Professors, in Close Vote, Censure Harvard Leader
By SARA RIMER
AMBRIDGE, Mass., March 15 - The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard approved a resolution on Tuesday expressing a lack of confidence in the leadership of the university's president, Lawrence H. Summers, citing longstanding dissatisfaction with his management style and, to a lesser extent, his remarks in January about women in math and science.
The vote was 218 in favor and 185 opposed, with 18 abstentions.
At an intense and sober meeting, Dr. Summers's supporters accused his opponents of political correctness while his critics emphasized that their concerns had nothing to do with political correctness but were about Dr. Summers's leadership, as well as his remarks concerning a lack of women in science.
Passage of the resolution was largely symbolic because only the Harvard Corporation, which governs the university, has the authority to dismiss the university's president.
The corporation reaffirmed its support for Dr. Summers in a statement released after the meeting by James R. Houghton, senior fellow of the corporation. "The members of the Corporation fully support President Summers in his ongoing efforts to listen thoughtfully to the range of views being expressed by members of the university's faculties, and to work collegially and constructively with them to address the important academic matters facing Harvard," Mr. Houghton said in the statement.
The vote of no confidence, believed to be the first in Harvard's history, was a blow for Dr. Summers, who has been trying for weeks to repair relations with his faculty.
Dr. Summers spoke briefly at the end of the meeting on Tuesday, saying he had been trying to learn from people at the university in the last few weeks and would keep trying.
At a statement released after the meeting, Dr. Summers said he had done his best "to hear all that has been said, to think hard, to learn and to adjust."
"I will continue to do that," he added. "I am committed to doing all I can to restore the sense of trust that is critical to our work together, and to re-engage our collective attention with the vital academic issues before us."
The vote was taken by secret ballot, and when the results were announced, about halfway through the meeting, "people gasped," said Prof. Mary C. Waters, chairwoman of the sociology department.
"Everyone was in shock," said Professor Waters, who said she voted for the no-confidence resolution. "People did not expect it." At that moment, Professor Waters added, "I felt sorry for Larry."
But others took a harder line. J. Lorand Matory, a professor of anthropology and African and African-American studies, told reporters after the meeting that Dr. Summers should step down. "There is no noble alternative for him but resignation," said Professor Matory, who introduced the resolution.
As a possible compromise, some members of the faculty had put forth a second resolution, which expressed regret at Dr. Summers's management style and his remarks about women. But the faculty passed the harsher no-confidence resolution first. It then approved the second measure, with a larger majority, 253 to 137.
"This is not even about just style anymore," said Professor Waters, who has criticized Dr. Summers for what she describes as a pattern of intimidating faculty members and squelching debate. "There is widespread dissatisfaction with his substantive decisions as well as style."
Dr. Summers, an economist and a former United States Treasury secretary, has been meeting individually with faculty members throughout the Faculty of Arts and Sciences over the last several weeks, apologizing for his remarks about women and for any other offense he might have given and asking for their support so he could move forward.
Now in his fourth year as president, Dr. Summers has ambitious plans to expand the campus to Allston, across the Charles River; to reinvigorate the undergraduate curriculum; and to put a new emphasis on big science.
Claudia Goldin, an economics professor who is a strong supporter of Dr. Summers, said she was disappointed by the vote but added that it represented a "bare majority of those who were there" among the 600 or so voting members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
"I still think he's taking the university in the right direction," Professor Goldin said. "There are clearly people who don't like the direction for one reason or another. Some feel threatened."
David Ward, president of the American Council on Education, a nonprofit advocacy group of college presidents and chancellors, expressed astonishment at the vote of no confidence.
"It is such an unprecedented event that it's very hard to anticipate the immediate consequences," said Mr. Ward, former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. "It indicates perhaps a level of seriousness that I had not anticipated. I knew there was a problem. I thought people would have a little more patience to see if this could be worked out."
Mr. Ward said he could not answer the question of whether Dr. Summers could continue to govern effectively. "That really depends on how he feels about the vote and the degree to which other parts of the university share the feelings that are expressed at this time," he said.
Professor Waters and other professors have said in recent weeks that they had been concerned about Dr. Summers's leadership for some time and that his remarks in January suggesting that "intrinsic aptitude" might be an explanation for women's lack of success in science had brought the concerns out.
Despite differences of opinion over Dr. Summers, faculty members took pains to talk with one another after the meeting in a demonstration of collegiality, Professor Waters said.
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