HARVARD PRESIDENT
PROMISES $50M ‘DIVERSITY’ CASH
Lawrence Summers
calls for ‘cultural’ change to accommodate women
BOSTON -
Lawrence Summers, the embattled president of Harvard University, has promised to spend US$50‑million on
increasing
"diversity" after being under the gun for months for suggesting
gender differences might account for the scarcity of women in science
faculties.
His
move follows the recommendations of two task forces on how to boost the
training, recruitment and advancement of women, from undergraduates to
senior
faculty.
The
task forces were
appointed after
Mr.
Summers'
remarks
about women's "intrinsic aptitude" for science
put
Harvard's treatment of women in the spotlight.
They
recommended the appointment of a senior vice‑provost for diversity and
the
expansion of funds to hire women and minorities, with perhaps as many
as 40 new
staff being added.
Other
suggestions concern subsidies for salaries, mentoring of junior faculty
members
and extending the clock on tenure for professors who go on maternity or
parental leave.
The
groups, which looked at other universities, also emphasized the
importance of
collecting more data about women's status and treatment at Harvard
‑something
the university has been reluctant to do in the past. They also said
department
and search committee leaders should be trained on hidden biases that
can hinder
women's advancement.
The
reports made clear that Harvard, arguably the most prestigious
university in
the United States,
lagged behind the most aggressive universities in attracting and
retaining a
diverse faculty. Lat year, only four of
32 professors offered tenure in the faculty of arts and science were
women.
The
reports did not come with a price tag, but Mr. Summers said Monday the
US$50‑million
investment was "in recognition of the importance and far‑reaching
nature" of the recommendations, some of which he said would be
implemented
immediately while others would require further study.
He
added that the task forces' suggestions were not just "a Band‑Aid,"
but a "systemic approach" that would benefit everyone on campus.
The
objective is not just [to put forward] a set of recommendations but to
bring
about a set of very important cultural changes," he said on a
conference
call with reporters.
"Universities
like Harvard were designed a long time ago by men and for men. To fully
succeed
on these issues, we're going to have to address issues of culture.”
Mr.
Summers ended up in hot water in January after he was asked at a closed
door
conference of the National Bureau of Economic
Research to speculate
on the
reason
for the scarcity of women professors in
science faculties
at major universities.
He
wondered if being a mother sidetracked a woman’s career or if research
indicated gender differences in the choice of specialties.
As the Washington Times wrote, “he wanted
these intellectuals to do what they’re supposed to do: Think”.
But
his questions touched off a frenzy of political correctness, leaving
Mr.
Summers abjectly apologizing for his remarks and putting his job at
risk.
Even
before his Jan. 14 remarks that differences in the abilities of men and
women
may explain why fewer women excel in math and science, the Harvard
president
was under fire on campus because the faculty of arts and sciences had
offered a
declining percentage of senior jobs to women for each year of his
presidency.
This
week, female professors at the university reacted positively to the
task
forces’ suggestions, but some were skeptical that the recommendations
would be
enthusiastically embraced by the Summers administration, which they say
has a
troubled record on women’s equality.
“The
real question is what the university is going to do, “said Mary Waters,
chairwoman of sociology and a prominent critic of Mr. Summers’
leadership.
“There’s
great fanfare announcing that the task forces are recommending these
things,
but a very guarded statement from the president and provost saying,
“We’re
going to study it.”
The Boston Globe, with files from news services, Wednesday,
May 18, 2005.