2/22/2006

Headline in the Australian: Clinton man forced from Harvard helm

A growing rebellion by Harvard dons has toppled Lawrence Summers as president of the oldest and most prestigious university in the US.

Facing a no-confidence vote by the faculty next week, the former Treasury secretary to Bill Clinton announced on Tuesday he would step down at the end of the academic year after five turbulent years at the helm.

The revolt was triggered by his suggestion at an economics seminar that women's "intrinsic aptitude" might explain why so few women became professors of mathematics and science. He later apologised for the remarks.

Mr Summers's resignation ends the briefest tenure of any Harvard president since 1862, when Cornelius Felton died after two years in office.


1) It tells you something when a mainstream liberal Democrat is too conservative for the Harvard faculty.
2) Summers' remarks may have been used as a pretext, but the disagreements were much. much deeper.

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