Beyond the Yard

A law school professor surrounded by media blitz is played by Ron Silver in a movie. A professor of education and social policy serves as special master in a school desegregation case and testifies in civil rights cases on housing discrimination and testing discrepancies. A Kennedy School of Government (KSG) professor travels to the White House and Camp David to discuss political ideas with the President.

Harvard professors often spot each other at airports only to find out that they work for the same institution and are flying to different ends of the country, if not the world.

And these people still have time to teach your classes?

Rules of the Game

Faculty absenteeism is one of the most common complaints leveled by critics of today's university system. The pages of the Chronicle of Higher Education--and more mainstream publications--resound with accusations of greed and egoism directed towards professors who flee the classroom for high-paying consulting jobs and the media spotlight.

The current Harvard University policy states that "no more than 20 [percent] of one's total professional effort may be directed to outside work," according to a faculty handbook on research and professional activities.

In fact, Harvard's policy is not geared towards discouraging outside professional ventures, since promotion to tenure is often linked to professional achievements outside of the University.

In addition, the University benefits from the professional successes of their faculty members.

"Any individual faculty members' value is increased if they are part of a functioning professional environment,' says Sheila S. Jasanoff, professor of science and public policy at the Kennedy School of Government. "At Harvard, you're expected to be an international figure."

In fact, at a time when faculty members are pursuing exciting extramural projects, the policy is in place to ensure that they honor their primary commitment as educators.

"It's important in many of the sciences and social sciences that faculty should be in the swing of things," writes Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles in an e-mail, but "the primary activity is teaching and scholarship here."

Ambiguity in policy has led the Provost's Office to call for a policy review, according to Kennedy School Academic Dean Frederick Schauer.

"It's certainly possible that one reason for a University-wide review is the different interpretation of what 20 percent might mean," Schauer says, adding that the Kennedy School has a very strict interpretation.

"We interpret it very narrowly. Our policy is one day a week. [It} is based on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences' 20 percent policy, but we define that as a rigid one eight-hour day a week," Schauer says.

University spokesperson Joe Wrinn confirmed that the policy, which was first established in 1948 and last revised in 1962, is currently being reviewed by the Office of the Provost. Wrinn could not comment on the process of the review.

In the Swing of Things

Outside projects for Harvard faculty range from founding biotechnology companies to taking high-profile court cases, which is not surprising considering faculty members are at the forefront of their fields.

It's hard not to wonder how the 20 percent rule figures into the picture, although Schauer maintains that few faculty members spend the maximum allowed time on their outside projects.

For example, the Kennedy School allows faculty 40 days a year for outside projects, which is roughly a day a week, but Schauer says that few take full advantage of that time.

"My rough guess is that there are fewer than 10 [KSG faculty members} who do as many as 15 days during the course of the academic year," he says.

Faculty members outside of the Kennedy School also spend less than the maximum time allowed away from their University duties.

Alan M. Dershowitz '67, Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School says that less than 10 percent of his time is spent on non-university activites, including his work on two to three cases and "about a book a year."

Dershowitz, who became a household name through his work on the Von Bulow and the Simpson murder cases, says teaching has remained his primary responsibility throughout his tenure at Harvard.

" I have missed fewer than half a dozen classes in the last 36 years," he says.

Gary A. Orfield, who is a professor of education and social policy at the Kennedy School, maintains a similar attitude about balancing his outside commitments. He currently serves as court-appointed Special Master in San Francisco's school desegregation court order and testifies in civil rights cases as an expert witness.

" I never cancel a class. I schedule everything else around my academic commitments because I consider that to be my primary responsibility," Orfield says, adding that a lot of faculty who don't have outside projects are often less hesitant to cancel a class or to stay available to students.

Orfield estimates that he spends a total of two to three days a month honoring his other commitments.

Robert D. Putnam, Dillon professor of international affairs and Stanfield professor of international peace at the KSG, says he "never comes close" to reaching the 20 percent limit.

He has, on occasion, traveled to the White House and Camp David to inform the president of his political ideas but says he has never let it interfere with his teaching responsibilities.

Greatest Good for the Greatest Number

Not only do professors seem to be able to juggle two very different commitments, they also benefit both the university and the students by remaining active in their respective professional fields.

Jasanoff, who consults for environmental and science policy agencies as well as serving on national scientific advisory boards, believes that her work ultimately improves her skills in the lecture hall.

"My outside experiences allow me to link my theoretical work more closely to issues in the real world," she writes in an e-mail, "My work acquires more texture and depth. I frequently draw examples from my outside work in both teaching and writing."

Jasanoff cited her undergraduate course on environmental politics, which is being offered for the first time this year, as one that draws heavily on her outside experiences.

Dershowitz also says that all of his outside work relates to his primary job as a professor.

"I only take cases and work on books that relate to my teaching," he says. "The students appreciate the fact that I have experience that enhances the classes."

Putnam says his experience affects his role as an educator directly.

"I'm probably a better teacher because of my experiences," he says.

Katerina Linos '00, who participated in Putnam's undergraduate seminar last year, agrees that the class gains a new dimension if the instructor is intimately familiar with his field.

"The fact that Putnam knows people personally makes the class more interesting," Linos says. "He has insight as to how people act."

Often, professors will hire students to do original research for their projects, which helps students apply classroom theory to the real world.

"I try to get students involved, for students to get most of the experience, to get their names out there," says Orfield about his outside research projects.

Jasanoff says that students can reap several benefits from participating in a professor's outside project.

"I often employ students as researchers in my projects," she writes in an e-mail, "Also, I have often used my connections to help students find internships and other positions in the outside world."

A Matter of Priorities

The remaining question, then, is that of priority. If outside projects enhance the faculty's expertise, it's just the matter of giving students enough time to learn from them--which is why Harvard established a 20 percent policy in the first place.

The 20 percent rule, according to Jasanoff, is the University's way of regulating the faculty's conflict of commitment.

"It's recognizing that because of the severe demands on all of our time, it's harder to keep people focused on the fact that there is a primary employer" that is, the University, she says.

The way to reap the greatest benefits, according to Orfield, is to make sure outside work is complementary--and secondary--to faculty responsibilities.

"I think that as long as you keep your basic commitments clear and stay available to the students, as long as your work is related to better understanding of what you're teaching, it's mutually beneficial," he says.

For Dershowitz, this means that even the biggest, most publicized case won't take him away from Cambridge for long.

"Everything should be second to being a Harvard professor," he says.

Even being played by Ron Silver in a major motion picture.