Harvard’s Only Black Board Member Quits
In Protest Of President Summers’ Raise

BOSTON
A member of Harvard’s top governing board says he resigned over a proposed raise to university president Dr. Lawrence H. Summers, according to a copy of the board member’s resignation letter recently released by the university.

Harvard Corporation member Conrad K. Harper also cited his dissatisfaction with Summers’ leadership, including his controversial comments about women’s aptitude for science and math, as a reason for his resignation.

Harper, who is Black, was the only minority on the board.

“I saw a pattern,” Harper told Summers in his resignation letter, dated July 14. “Your statements demeaned those who are under-represented at the top levels of major research universities.”

In the three-page letter, Harper said his concerns “came to a head” when the Harvard Corporation decided last month to give Summers a 3 percent salary increase, which would raise his salary to about $580,000. Summers earned a salary of about $563,000 in the 2005 fiscal year.

“Despite your apologies and your creation of important task forces,” Harper wrote, “I could not and cannot support a raise in your salary. I believe that Harvard’s best interests require your resignation.”
Harper also revealed in his letter that on March 17 — two days after arts and science faculty members took a vote of no-confidence — he told Summers and other board members that he thought Summers should resign. Publicly, however, Harper stood alongside his Harvard Corporation colleagues in supporting Summers.

“Your presidency has been marked by a number of considerable successes,” Harper wrote. “Yet, as I said during our meeting (in June), my dissatisfaction with your performance as president has increased.”
In response to Harper’s letter, Summers thanked him for his service on the board and stressed his commitment to diversity at Harvard.
“Expanding opportunities for outstanding individuals from groups that are traditionally under-represented is of fundamental importance to the university,” Summers wrote in a letter.