6A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NATION
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006
EDUCATION
Harvard looks for new leader
BY ANDREW RYAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Effective at the end of the academic year, Summers' move brings to a close the briefest tenure of any Harvard president since 1862, when Cornelius Felton died after two years in office. Summers has led America's wealthiest university, with an endowment of more than $25 billion, since 2001.
He became embroiled in several controversies early in his tenure, among them the departure of prominent black studies professors such as Cornel West.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Lawrence H. Summers ended his tumultuous stint as Harvard University president Tuesday, choosing to resign June 30 rather than fight with a faculty angered by his management style and comments that innate ability may explain why few women reach top science posts.
Oh my God, he sculpted Kenny!
Last year's comments to an academic conference on women in science grew into a broader debate of Summers' management style, which some considered brusque and even bullying. He was also criticized by some for his handling of plans to expand Harvard's campus across the Charles River in Boston.
"This is a day of mixed emotions for me," he added in a conference call with reporters.
"I have reluctantly concluded that the rifts between me and segments of the Arts and Sciences faculty make it infeasible for me to advance the agenda of renewal that I see as crucial to Harvard's future," Summers wrote in a letter posted on the school's Web site.
The discontent prompted a 218-185 no confidence vote from Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences last March. Faculty votes are symbolic because the seven-member Harvard Corporation has sole authority to fire the university's president.
Another no confidence vote was scheduled for next Tuesday. It was called following the resignation of Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean William Kirby: Some faculty believe he was pushed out by Summers, though Kirby has said the decision was mutual.
Summers, a former U.S. Treasury secretary in the Clinton Administration, was a prominent economist when he became Harvard's 27th president after Neil L. Rudenstine announced his resignation in May 2001 after nearly a decade in office.
Derek Bok, Harvard's president from 1971 to 1991, will serve as interim president of the University from July 1 until the conclusion of the search for a new president.
"These last years have not been without their strains and moments of rancor," the 51-year-old Summers acknowledged in his letter on the school Web site.
A former professor of economics at Harvard, Summers said he'll return to teaching at the school after a year sabbatical.
"Larry Summers has served Harvard with extraordinary vision and vitality," the members said.
On Tuesday, Kirby issued a statement saying Summers had accomplished a great deal during his tenure, and "he has set in motion important initiatives for the university's future."
Judith Ryan, the professor of German and comparative literature who introduced the latest no-confidence resolution, said Summers' resignation was appropriate under the circumstances.
Board members said in a letter posted online that the past year has been difficult and "sometimes wrenching," but they look back on Summers' tenure with appreciation.
Kurt Dziesinski makes finishing touches to the South Park ice sculpture he created in his front yard Tuesday in Alpena, Mich. This is the 14th year Dziesinski has made a sculpture to share with the community.
Amy Lisenbe/THE ALPENA NEWS
Phelps' protests prompt more legislation
BY CHRIS BLANK
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. The House approved a bill banning protests near funerals an hour before to an hour after a service and sent the measure to the governor on Tuesday.
the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. The nondenominational church, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, claims soldiers are being killed as divine retribution because the United States tolerates gays.
The legislation, a response to a recent protest at the St. Joseph funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq, sets no limit on how close protesters can get. But lawmakers said they plan to pass a second measure specifically prohibiting protests within 300 feet of a funeral.
Missouri is one of at least 14 states considering restrictions on funeral protests because of
Rep. Tim Meadows (D-Imperial) said he doesn't want to think how his family would react if his son-in-law, set to be deployed in July to Afghanistan, were to die and people protested outside the funeral.
"God help those people who would be out there protesting in front of my family's funeral because something would happen, and perhaps I would be the one who was going to jail," Meadows said.
Unlike most bills, which don't become law until the fall after they are passed, the bill passed Tuesday would take effect as soon as the governor sign it. The House sponsor, Rep. Martin Rucker (D-St. Joseph) said the emergency clause is necessary because a war is going on and soldiers are continuing to risk their lives.
"If the next military veteran who gives the ultimate sacrifice is in your neighborhood and the next protest is in your neighborhood, you're really going to wish we had the emergency clause," Rucker said.
The House voted Thursday to limit funeral protests to more than 300 feet. But on Tuesday,
the House receded from that vote and instead passed a Senate version with the more general restriction by a 138-14 vote.
Rep. Beth Low (D-Kansas City) said the protests are wrong, but she believes the courts will strike down attempts to limit protests at funerals.
Sen. Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), who sponsored the Senate version, said the two proposals would complement each other and should allay constitutional concerns.
"Realizing that there are varied opinions on it and realizing that there very likely will be a court challenge. I think it makes sense to have a back up position," Shields said.