In Rudenstine's Own Words...

Following are excerpts from President Neil L. Rudenstine's report for 1993-1995:

On Writing the Report:

"During the past two years, we have seen a steady growth in controversy concerning issues of student diversity, university admissions, and affirmative action. Amid this national discussion and debate, specific proposals have been advanced in some quarters to eliminate factors such as race, ethnicity, and gender from consideration in university admissions...."

"We need to remind ourselves that student diversity has, for more than a century, been valued for its capacity to contribute powerfully to the process of learning and to the creation of an effective educational environment. It has also been seen as vital to the education of citizens--and the development of leaders--in heterogeneous democratic societies such as our own."

On President C.C. Felton:

"The nation stood on the verge of the Civil War when Harvard President C.C. Felton presented his report for the academic year 1859-60. In the midst of this national turmoil, he and others saw a need for colleges and universities to provide an education based on experience with different kinds of people, in the hope of overcoming regional, cultural, and other barriers...."

"For Felton, a national university could aspire to have a nationwide influence, helping to 'remove prejudices' and to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding, conflict, and even war. Geography--or place of residence--thus became, from an early date, a critical component in Harvard's concept of diversity."

On President Charles W. Eliot:

"More than any other leading educator of his time, [Eliot] stressed the value of cultivating the diverse talents of every individual, while also emphasizing how diversity among individuals and groups can be a major stimulus to learning.... He regarded diversity as so powerful and far-reaching in its effects--capable of shaping life-long attitudes and habits--that he came to view it as indispensable to the healthy functioning of a democratic society...."

"What was remarkable about Eliot, in retrospect, is that he responded directly to so many of the conflicting educational issues of his era. He analyzed them with unusual clarity and tenacious logic. He was responsive to emerging challenges and changing circumstances. During his tenure, several important barriers were broken--not completely, but nonetheless significantly."

On Eliot's Conception of Race:

"Charles Eliot shared with most of his contemporaries the assumption that there were a number of distinct races, each with its own identifiable characteristics. As has already been suggested, he also believed that the special talents, qualities, and interests of each race should be preserved, insofar as possible.... Nevertheless, he identified race as a positive component of diversity, and defined racial diversity as an element that enhances--rather than diminishes--the vitality and strength of a democratic society."

On W.E.B. Du Bois:

"William James, Josiah Royce, and other teachers made a lasting impression on him. They remained in his memory as examples not simply of scholars, but of individuals and leaders who demonstrated that 'ignorance and particularism and prejudice' could be overcome--in the nation as well as in the university. These direct encounters between a brilliant young African-American and a cadre of progressive New England academics produced living proof for DuBois that people of different races could meet and work on common terms, could respect one another, and could strengthen one another's commitment to the important moral as well as intellectual values essential to serious education."

On President A. Lawrence Lowell:

"President A. Lawrence Lowell was clearly very different from Eliot, and in some ways sought to limit Eliot's concept of diversity. For example, he called for quotas on the number of Jewish students admitted to Harvard. At the same time, he went further than Eliot in providing facilities that could sustain the more democratic ideals which had gradually been established at the university. In developing the residential House system during the late 1920s, Lowell specifically sought to diminish the tendency of students to form 'cliques based upon similarity of origin and upon wealth.'"

On President James B. Conant:

"Part of Conant's program involved a reenergizing of Harvard's academic life, especially in advanced learning and research. This initiative took many forms, but the conscious recruitment and enrollment of a more diverse student body was one of its important aspects...."

"The Harvard National Scholarships were created as part of this process.... Conant--like Eliot--stresses the clear linkage between certain values (such as tolerance) fostered in a residential college, and the civic virtues essential to citizenship and leadership in a democracy."

On Test Scores:

"There is broad consensus that standardized test scores can be valuable as one factor, among several, in helping to assess candidates for admission.... The correlation between SAT scores and future academic success, however, is far from exact. It is not uncommon for individuals to outperform (or underperform) what the tests 'predict'--often by significant margins. In addition, the predictive power of the tests diminishes over time."

On Equal Admissions Opportunities:

"Students who have had less consistent access to good education (and who lack the money to pay for extra 'prepping') will frequently do less well on standardized tests. Opportunities, not just abilities, are a critical issue here. Individuals who have unusual drive, curiosity, and a strong sense of purpose can compensate for lower test scores, and they regularly demonstrate that they can succeed admirably in a university--and in life--if they are given the chance."

On Racial Quotas in Admissions:

"In 1978, the Supreme Court in Bakke issued what remains its most significant statement concerning questions of race and admissions in higher education.... Bakke contended that he was not admitted because of his race: that as a white student, he had been unfairly excluded from competing for one of the 16 places reserved for minorities...."

"The clear separation of 84 'regular' admissions places from 16 'special' places for minorities, together with the use of different numerical cutoff points for the two groups, was held to be unlawful.... Under the Bakke ruling, it was judged permissible to take race explicitly into account as one factor in making university admissions decisions, provided that the institution can show that the practice is necessary to promote a substantial interest."

"Distinctions between the Harvard College program and the University of California at Davis program were discussed in some detail in Bakke. Justice [Harry A.] Blackmun ['29] wrote that, while he saw the advantages of the Harvard program, he was not convinced that the difference between the two was 'very profound or constitutionally significant'...."

"In his pivotal opinion, however, Justice [Lewis] Powell insisted on the fundamental difference between a two-track process involving setasides and a unitary process that judged all candidates by the same set of criteria, applied in a way that considered each applicant as an individual with a complex set of talents, interests, characteristics, qualities, and achievements."

On Affirmative Action:

"The main question to be addressed in this context is not so much affirmative action in itself, but the broader matter of diversity as it relates to the quality, breadth, and texture of student learning. The primary purpose of diversity in university admissions, moreover, is not the achievement of abstract goals, or an attempt to compensate for patterns of past societal discrimination...."

"The most constructive and well-conceived admissions programs are those that view affirmative action in relation to the educational benefits of diversity. They may take various characteristics such as race, ethnicity, or gender into account as potential 'plus' factors (among many others) when evaluating candidates, but they do not assign such characteristics an overriding value...."

"That is what we are doing now. That is what we have done in the past--well before the advent of affirmative action programs in the late 1960s."

On Harvard Students:

"Our commitment to excellence also means that we will seek out--in all corners of the nation, and indeed the world--a diversity of talented and promising students. Such diversity is not an end in itself, or a pleasant but dispensable accessory. It is the substance from which much human learning, understanding, and wisdom derive...."

"There must be opportunities to hear different views directly--face to face--from people who believe them and embody them. Much can be learned from reading, from travel, and from formal academic study. But little if anything can substitute for the experience of continued association with others who are different from ourselves, and who challenge us--even as we challenge them."

On Admissions of Black Students:

"There has been marked improvement on the participation of African-Americans (as well as other historically underrepresented minorities) in higher education. In spite of these gains, the figures show that we are still very much 'in process....' At this moment in our history, we should be mindful of the progress that has been made; but we should not mistake that progress for the full realization of a durable success."

On Past, Present and Future of Diversity:

"This is not a moment for national self-congratulation. But neither is it a moment to underestimate the substantial human and institutional achievements--in terms of education and diversity--of the past few decades...."

"The record is impressive. The progress, however imperfect, is inspiring. That progress must be sustained and strengthened. To change course now would be to turn aside from many decades of difficult but steady hope and fulfillment, in order to follow pathways far less bright, and far less full of promise."