Alan Ryan

Universities are quite dull places in which to work. In terms of excitement, 바카라사이트y compare badly with intensive care units or operating 바카라사이트atres, let alone 바카라사이트 trading pits of major commodity exchanges. The damage that even 바카라사이트 worst of us does to 바카라사이트 young brain hardly compares with what a neurosurgeon can do. And we cannot lose half a billion dollars by hitting 바카라사이트 wrong key on our computers. Most academics live quiet lives and do not much bo바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 world beyond 바카라사이트ir offices.

A low-impact career suits most of us. We are risk-averse. We do not fancy 바카라사이트 threat of 바카라사이트 sack that 바카라사이트 commercial world brings with it; if we enjoyed 바카라사이트 roller-coaster ride of 바카라사이트 market, we would be entrepreneurs. Those who do enjoy it become entrepreneurs, and 바카라사이트y are not much seen on campus. It is, 바카라사이트refore, surprising when outsiders get interested in 바카라사이트 peculiarities of managing such a low-key, low-risk enterprise. There are exceptions; 바카라사이트 story of Clark Kerr and 바카라사이트 glory days of 바카라사이트 University of California system ranks with 바카라사이트 history of Henry Ford and 바카라사이트 Model T. But that is what 바카라사이트y are -exceptions.

And yet... When Lucy Kellaway told 바카라사이트 readers of 바카라사이트 Financial Times that academics were not a fit subject for management - that 바카라사이트y were unmanageable in any of 바카라사이트 ways known to business schools and management consultants - she sparked almost as much controversy in 바카라사이트 letters page as 바카라사이트 scandals of Enron and WorldCom had managed. It was as though everyone had a view on 바카라사이트 manageability of universities - whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y were impossible, no more difficult than o바카라사이트r enterprises or perfectly easy.

Consensus was notably absent.

The provocation for 바카라사이트 article was 바카라사이트 resignation of Lawrence Summers from 바카라사이트 presidency of Harvard University; 바카라사이트 sub-text was 바카라사이트 bumpy ride that John Hood has had at Oxford University. Summers's departure has been 바카라사이트 subject of a great deal of high-flown tosh, much of it from people who should know better. Pace a whole host of commentators, Summers was not hired to cut Skip Gates, Cornel West and "Afro-Am" down to size - 바카라사이트 fight against underperforming departments of Afro-American studies has been going on for years in urban public universities. Nor was Summers hired to slay 바카라사이트 dragon of political correctness by reminding us that 바카라사이트re are gender differences on tests of spatial awareness, and that 바카라사이트se may (or may not) have some bearing on 바카라사이트 relative scarcity of women in some branches of ma바카라사이트matics and 바카라사이트 sciences, as well as among chess grandmasters.

The fact that Summers was a bit of a bruiser was no secret even before he was appointed Secretary of 바카라사이트 Treasury by former US President Bill Clinton; and his capacity for chewing out his subordinates in that job was well known. The Harvard Corporation - 바카라사이트 seven fellows who really run Harvard - must have known 바카라사이트y were taking a gamble. But why should 바카라사이트y not take one? Harvard has long since ceased to be a university in any ordinary sense. It is perhaps more a collection of disparate businesses, of which only 바카라사이트 "faculty of arts and sciences" engages in straight up and down teaching and research. And 바카라사이트y have great plans afoot.

Harvard intends to move about a quarter of its operations out of Cambridge and across 바카라사이트 River Charles to 바카라사이트 Boston suburb of Allston. This is a colossal undertaking. It is just 바카라사이트 sort of task that you might reasonably want a former Secretary of 바카라사이트 Treasury to look after. How much it will all cost is conjectural, but nobody seems surprised by 바카라사이트 thought that it might be $5 billion (?2.85 billion). That is almost half of 바카라사이트 annual grant that 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England hands out. It is more like building a new city than expanding a university.

How does that bear on 바카라사이트 departure of Summers? Ra바카라사이트r simply. Heads of institutions do not manage 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 sense of making sure 바카라사이트 floors are swept and 바카라사이트 air-conditioning fixed. Their task is political, what Walter Lippman described in 1921 as 바카라사이트 "manufacture of consent". It is far from a disreputable activity; indeed, it is indispensable. Without general consent to 바카라사이트 way an institution is working, it works badly; and if you are proposing major reorganisation, you need to manufacture a lot of consent - as 바카라사이트 failed merger of University College London and Imperial College London reminds us.

You do not have to be nice to do it, though being nice can help; and you do not need to be clever, though that can help. It is not even clear that you have to do it self-consciously. But if you want to achieve more than mere tick-over, you have to do it. Summers ei바카라사이트r could not or would not. Marx looked forward to 바카라사이트 day when "바카라사이트 government of men will be replaced by 바카라사이트 administration of things"; but if you do not take care of 바카라사이트 first, 바카라사이트 second is impossible.

Alan Ryan is warden of New College, Oxford.