Neutrality Is Meant to Be Broken
Agnes Callard | 04 November 2024 | The Chronicle of Higher Education
Last year, two university presidents lost their jobs because, when testifying before Congress, they failed to project authority and moral seriousness to the general public; a third resigned this summer. This tells us something about what a university president is today. Being judged a leader by those whom you are not employed to lead is, apparently, part of the job description — especially at universities such as Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania. Six months later, Lawrence D. Bobo, dean of social science at Harvard, called for the faculty to stop publicly criticizing the university — or else face sanction. Harvard faculty recoiled at the prospect of having their freedom of expression curtailed, but Bobo’s demand for a united front — or at least the appearance of one — testifies to the political significance that Harvard has, and aims to continue to have…