Mark Naison: Lawrence Summer's Resignation an Affirmation of Harvard's Preeminence

The resignation of Harvard President Lawrence Summer has been widely denounced as a victory for leftist faculty members who totally are out of touch with the worldview and beliefs of most people in theUnited States .

There is some truth to that accusation. But it is precisely because Harvard faculty are out of touch with the thinking of most Americans that Harvard will remain the nation's pre eminent research university and continue to attract talented scholars from all over the world.

At this time in American History, being out of touch with the American people is hardly the kiss of death for a major academic institution. Is it a terrible thing to support scientific innovation, create space for the examination of unfamiliar political and religious traditions, defend freedom of expression, and challenge bigotry against women and gays and immigrants? None of those would win Harvard's faculty many friends on Fox Five News or in the South Dakota State Legislature

What makes great universities great is precisely their immunity to the political fashions of the day. If the price of this is senior faculty demanding deference from university administrators and refusing to look at students as customers whose every whim must be served, then that is a price worth playing. Someone in this society should be immune from the pressures that leads people to defer to the demands of the marketplace or the commands of those who possess economic and political power. And who better to do this then tenured faculty in an institution which was founded 150 years before the ratification of the US Constitution.

No faculty member with an ounce of pride or self respect will allow a university president to tell him or her what courses to teach, how to evaluate students, or what subjects are worthy of study. Lawrence Summer crossed that line with people far more distinguished than he and he paid the price.

Dr Summers presumed that his power over budgets and appointments, which are determinative in politics and business, would have the power to persuade faculty to support his policies But the exact opposite proved to be true. The more he tried to use the power of the purse to influence decisions, the more he was resented for challenging the code of collegiality which talented scholars cling to as the last bastion of resistance to America,s dominant culture of acquisitiveness and greed.

So criticize Harvard,s faculty all you want for being arrogant, elitist and un- American

For better or worse, that,s what makes them outstanding in their respective fields of study