Harvard Rules...in the Wall Street Journal
Michael Steinberger, a senior correspondent for the American Prospect, has a piece in today's Wall Street Journal on why Harvard gets so much ink. He mentions
Harvard Rules and Ross Douthat's
Privilege, of course, as examples of the media paying attention to Harvard. But before launching into his explanation, he first argues that Harvard doesn't deserve all the attention it gets.
According to Steinberger, Harvard:
--doesn't produce presidents the way it used to
--doesn't produce business leaders very often, and when it does, they underperform businesspeople from other schools
--doesn't lead in technological innovation
--it isn't as intellectually influential as it used to be
In short, "Harvard is diminishing in importance as a factory for ideas and a breeding ground for future leaders."
But what do you really think, Mr. Steinberger?
Well, apparently he thinks that the prevalence of Harvard grads in the media (he's not one) helps explain the media's attention to Harvard.
Sometimes, certainly. Another reason, I think, is the name brand quality of the university. A third reason is that the university is still excellent in so many ways.
But say for the sake of argument that Steinberger's right about Harvard's diminishing centrality. The question then becomes, is Larry Summers' presidency addressing these issues?
And I don't ask that question rhetorically... It is, really, Harvard's most important question, and I don't think there's a simple yes or no answer.
