A Path Forward for Restoring Alumni and Donor Confidence in Harvard
To restore the trust and confidence of donors and alumni Harvard should do the following:
1.
The Corporation should acknowledge that it has made mistakes including overseeing a process that led to the selection of and failed presidency of Claudine Gay and allowing the politicization of Harvard's policies and campus. The Senior Fellow, captain of the ship when these events happened, should personally accept blame and step down.
2.
The Corporation should appoint a new Senior Fellow who will send a signal to donors and disaffected alumni that the Corporation will become more politically balanced and leave politics out of decision-making. The appointee should be someone who cannot be seen as a diversity appointment, who helps politically re-center the Fellows and who is likable with established leadership and public communication skills.
3.
The Corporation should within a year replace at least three of its members with new Fellows who will help politically and experientially balance the board. They should also have a history of donating generously to Harvard.
4.
The Corporation should adopt a new charter and by-laws including:
a. A statement affirming Harvard's purpose as an academic institution and appropriate policies of the institution, possibly borrowing from the Chicago Principles, Kalven Report and other respected articulations of the purpose and policies of academic institutions.
b. An articulation of the university’s primary objectives, including:
i. Attracting and educating the best and brightest students
ii. Hiring and promoting the best and brightest faculty
iii. Developing the richest and best academic program possible
iv. Retaining the generous support of donors
c. A method for electing and appointing Fellows that assures political balance among them and accountability to alumni and donors.
d. Guidelines for apolitical decision-making and rules for the Corporation, president, administration and the University remaining politically neutral.
5.
The communication and actions of interim president Alan Garber are encouraging, as is the choice of John Manning as provost. The Fellows should select a new president who will emphasize academics, rigor, excellence and merit while reducing the role of politics on Harvard's campus.
6.
Going forward, the twelve Fellows other than the president should be elected or appointed as follows:
Three who are nominated by the Board of Overseers and elected by the Alumni.
Three who are major donors elected by major donors (Donors would be those whose lifetime giving exceeds a threshold such as $1,000,000 adjusted in the future for inflation).
Five who are appointed by then current Fellows with the objective of balancing the experience, qualifications and collective political orientation of the Fellows.
One appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts to represent the public at large with a term co-terminus with the Governor’s term.
A requirement that all Fellows must hold a degree from Harvard and at least eight of the twelve are graduates of the College.
With the exception of the Governor’s appointee, Fellows’ terms shall be six years and limited to two terms.