Protesting the Klein Decision

Dear Dr. Montgomery:

I recently learned of the decision of your department not to promote Assistant Professor Ethel Klein. This news absolutely shocked me.

I benefited personally from my contact with Professor Klein in many ways. In the classroom, I always found her intellectually challenging and stimulating, outside of class. She demonstrated a genuine concern for me as an individual for which I will always be grateful. Professor Klein helped me to make some difficult career choices and in fact was instrumental in my decision to attend law school.

Many Harvard-Radcliffe graduates continue to be concerned about the University's policies and follow decisions of this kind with interest. I am not alone in my belief that your department has made a serious, mistake in not promoting Ethel Klein. By this decision, Harvard students have been deprived of a very effective, very committed and caring teacher. You owe the Harvard community an explanation. And given the University's demonstrated lack of commitment to increasing the number of women on its faculty and its hostility to women's studies, be prepared to have that explanation scrutinized very closely. Jill Harris '80   New York University Law School