It is possible that, sooner or later, Summers’ critics will rise to fight for the Harvard they believe in. Maybe if he makes a misstep, gives them an opening. But it is also possible that the moment to fight, the window of opportunity, has passed, and that their cause is already lost.
Still, from Summers’ perspective, as he sat on his presidential chair, all seemed right with his world. Perhaps the only question in his mind was how long he would stay in Cambridge. During the 2004 presidential campaign, more and more members of the community wondered whether he might leave Harvard. John Kerry had attended Summers’ inauguration; Summers was known to give the Massachusetts senator advice on economic policy. If Kerry won the election, would Summers return to Washington, perhaps for another stint as treasury secretary, this time for the full four years? Some Harvardians asked the question with hope; VOTE FOR KERRY, GET RID OF LARRY, went the slogan on campus. Others considered the possibility with dread, because so much of the university’s planning centered around the president.
Even though George W. Bush was reelected in November 2004, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan was expected to retire in2006. Summers, who had consistently refused to challenge Republicans on issues such as the Solomon Amendment, had made himself at least as palatable to members of that party as he was to Democrats. And certainly the job of Fed chairman would appeal to him. After all, the chairman of the Federal Reserve was probably the single most powerful, yet simultaneously least publicly accountable, economic policymaker in the world. It was entirely possible that George W. Bush might want Larry Summers in Alan Greenspan’s seat.
But all that possibility was in front of Summers now, territory for future conquest. The man whom Harvard had once rejected had worked so hard to get this far. If for only this moment, Summers could take a deep breath, relax ever so slightly. Part of his legacy was already assured. There was no question that whenever Larry Summers decided to step down as president of Harvard, he would leave the university bigger, richer, more powerful, and more influential. The only question was whether he would leave it better.
Acknowledgments
Last time around, I inexplicably failed to thank my uncle, Michael Bradley, who is the kind of lawyer—and uncle—you want on your side in a tough spot. This time, let me apologize in advance to anyone I neglect to thank. So many people helped with this book, it’s a challenge to give them all the appreciation they deserve.
Dan Solomon and Mindy Berman housed me during my preliminary research. Throughout snowstorms, home remodeling, and an impending birth, they never complained about the writer in the attic.
In a different locale, Evan Cornog and Lauren McCollester offered sage advice, not to mention a weekend escape from the computer screen. Andrew Auchincloss, Peter Critchell, and Townsend Davis are fine lawyers and intellectual provocateurs whose counsel is always welcome.
Sasha Smith helped check the facts in this book. Any mistakes that slipped past her eagle eye are, of course, my own. The indefatigable Tina Peak and Gregory Pearce gave immensely of their time and expertise to help with research.
The Harvard Crimson is a student paper that’s better than many professional newspapers, and I relied on the hard work of its editors and reporters to help me understand the culture of Harvard University, as well as some of the specific events covered in this book.
Larkin Warren delivered wise editorial advice during the homestretch and helped me to say what I wanted to say with clarity, speed, and the benefit of her prodigious intelligence.
I want to thank Susan Weinberg, David Hirshey, Nick Trautwein, Miles Doyle, and everyone else at HarperCollins who helped usher this book into the world. Amid unexpected crises and down-to-the-wire deadlines, they were unflappable. From the beginning, Susan and David believed in a book about the power, influence, and importance of a university and its president, and that’s the greatest support a writer can ask.
This is the second book I’ve written with the help of the William Morris Agency, and I’m fortunate to have such a dedicated and smart group of people in my corner. Many thanks to Tracy Fisher, Andy McNicol, Libby O’Neill, and Sarah Pollard.
Joni Evans, my agent, is a legend in the publishing business, and anyone lucky enough to work with her understands why. Patient, understanding, tolerant, encouraging, tough when necessary, and always there when needed, Joni is truly a writer’s advocate. From the start she encouraged me in my idea of writing about the university I once attended. I’ve asked a lot of Joni during this process, and she has never let me down.
My family, which rallied to the cause with my first book and rose to the occasion again with this one, never ceases to impress me.
