Yale vs Harvard
The Yale Daily News has an interesting profile of President Richard Levin, contrasting his management style with that of Larry Summers.
The two men really do represent different styles of leadership. Levin is quiet and low-key; Summers, um, isn't. Outside of New Haven, no one knows who Levin is; everyone seems to know who Larry Summers is. You could argue that Levin has been a better president than Summers has, and that one of the reasons is because he's avoided the kind of controversy Summers keeps provoking in favor of the university's substantive needs. On the other hand, proponents of an activist university president, a "public intellectual," might argue that provoking such controversy is part of the job.
It may also be the case that each president is suited to the particular environment in which he's working. Levin needed to focus on Yale's finances, the condition of New Haven (so much improved under Levin, it's really impressive), and labor strife. Summers, meanwhile, leads a university which doesn't have to worry about money but has been, perhaps, intellectually lethargic....
