Commitment Problem

Since 1991, the Harvard community has marveled at the tremendous growth within the Department of Afro-American studies. With the appointment of Cornel R. West '74, Harvard's Afro-Am department has established itself as the country's unequivocal center of Afro-Am scholarship.

The energetic, renowned West is arguably the nation's preeminent Afro-Am scholar, and he also brings to the department a reputation for accessability to students and the ability to create national debate on contemporary social science issues. The department is already strong; West fortifies it.

The transformation of Afro-Am represents the culmination of a commitment made by former President Derek C. Bok and former acting dean of the faculty Geyser University Professor Henry Rosovsky after repeated protests by students in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Once spurred to action by vocal and committed undergraduates, Bok and Rosovsky managed to lure DuBois Professor of the Humanities Henry Louis Gates Jr. away from Duke with a crucial dedication to future tenure appointments.

Of course, the most crucial factor in Afro-Am's recent triumph is Gates himself. In his two years as chair, Gates has orchestrated the transformation of Afro-Am from a floundering, underappreciated department to one of the nation's most dynamic. A top-notch schmoozer and recruiter, Gates has been able to attract prominent, interesting guest faculty. He and Professor of Afro-American Studies K. Anthony Appiah have molded a curriculum strong enough to attract a powerhouse like West.

It only goes to show what a little commitment can do. Three years ago, when West refused a tenured post in Afro-Am, the department had only one tenured professor and a small, embittered group of concentrators who were certain that Harvard was not taking their needs seriously. Since then, Afro-Am has been transformed--not only because of Gates' charismatic leadership, but also because Bok and Rosovsky were willing to devote the resources to rebuilding Afro-Am.

Unfortunately, Harvard has not yet demonstrated a similar commitment to other departments that could use more support, not neglect. The linguistics department suffers a similar shortage in tenured faculty, and boasts a similarly small but devoted--and now disgruntled--undergraduate body. Linguistics deserves a similar rejuvenation. Instead, the University seems content to let it flounder.

The History department has similar woes, though for different reasons. Infighting among the department leadership continues to prevent the expansion of its 20th-century American offerings. Despite the overwhelming interest demonstrated by concentrators. The University has ignored this problem and allowed the hiring of Americanists to languish.

And then there's ethnic studies--an area that sparks considerable enthusiasm among students and professors but one the University has so far only reluctantly moved forward on. Devoting the energy now to ailing departments and fledgling disciplines would likely yield results. The administration should take a lesson from the history of Afro-Am.