A Larry Summers Story
I gave a talk about Harvard last night at the
Union Club in New York to a crowd of about seventy-five people (all of whom I thank for their interest).
The Union Club is a conservative place—all male, mostly older—and there were quite a few Harvard alums in attendance, so I expected a lively conversation, and we had one. My suggestion that neither Harvard nor its faculty were particularly liberal did not go over well, for example. I think you could describe the response as chuckles of disbelief.
The questions asked were mostly along these lines:
—There have been reports that the faculty rebelled because President Summers wanted them to work harder. Can you comment on them?
—What really happened between Larry Summers and Bill Kirby?
—If universities such as Harvard are facing constant pressure to expand internationally and develop science and medical facilities, what happens to small liberal arts colleges such as Williams?
—I was a supporter of President Summers until he failed to discipline either Larry Tribe for his act of plagiarism or Andrei Shleifer for his insider trading in Russia. How could he have not punished those professors?
—Why on earth did the Harvard Corporation allow the situation to go on as long as it did?
—And finally, what is the state of President Summers' marriage?
(I'll admit, that one threw me a little.)
Good questions, and a good crowd. I enjoyed it immensely.
After the talk, one man approached me and introduced himself as a Harvard alum who was significantly involved in alumni affairs. Let me tell you about my introduction to Larry Summers, he said.
The man had gone to hear Summers speak at the Harvard Club in New York in early 2002. Summers stood before a luncheon and announced that it was a pleasure to be there and that this was certainly a very impressive group.
But let me tell you, Summers said, I've gotten to know some of the students, and they are far more impressive than you are. There is just no comparison between you and the students of today.
The man telling me this story shook his head at the memory and said again, That was my introduction to Larry Summers.
