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 underrepresented is of fundamental importance to the University," Summers wrote in a letter this week.
"You have contributed significantly to the work of the University," Summers wrote, "and your advice and counsel will be missed."
James Houghton, senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation, said the board decided to release copies of both letters with Harper's permission and at Summers' urging.
Houghton also said the board decided to give Summers a raise after weighing the "difficulties of the past year" against Summers' "broader efforts and contributions."
He said the decision was made after the board's regular spring meeting and "after further discussion and reflection in the weeks that followed."
Harper said that he wanted to discuss Summers' performance and salary at a board "retreat" last month, but Houghton had told him before the retreat that he already had decided to give Summers a raise.
"I cannot in good conscience remain a member of the Corporation when the procedures that should guide our deliberations are not followed," Harper wrote.
Harper, who was elected to the Harvard Corporation five years ago, was on the search committee that selected Summers in 2001. A 1965 graduate of Harvard Law School, Harper is a partner at the New York law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
His successor hasn't been named.
— Associated Press
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