Summers Sparks Debate at Tufts

University Professor Lawrence H. Summers once again has the presses rolling—this time over a speech he will make tomorrow at Tufts University.

A small group of professors there have publicly denounced the choice to invite the former Harvard president to speak, and some have called for a boycott.

But some students and Tufts administrators said that they were excited about the lecture and plan on attending it.

Summers said yesterday that he will speak on some of the same themes that he discussed while leading Harvard.

"I expect to address general issues, but I am sure I will touch on my experiences at Harvard," Summers said in an interview with The Crimson.

His talk, entitled "Rethinking Undergraduate Education," is part of the Richard E. Snyder Presidential Lecture series, which occurs each semester.

Tufts professors said they are less concerned about Summers’ proposed topic than with controversial comments he has made in the past.

In 2005, Summers drew widespread criticism for a speech in which he suggested that there might be innate differences in the scientific aptitudes of men and women.

Tomorrow’s lecture also comes on the heels of several incidents that have brought issues of diversity into the spotlight at Tufts. At last fall’s Snyder Presidential lecture at Tufts, author Shelby Steele spoke out strongly against affirmative action.

And in December, controversy arose after a satire published in the school’s conservative paper, The Primary Source, also criticized affirmative action.

The timing of Summers’ speech has led several professors to take action and voice their discontent publicly.

Associate Professor of Music John McDonald, in a letter to the Tufts Daily on February 14, called for a boycott of the event by encouraging students to "come next door to the Granoff Music Center at 8 p.m. on March 14 and hear some challenging new music instead."

Gary R. Goldstein, a professor in the physics and astronomy department, wrote a message to Tufts University President Lawrence S. Bacow expressing his disapproval.

"When I saw that [Summers] was asked to give the next lecture in the series, I was very concerned that this sends exactly the wrong message to the campus when we are trying to heal ourselves," Goldstein said yesterday.

Golstein also rejected the idea that by condemning the lecture he was denying Summers free speech.

"I’m not saying Larry Summers should shut up. I’m just questioning why he was invited in the first place and proposing that what he has to say is not going to be very interesting," Goldstein said.

Goldstein added that he expects "quite a few of us to boycott," and that there "may even be some protests."

But Tufts administrators said that the atmosphere has cooled and they no longer expect a boycott to occur. Bacow, who asked Summers to speak one year ago, defended his choice.

"I thought he had something interesting to say about undergraduate education," Bacow wrote in an e-mail. "I do not consider him a controversial choice, nor does the vast majority of the Tufts community."

He added that "only three faculty and virtually no students have expressed any concern to me about him delivering the Snyder Lecture."

Tufts Dean of Undergraduate Education James M. Glaser said that the former president will be a "provocative and exciting" speaker.

"We’re very interested in what Dr. Summers has to say about undergraduate education, his role in the major reforms going on at Harvard right now," Glaser said. "I think those took some particular courage and some vision."

Summers said in an interview last month that he is working on writings that may eventually turn into a book on higher education. He was recently added to the list of clients of Wylie Agency, a literary publishing firm, according to the company’s Web site.

Tufts students said yesterday that they welcomed the decision to invite Summers.

Scott B. Silverman, a freshman, said that he was excited to attend the lecture and that "anything controversial will attract students."

Alea D. Stein, a sophomore, also said she supports the decision to invite Summers and condemned the "fuss" people are making as "ridiculous."

"Our community is not one to shy away from something just because it might be a heated issue at the moment," Stein said. "If anything, people would want him to come speak."

—Staff writer Claire M. Guehenno can be reached at guehenno@fas.harvard.edu.