Where is the Corporation's letter posted? And where did Glaeser make his "Protocols of Zion" comment?
 

Check the crimson of 2/24/06
 

Shleifer as role model for Harvard freshmen:

Here's an excerpt from a fascinating speech that Summers gave to the incoming freshman and now maintains on his Harvard President website(This speech is from 2001--back when he had "recused himself" from Shleifer's legal problems --guess who the eager young student in the anecdote was? Looks like Summers hoped that the room full of freshmen could follow in Andrei's foot steps...


Freshman Orientation Day Address
President Lawrence H. Summers
September 2, 2024
If I may, welcome fellow members of the class of 2005. Having just returned to Harvard, I think of myself as a member of your class. I have been here since July enjoying an indoor orientation program of my own, not precisely the same as the orientation that you have enjoyed, but perhaps there have been some similarities in the experience.

Let me say a word about your class, a word about Harvard and what it means, a word about the great things we can do together, and finally, a final thought for your families.

This class is truly a remarkable group of people. Already you include professional level musicians and successful Internet entrepreneurs, published scientists and published poets, star athletes and dedicated social service providers, speakers of more than a dozen languages, and experts in countless areas. Every one of you has stood out, and every one of you has great potential.

Many of you must wonder -- I know I did when I went away to college -- what life would be like in a world so different from your high school, and in a world and living situation so different from that of your family home.

I know that when I was called on to respond to my appointment as President of Harvard, I found myself saying how exhilarated I was, but also, that I was a bit daunted to be here. And so are we all, given Harvard's history.

But to say that your classmates are impressive is not to say that anyone should ever be intimidated. You know, Harry Truman said of the United States Senate, that 'The first six months, I wondered why I was there. And ever after, I wondered why all my colleagues were there.'

That may be taking things a bit too far, but everyone here belongs, and everyone will find their place.

What about Harvard? You know, I must, at this point, confess that I did my undergraduate work at a small technical school located down Massachusetts Avenue, but also, along the Charles River. But I think I do know much about what is special about great universities, and especially about this one.

Now, I've said that as President of Harvard, strengthening the undergraduate educational experience here is one of the most important priorities that I face. How can you get the most out of your time here?

As hard as it may be to imagine, in just 45 months, most of you will be Harvard alumni. And for 361 years, Harvard's alumni have been literate, opinionated, and vocal chroniclers of their Harvard experience and what it has meant.

But I give this advice:

* First, follow your passion, not your calculation. What you will remember of your time here will be the special experiences, the things that really catch your imagination. Choose courses that cohere. Follow a program towards your objectives. But most importantly, do what catches your imagination. If there is something you really want to do, some curiosity that you want to pursue, make sure that you do it, and don't let anything stand in your way.

* Second, the faculty is here for you. There is no more important responsibility for any of us as members of the faculty than teaching and working with you, the students of Harvard College.

One of the former young men -- I guess he's middle-aged now -- who's now one of the stars of our Economics Department, was at one time a sophomore at Harvard College. He approached me and said, 'Professor Summers, the paper you wrote is really quite good, but it has a few mistakes. I'd like a job as a research assistant.' That led to an enormously productive relationship for both of us. It may not be everyone's chosen approach to the faculty....