Living with a writer isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s rarely easy. Nonetheless, Cristina Roratto was a constant source of inspiration, strength, support, advice, constructive criticism, and love. Amo voce, Cris.
Finally, I want to thank all the people at Harvard who gave of their time, often at professional risk, to help me understand how a great university works. Unfortunately, I can’t name most of them. My research assistant was invaluable in digging up documents, answering odd questions, tracking down arcane statistics, and helping me to understand the culture of Harvard College. Whoever hires her after she graduates will have made an extremely wise move. And to all the people who put up with my repeated telephone calls, late-night e-mails, and nagging questions, I can’t thank you enough. The Harvard community is filled with astoundingly smart, thoughtful, and caring citizens, and many times during the course of reporting this book I felt as though I was enrolled in a Harvard seminar, an experience everyone should be fortunate enough to enjoy. I am particularly grateful to the students, who were always willing to share their thoughts about and insights into life at Harvard. They are all they are cracked up to be, and more.
Richard Bradley
New York City
December 2004
A Note on Sources
Harvard Rules is primarily a work of journalism, and as such it is based upon hundreds of interviews with members of the Harvard community, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni. Wherever possible, the information that came from these interviews is clearly attributed, though in many cases the sources did not wish to be named. In this section I have attributed specific historical information and quotes from other sources that are not identified in the text.
President Lawrence Summers declined to be interviewed for this book. The quotes attributed to him whose source is not identified in the text are identified here.
INTRODUCTION: THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES
With every breeze: “Installation: A Summers Day,” Harvard Magazine (November–December 2001), 57.
I would never have expected Larry: Harvard Crimson, October 15, 2001.
To the right of the stage was University Hall: Much of my knowledge of Harvard’s architecture comes from Douglas Shand-Tucci’s excellent Harvard University: An Architectural Tour (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2001).
The alumni of Harvard dominated every field: For an impressive list of prominent Harvard alumni from 1636–1985, see Glimpses of the Harvard Past (Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London: Harvard University Press, 1986), by Bernard Bailyn, Donald Fleming, Oscar Handlin, and Stephan Thernstrom.
What’s outrageous? Harvard wages: Harvard Magazine (November–December 2001), 57.
Only the Catholic Church had more money: Boston Globe, January 27, 2000.
Harvard “was in society but it was set apart: Nathan Marsh Pusey, “Out of War, Peace Gains Stability,” Harvard Alumni Bulletin (June 9, 1969), 22.
CHAPTER ONE: THE REMARKABLE, CONTROVERSIAL CAREER OF LARRY SUMMERS
The New York Times cited Harvard: Enrique Hank Lopez, The Harvard Mystique: The Power Syndrome That Affects Our Lives from Sesame Street to the White House (New York: MacMillan, 1979), 2.
The potential to be the greatest president: Boston Globe, January 30, 2001.
I was a curious k
id: Harvard Crimson, May 4, 2001.
Would that eliminate the traffic jam: New York Times, August 24, 2003. 5 I also liked leaving: Harvard Crimson, May 4, 2001.
This is not about fun: USA Today, January 18, 1999.
Mental gymnastics: The line is quoted in a biographical essay on Paul Samuelson posted on the Nobel Prize website, at http://nobelprize.org/nobel/.
More than any other contemporary economist: From the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences presentation speech, 1970, also on the Nobel Prize website.
He was shunted off: Morton Keller and Phyllis Keller, Making Harvard Modern: The Rise of America’s University (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 81–82.
The failure to appoint: Ibid.
Changed their surnames: Couper Samuelson, “No Relation No. 8,” Slate, July 6, 2000.
There were country clubs: Lawrence Summers, “Address at Morning Prayers,” September 17, 2002.
I traveled all over: “Interview with a Public Servant: Larry Summers speaks with Gene Sperling,” Washington Life, Summer 2001.
I did some of my best research: John S. Rosenberg, “A Worldly Professor,” Harvard Magazine, May–June 2001, 30.
A hive of activity: New York Times, August 24, 2003.
