Faculty Discuss Study Abroad

The improvement of undergraduate education continued to dominate discussion and debate at yesterday’s Faculty meeting—the second of the year led by new President Lawrence H. Summers.

Two issues occupied the bulk of the discussion that took place at yesterday’s meeting: the expansion of the Freshman Seminar program and the improvement of study abroad opportunities.

Both discussions led to calls by Faculty members for relaxed Core and concentration requirements, improved curricular planning, and more straightforward requirements for students.

Before the meeting, Faculty members received copies of a report on the state of Harvard’s study abroad programs compiled by James T. Grimmelmann ’99, who as an undergraduate composed a report on the Core.

The study abroad report, which was commissioned by the Faculty at the end of last semester, examined the history of study abroad rules, current procedures, and the relative success of Harvard’s foreign study programs as compared to those of other colleges.

Dean of Undergraduate Education Susan G. Pedersen ’81-’82, who opened the discussion, said she hoped the report would provide Faculty members with information that would serve as a springboard for further discussion on improving study abroad.

All of the Faculty members who spoke at yesterday’s meeting agreed on the need for more foreign study opportunities for Harvard undergraduates. Currently, about 160 students study abroad each year, a figure that many argued is far too small.

“Study abroad presents a unique opportunity that for too many students is unavailable,” said Geisinger Professor of History and Director of the Harvard University Asia Center William C. Kirby, speaking on behalf of the Standing Committee on Study Out of Residence.

Kirby identified rigid Core and concentration requirements as a central obstacle faced by students wishing to study abroad, and he advocated loosening those requirements.

“We think the planets will remain in alignment if, for example, a semester of tutorial has to be missed,” Kirby said.

Faculty members also suggested simplifying and centralizing the study abroad petition process and possibly even creating Harvard-sponsored foreign study programs.

Summers closed the discussion by reemphasizing his belief in the importance of study abroad as part of the undergraduate experience.

He also said students might find foreign study more appealing if there were Harvard-sponsored programs to which they could apply. He urged the Standing Committee on Study Abroad to include such a suggestion in the list of policy recommendations it presents to the Faculty when its evaluation of the study abroad issue is complete.

At yesterday’s meeting Summers also discussed his appointment of Steven E. Hyman as provost, outlining several of the key roles he envisions Hyman will play — including bringing together faculty for collaborative projects in the sciences and medical fields.

“Steve will take an active role, particularly with areas that cut across more than one school,” Summers said. He said he would like Hyman to play a central role in coordinating matters of long-range University concern.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles used yesterday’s meeting to bring the Faculty up to date on two physical planning issues.

First, Knowles informed the Faculty that another regulatory obstacle has surfaced which may delay construction of the Center for Government and International Studies on Cambridge Street. The last requirement that Harvard must meet before beginning construction is obtaining permission from the Cambridge City Council for an easement to build a tunnel connecting the center’s two buildings. But at its last meeting, Knowles said, the City Council voted to effectively table the easement process.

FAS will now have to go through the entire easement petition process again, a setback which will further delay the commencement of construction on the center until at least Commencement.

Knowles also briefed the Faculty on FAS’s imminent acquisition of the Rowland Institute of Science on Memorial Drive. Knowles said the transition should be completed this winter.

—Staff writer Kate L. Rakoczy can be reached at rakoczy@fas.harvard.edu.