Bridging the Faculty-Student Gap
One of the unfortunate lessons of the Summers experience at Harvard is the revelation of just how great is the gap between students and faculty. Both groups disagree about Larry Summers, and both groups are finding it hard to understand the other's perspective. This is not healthy. I think you see some evidence of that in the postings on this blog; there's some mutual acrimony that is unfortunate.
That's why I was pleased to see this editorial by Harvard lecturer Timothy McCarthy in today's Crimson. McCarthy—whose Harvard story constituted one chapter of Harvard Rules—is no fan of Summers. But he's also a dedicated teacher who, partly because of his relative youth and partly because of his philosophy, is unusually close to his students. So his editorial tries to both explain the nature of the faculty's opposition to Summers while suggesting ways to bridge the divide between professors and students.
His conclusion:
Summers’ [departure] thus poses an important challenge. As faculty members, we must articulate clearly and persuasively the reasons for our own discontent with the president. Moreover, we must take student grievances seriously by engaging undergraduates in conversation—publicly and privately—in an effort to restore their confidence in us as educators who are fully committed to Harvard’s long-term health. We must demonstrate our desire to work closely with students to reform the undergraduate curriculum, and we must devote ourselves more assiduously than ever to good teaching and advising. Together, we must work to make Harvard the institution it can and should be—a place of higher learning where critical debate coincides with mutual respect, where moral values triumph over market values, and where transparency replaces secrecy. We have a better chance of accomplishing all of this now that Larry Summers is gone.
I think that's a reasonable viewpoint, and a constructive one. The aftermath of the Summers presidency poses real risks, but also presents great opportunities, and all parties have to be careful to avoid bickering and recriminations. (At the same time, the truth about what has really happened over the past years does need to come out.)
I've often asked readers of this blog whether Harvard is better off now than it was five years ago. I find it incontestable that it is not. But at the moment, the more important question is whether it
could be—and I believe the answer is yes, and in a relatively short period of time. The challenge lies in asking, Where do we go from here to making this university a better, more harmonious, more cohesive institution? Tim McCarthy's editorial is a step in the right direction.
