Five Priorities from President Summers’ SF Bay Area Presentation on November 10, 2004

[As forwarded from Walter Sleeth who attended the event. Perry]

Five Priorities from President Summers’ SF Bay Area Presentation on November 10, 2004 

The University must give strong support to extending this Country’s as well as the world’s growth and prosperity. Larry looks to a better understanding of capital and markets and to seeing that many more young people receive an excellent technical education. He wants to stress science and quantification along with the College’s traditional strength in a liberal education. He noted that there are announced plans to open an engineering school.

Society must do even more to strengthen equality of opportunity. He noted that over the past 50 years the gap between the richest and the poorest in our society has grown. (His assumption seems to be that with more emphasis on equal opportunity that would not be the case.) The University must help steer society to rectifying this unfairness. The College was first with ‘need-blind’ admissions and has moved forward this year with a program that no parental financial support is requested when family incomes are less than $40,000.00.

Summers noted that great civilizations are remembered for the advances they make in science, art, music, literature and drama. Harvard has a responsibility to take steps to preserve what makes a culture great and to help meet the challenges of supporting such advances.

A great challenge, as is seen in current world relations, is the coming together of nations. Harvard must take significant steps to reduce mutual misunderstandings on the international scene. The steps being taken to require every student to have an international experience and to be able to speak a foreign language on graduation are initial steps. Summers also stressed the need for Harvard to use its “convening strength” to facilitate international understanding with conferences and seminars on important topics.

Finally, there are a set of questions around values and ethics that the University must address. He noted that 90% of the students are involved in public service. He feels that the University must be a place where students’ idealism is awakened and that the University creates space for neutral and honest dialogue. He noted that just as Harvard should be a welcome place for ethnic minorities, it should be just as welcome to students who are interested in military careers or have fundamentalist backgrounds.