A two-hour meeting yesterday meant to gauge the leadership abilities of Harvard President Lawrence Summers raised more questions than it answered about the executive of one of the country's top academic faculties.
An emergency meeting of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences yesterday afternoon did not result in a vote of confidence in Summers.
Summers has been embroiled in controversy since a Jan. 14 economics symposium at which he made several remarks that critics labeled both "insensitive" toward women and scientifically incorrect.
He said there may be "innate" differences between men and women that prevent more women from succeeding in science. The remarks have strongly divided Harvard faculty as well as academics nationwide. He has since apologized several times for his comments.
Yesterday's meeting primarily served as a forum at which about 500 Harvard faculty members discussed the adequacy of Summer's presidency, but it did not result in a vote of no confidence -- a measure that formally expresses dissatisfaction -- as some faculty members hoped it would.
"It focused mainly on various criticisms of the president's leadership and the idea of reform," Harvard History professor Stephan Thernstrom said.
There is another faculty meeting scheduled for March 15 at which a no confidence vote could also take place, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesman Bob Mitchell said.
A recent poll conducted by The Harvard Crimson found that a vote of no confidence would not likely be successful. Fifty percent of the 273 faculty members who responded said they would vote "confidence" in Summers if a vote were conducted.
Only 38 percent said they would vote "no confidence," and 12 percent were undecided.
Thernstrom said he was disappointed that the discussion centered around Summers rather than the larger issue of academic freedom.
"For me, it was frustrating," Thernstrom said. "It did not discuss what I thought it should."
In addition to simply discussing the presidency and its alleged flaws at the meeting, several faculty members proposed a committee that would serve as a liaison between Summers and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. However, the proposal was dismissed.
Summers released a transcript of his now-infamous comments last week following heavy criticism from many universities. Princeton President Shirley Tilghman signed a joint letter with the presidents of MIT and Stanford condemning Summers for his comments.
Penn President Amy Gutmann has so far declined to comment on the situation.
