Hat in Hand, Summers Tries To Stem Fallout

University President Lawrence H. Summers walked into a meeting of prominent female professors yesterday hat in hand, hoping to stem the fallout from his controversial comments on women’s ability in the sciences.

At stake in this week’s flap, according to observers on and off campus, are Harvard’s efforts to recruit top female academics and reach out to alumnae and professors already displeased with what they perceive as the University’s callous attitudes towards women.

And so a contrite Summers, looking solemn after days of criticism, met privately with the Faculty Standing Committee on Women last night and issued them an outright apology in a rare step for Harvard’s high-profile president.

“I think one thing that Summers and other people at Harvard must be thinking about is the tangible consequences of this,” said Richard Bradley, whose forthcoming book, Harvard Rules, takes a critical look at Summers’ tenure as president. “Women at Harvard cannot be marginalized, and they certainly seem to have gained considerable leverage this week.”

Well before this hellish week for Summers, the embattled president had already come under fire from faculty who objected to the dearth of tenure appointments offered to women under his watch. In the 2003-2004 school year, just 4 of 32 Faculty of Arts and Sciences tenure offers were to women.

But the tenure issue, which Summers vowed to correct, and the broader matter of the University’s treatment of women, had been largely contained to the Harvard campus until Monday, when The Boston Globe reported Summers’ comments on women’s innate scientific abilities—or lack thereof.

On NBC’s “Today” show, the nation’s most-watched morning television program, host Katie Couric devoted full segments on two consecutive days to the remarks. On Wednesday, she sat down with noted author Naomi Wolf, who mercilessly tore into Summers and questioned whether he was fit to lead the University.

“Let me note that any sexist or racist comment is provocative,” Wolf said. “I mean, Stalin was provocative.”

And as he was being mentioned in the same breath as brutal dictators on television, Summers was finding unlikely—and, for him, surely unwanted—friends on the radio waves.

Rush Limbaugh, the conservative commentator whose show reaches the largest audience in talk radio, came to Summers’ defense on Tuesday.

“I mean, we are who we are, folks, and human nature is what it is,” Limbaugh said in remarks that, if he heard them, would have undoubtedly made Summers cringe. “And when you have these extreme leftist movements like militant feminism come along and try to change basic human nature, they may even get away with the illusion of success for a while, but it always comes back and catches up with them.”

Still, while the publicity certainly inflicted considerable damage this week—and the National Organization for Women’s call for his head yesterday was unlikely to help matters—furious Harvard alumnae and faculty could ultimately present Summers with his greatest problem.

“Alums expect the president of Harvard to provide some very positive leadership in this area,” said Gabriella P. Schlesinger ’58, co-chair of the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard, an alumni group. “He needs to show some concern about the educational climate for women on campus.”

One member of the Standing Committee on Women, which has long pushed the University to improve its outreach towards female academics, said the publicity surrounding Summers’ comments presented an opportunity for progress.

“If Harvard makes a genuine effort, which we’re trying to push,” said Professor of Government Jennifer L. Hochschild, “then it could ultimately have a positive impact.”

That will likely require a concerted effort to convince the public—and particularly female professors—that he is intent on reaching out to women on campus, and this week’s apology seemed to represent a first step.

But for now, Summers’ critics appear to have the upper hand.

“One thing’s for sure,” said Bradley. “If you are a female scientist at another university who is thinking of leaving, now would be a good time to ask Harvard for an enormous salary.”

—Staff writer Zachary M. Seward can be reached at seward@fas.harvard.edu.