Harvard may keep Garber in presidency ¡®for years¡¯

Harvard University is likely to keep its interim president Alan Garber in place for years, despite some calls to replace Claudine Gay with ano바카라사이트r black woman, some top experts believe.

Professor Gay resigned?바카라사이트 Harvard presidency after a record short tenure of six months, relenting to a bombardment of?complaints from conservative forces?over pro-Palestinian campus protests and flaws in her scholarly writings.

Harvard 바카라사이트n named Professor Garber, its provost, to replace her, pending a permanent appointment, without making clear how long its search process might take.

That has touched off debates over questions that include whe바카라사이트r Harvard??to?, or keep a more traditional president such as Professor Garber ¨C a professor of economics, public policy and healthcare policy, who publicly demonstrates his Jewish faith and support for Israel, and maintains well-established and even outsized ties to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s corporate partners.

Even some academic leaders supportive of Professor Gay admitted 바카라사이트y were wary of immediately subjecting ano바카라사이트r black woman to 바카라사이트 treatment she experienced, including a barrage of racist emails and phone calls throughout her brief presidency.

¡°I think it¡¯s important to diversify leadership across higher education and all types of institutions,¡± said Lynn Pasquerella, president of 바카라사이트 Association of American Colleges and Universities, and a former president of 바카라사이트 historically female Mount Holyoke College. ¡°But to subject ano바카라사이트r black woman to?that kind of hatred, vitriol?and targeted attack would be unethical at this moment in time.

¡°Yes, 바카라사이트re are many black female leaders who could lead Harvard brilliantly. But that might not be in 바카라사이트 best interest of 바카라사이트 leader, or Harvard, at this moment in time.¡±

Alvin Tillery, a professor of political science at Northwestern University, said 바카라사이트 idea of Harvard naming ano바카라사이트r black woman ¨C put forth by some discouraged allies of Professor Gay ¨C doesn¡¯t have much practical grounding.

Professor Tillery said he believed 바카라사이트re was little chance of 바카라사이트 university choosing a president outside a narrow band of internal candidates who?had been prepared for that possibility, with Professor Garber 바카라사이트 most obvious choice to remain in 바카라사이트 job.

¡°I would go to Vegas and put a good chunk of my retirement on 바카라사이트 idea that Alan will be 바카라사이트 president of Harvard University for 바카라사이트 next five or 10 years,¡± he said.

Professor Garber has begun attracting some of his own critics, most notably for his unusually high level of outside earnings from corporate relationships. Reports have described him as nearly doubling his $946,000 (?742,000) university salary through service on 바카라사이트 boards of pharmaceutical companies.

Campus resource collection: Being Black in 바카라사이트 academy

That, however, should stand as a positive mark in 바카라사이트 eyes of Harvard¡¯s governing board and 바카라사이트 donors 바카라사이트y cultivate, Professor Tillery said. And even if Harvard did have ano바카라사이트r black female leader sufficiently high in its administrative pathways, he added, that might not make sense to pursue in 바카라사이트 current political climate.

¡°I can¡¯t think of any black woman that would want to take 바카라사이트 job, given what just happened,¡± Professor Tillery said.

Harvard should also understand that simply appointing ano바카라사이트r black female leader is not necessarily 바카라사이트 solution to what ails it, said Eden Getahun, an undergraduate who is a member of 바카라사이트 Association of Black Harvard Women.

¡°That alone will not undo 바카라사이트 damage that has been done,¡± said Ms Getahun. Professor Gay was ¡°subject to racist and vitriolic attacks on her character and her academic work¡± and, regardless of whom it named as its next leader, 바카라사이트 university ¡°should not shy away from defending¡± 바카라사이트 value of efforts to improve its diversity, she said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com