A provocative 1986 paper: Daniel M. G. Raff and Lawrence Henry Summers, “Did Henry Ford Pay Efficiency Wages?” National Bureau of Economic Research, “NBER Working Paper Series,” December 1986.
Development failures are the result: Rob Norton, “Economic Intelligence: The Third World Gets the Message,” Fortune, April 6, 1992, 30.
When I make a mistake: “Toxic Memo,” Harvard Magazine, May–June 2001, 36.
Lant Pritchett admitted publicly: John Cassidy, “The Triumphalist,” The New Yorker, July 6, 1998, 58.
The gravest sin: Lawrence H. Summers, “International Financial Crises: Causes, Preventions, and Cures,” Richard T. Ely Lecture of the American Economic Association, May 2000.
Gore was really pissed off: Summers made the remark in a freshman seminar, “Globalization: Opportunities and Challenges,” he taught in the fall of 2003.
A new kind of geopolitician: “Larry Summers, Global Guru,” The Economist, October 18, 1997, 32.
I could just say good-bye: Robert Rubin, In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington (New York: Random House,2003), 62.
Larry, what do you think?: Ibid., 13–14. The story has also been told by Summers on numerous public occasions.
The notion…didn’t register: Ibid., 15.
By extending a large loan: Summers made this statement in Brian Palmer’s class, “Personal Choice and Global Transformation,” on March 17, 2004.
Human capital was peso-denominated: Rosenberg, “A Worldly Professor,” 31.
Summers…volunteered to resign: Rubin, In an Uncertain World, 31.
The Marshall Plan…was never focus-grouped: “Larry Summers, Global Guru,” The Economist, 32.
Larry’s brain was like a tank: Strobe Talbott, The Russia Hand: A Memoir of Presidential Diplomacy (New York: Random House, 2003), 48.
The essence of issues: “The World According to Larry,” Foreign Policy, July 1, 2002, 30.
It made me look good: Robert Rubin, In an Uncertain World, 204.
A caricature of Summers: Cassidy, “The Triumphalist,” 55.
Larry just got sick: Ibid., 56.
I play a lot better: Rosenberg, “A Worldly President,” 31.
He waits till the end of the meeting: Mara Liasson on “Special Report with Brit Hume,” Fox News Network, May 12, 1999.
I took a trip to Africa: Interview with Lawrence Summers, “Commanding Heights,” the Public Broadcasting Service, April 24,2001. Found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/int_lawrencesummers.html. (Summers has told the story on other occasions.)
Too little globalization rather than too much: “The World According to Larry,” Foreign Policy, 30.
More than any other single person: Robert Rubin, In an Uncertain World, 298.
The master chef was Larry Summers: Strobe Talbott, The Russia Hand, 84.
Battlefield medicine…is never perfect: “The World According to Larry,” Foreign Policy, 30. (Summers used the line on numerous occasions.)
If it were up to me: Wall Street Journal, April 3, 1998.
Blame the doctor: Los Angeles Times, May 24, 1998.
A larger audience for his papers: “The World According to Larry,” Foreign Policy, 30.
Even small degrees of information imperfections: Columbia Daily Spectator, October 11, 2001.
Crashes are that much more spectacular: “Clinton’s Intellectual Power Broker,” The International Economy, March–April 1999, 8.
You really should calm down: Joshua Cooper Ramo, “The Three Marketeers,” Time, February 15, 1999, 34.
He and Summers would cut a deal: Robert Rubin, In an Uncertain World, 202–205.
A very good Treasury secretary: John Cassidy, “The Triumphalist,” 54.
There are trade-offs in life: Summers speaking at “Personal Choice and Global Transformation,” March 17, 2004.
CHAPTER TWO: NEIL RUDENSTINE’S LONG DECADE
This has been a good run: Boston Globe, May 23, 2000.
I see in retrospect: Harvard Crimson, June 6, 1996.
The frail Renaissance scholar: Lynnell Hancock, “Exhausted,” Newsweek, March 6, 1995, 56.
University presidents…are eunuchs: David Plotz, “Larry Summers: How the Great Brain Learned to Grin and Bear It,” Slate, June 29, 2001.
