colleges and a large endowment. On the other hand, his people skills were horrific and he also experienced no-confidence votes from the faculty. An interesting read from someone with a good perspective.

A roundup of opinion pieces by the Harvard Crimson: Get ready to be surprised.