Incredible shrinking college president: David Greenberg, “Small Men on Campus,” The New Republic, June 1, 1988, 24.
Harvard’s goal is to die: New York Times, June 24, 2001.
Rudenstine’s tenure has stripped: Harvard Crimson, May 22, 2000.
CHAPTER THREE: SEARCHING FOR MR. SUMMERS
For those interested in Harvard history, Morton and Phyllis Keller’s Making Harvard Modern is remarkably comprehensive, and Richard Norton Smith’s The Harvard Century is informative and accessible. I drew from both. Harvard A to Z, by John T. Bethell, Richard M. Hunt, and Robert Shenton, is an excellent source for specific information about Harvard history and culture.
For further information on the Harvard presidential search, the best source is the Harvard Crimson, which conducted excellent reporting on a secretive process.
Some of it just seemed comical: Harvard Crimson, June 5, 2003.
Highly contested presidency: Harvard Crimson, November 9, 2000.
Somebody more aggressive, more pushy: New York Times, August 24, 2003.
I rather doubt [Gore] will get it: United Press International, December 19, 2000.
I look back ten years ago: Harvard Crimson, October 16, 2000.
Your best friend’s father: Michigan Daily, September 10, 1998.
They are terrific students: New York Times, March 29, 1999.
We saw…a powerful intellect: New York Times, August 24, 2003.
A “rough edges” issue: Ibid.
Rubin made us confident: Boston Globe, March 18, 2001.
You don’t need a degree: This quote comes from the film, “Occupation,” directed by Maple Raza and Pacho Velez, a Harvard student film about the Massachusetts Hall sit-in.
An almost feudal relationship: Morton Keller and Phyllis Keller, “Making Harvard Modern,” 138.
Such courses were the best way: Maple Raza and Pacho Velez, “Occupation.”
I’ll resign before I give in: Ibid.
CHAPTER FOUR: THE PRESIDENT VERSUS THE PROFESSOR
A sign on my back: New York Times, April 1, 1990.
We all wanted to be spooks: New York Times, January 20, 2004.
A famous New York Times editorial: New York Times, July 20, 1992.
Conant wanted the University Professor to roam: Richard Norton Smith, The Harvard Century: The Making of a University to a Nation (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986), 117.
Black musicians play
such an important role: Cornel West, Keeping Faith: Philosophy and Race in American Life (New York: Routledge, 1994), 289.
There is no crisis in America: Leon Wieseltier, “All and Nothing at All,” The New Republic, March 6, 1995, 31.
Harry Truman said: Lawrence Summers, “Freshman Orientation Address,” September 2, 2001. Located at http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2001/freshman.html.
This pulpit was not one of them: Lawrence Summers, “Morning Prayers Address,” September 21, 2001. Located at http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2001/morningprayers.html.
The C stood for compassion: Harvard Crimson, June 2, 2003.
Imbibing the spirit of affirmative action: Harvey C. Mansfield, “Educational ‘Therapy,’” Harvard Crimson, February 27, 2001.
Gossip is a dangerous basis: Harry R. Lewis, “The Racial Theory of Grade Inflation,” Harvard Crimson, April 23, 2001.
Universities are sometimes derided: Lawrence Summers, “President’s Installation Address,” October 12, 2001. Found at http://www.president.harvard.edu/news/inauguration/summers.html.
I want you to help me: My accounts of the two meetings between Cornel West and Lawrence Summers are drawn from on-the-record interviews with West, interviews with people to whom he told details of the meetings around the time they took place, notes West made in his journal, public statements by West, and press accounts. In his 2004 book, Democracy Matters, West has written his own account of his encounters with Summers.
In the book, Rosovsky explains: Henry Rosovsky, The University: An Owner’s Manual (New York: Norton, 1990.) I draw on various sections of Rosovsky’s book, but particularly useful is Chapter 10, “Tenure: The Meaning of Tenure.”
There is no middle ground: Smith, The Harvard Century, 79.
Brilliant and creative people: Derek Bok, “Reflections on Academic Freedom: An Open Letter to the Harvard Community,” Supplement to the Harvard University Gazette, April 11, 1980, 2.
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